Oliva Serie V Melanio Limitada Diadema

📌 Brand: Oliva
📌 Line: Serie V Melanio Limitada
📌 Size: Diadema CRA (6 3/4" × 48)
📌 Weight: 14.9 g
📌 Age: 3 years
📌 Origin: Nicaragua

‍ ‍Tasting Notes

• Dark Chocolate – Rich and smooth core

• Cedar – Elegant woodiness throughout

• Black Pepper – Controlled spice on the retrohale

• Dried Fruit – Sweetness developing through the middle

First Impressions

The Diadema is an impressive-looking cigar with a flawless Ecuadorian Sumatra wrapper and an elegant tapered shape. It feels perfectly constructed in hand. Pre-light aroma reveals cocoa, cedar, raisins, and pepper. The cold draw is spot-on, offering ideal resistance and immediate sweetness.

Smoking Experience

• First Third – Opens rich and smooth with dark chocolate, cedar, and restrained black pepper. The draw is excellent and the burn line razor sharp.

• Second Third – Dried fruit notes emerge, adding complexity and sweetness while the cigar remains balanced and refined.

• Final Third – The cigar continues to deliver depth and richness, though there are occasional moments of slight bitterness that interrupt the otherwise polished experience.

Pairings

• Alcohol – Madeira Malmsey 15 Year Old Blandy’s (Portugal) - Rich caramel, dried fruit, and nutty sweetness beautifully complement the cigar’s chocolate and dried fruit profile.

• Tea – Kenyan Purple Tea from Nandi Highlands - Unique berry-like sweetness and light tannins add freshness and contrast to the cigar’s richness.

Music Pairing

“Life During Wartime” – Talking Heads
Sharp, energetic, and layered, matching the cigar’s evolving character.

Final Thoughts

Oliva Serie V Melanio Limitada Diadema is a beautifully made cigar with rich chocolate, cedar, and dried fruit notes, offering excellent complexity and balance. Only brief moments of bitterness stop it from being truly flawless.

Final Score: 9/10
Why not a 10?
Occasional flashes of bitterness slightly disrupted an otherwise exceptional smoking experience.

Only cigars that deliver flawless draw, balance, flavour evolution, construction and satisfaction get a 10.