Oliva Special S Torpedo

The rain has stopped for now, remnants of the downpour now falling from the corners of the roof making a dripping sound as it lands in the puddle that has formed below. Dark and light clouds engulf the sky, looking as though another drenching could come at any moment. There’s no wind, not even a faint breeze, just calmness in the air. A few BB birds are flittering, tweeting in nearby trees. That’s what I called them in my younger days as they were good for hunting with a BB gun. Ah yes, the rain comes again, no longer a drip, but a good pouring of rainwater off the roof.

It’s close to sixty degrees on the back porch, feeling nice with the humidity not as high as one would think at only seventy-seven percent. I’ve brought out with me an Oliva Special S that was gifted me by Charles (CRQuarto) who mentioned earlier this morning he planned to review this cigar today as well, so why not a side by side comparison review. I’m curious to see how our reviews match or differ even.

The cigar is a nice looking torpedo Shape with cedar sleeve and ribbon around the foot with a big “Special S” in gold. I pull the cellophane off and can see a yellow tint to it, showing there’s some age on it. The cigar has good construction with a medium brown wrapper that has noticeable oil, one prominent vein down the length, and smaller web like veins running from it. I clip the tapered cap and find a perfect resistance with a matured tobacco taste in the cold draw; sweetness is left on the lips.

I once again look around and cannot find my torch, so pick up the box of matches I left from this morning, the cedar sleeve from the cigar, and begin toasting/lighting the foot using the cedar. I’m rather enjoying lighting the cigar this way as the cedar adds a nice flavor. With the foot burning well, I take a few puffs and then a slow, long draw.

The spice is the first thing noticeable, a good medium peppery taste on the tongue and throat, perfect. Secondly, there’s the strength that I find to be medium as well, hitting the palate just right with a rather full body in the voluptuous smoke. And then there’s the flavor, not incredibly rich, but rich nonetheless with a good, straightforward tobacco on the forefront, and hints of vanilla and cedar wood underneath. The finish is clean and semi-lasting on the palate.

The burn is good with a medium to light gray ash forming that holds strong until tapped off at about an inch, leaving only a small cone of filler ash sticking out. The smoke is still a good medium strength and flowing effortlessly through the perfect draw. Flavors are consistent; straightforward tobacco with vanilla, cedar wood, and a semi-lasting finish left on the palate.

Performance was consistent through the halfway mark and on into the final third with sharp burn, perfect draw, and good tobacco flavor. There was a bit of a charred wood taste that appeared towards the end, not a bad taste at all. I very much enjoyed this smoke and once again must give a huge thanks to Charles for the opportunity to try it out. Now where's your review??

Oliva Special "S"
Size: 6" x 52 rg Torpedo
Wrapper: Ecuadorian Sun Grown
Binder: Nicaraguan
Filler: Nicaraguan
Strength: Mild - Medium


I hadn't heard of this particular line from Oliva until recently, when my friend Bo managed procure a few boxes from his Oliva rep. When asked about them, the rep stated that they were a previously discontinued line that, while very good, didn't do well as the Serie V was dominating sales at the time, and the price point was also too high thus curbing sales. On hearing this, I promptly bought a fiver so as to get a chance to review one, and perhaps gift out a few more. Obviously Greg was one of a few people who received these, and on getting his PM this morning regarding tandem reviews, I thought, heck, why not!

Pre-Light

I'd have to say, I wish that Oliva would style their cigars more in the manner this one is. By that, I mean that the dress on it is fantastic, with a very refined, elegant look to it that does match the "Special" designation. From the coffee brown foot band bearing the "Special S" script, to the cedar wrap, and finally the band has a slightly different appearance than the typical Oliva bands, as it doesn't have the normal line designation in the form of the letter on it. After unwrapping the cigar from the cedar and foot band, I noticed that there was a light oily sheen to the perfectly applied wrapper, and that the construction of the cigar was overall very well done. The wrapper reminded me of worn, light colored leather with a touch of marbling to it. The foot was the only thing that was a bit off, as it appeared to be underfilled. On squeezing the cigar along its length however, I found it to have a good solid feel to it, removing any worry of the draw being loose. The foot had a nice pumpkin spice smell to it, and the wrapper also had this smell along with a cedar scent which is the obvious result of the cedar wrap.

Draw & Burn

On clipping the tapered torpedo head, I found a perfect cold draw that had a good resistance to it. After slowly roasting the foot with my new table lighter, I blew on the embers to get the foot burning evenly. The burn was the only negative part to this cigar, as during the length of the smoke I had to correct it every ten to fifteen minutes, as it kept wanting to go sideways. The ash was fairly white, and held strong until let go every inch or so. The draw stayed consistently perfect through the duration of the smoke. The aroma of the burning tobacco was absolutely delicious, with a mouth watering sweetness that my girlfriend said was very pleasant.

Flavor Profile

The pre-light draw had a wonderful aged tobacco taste to it with a touch of the pumpkin spice sweetness to it that I could smell on the wrapper. Once lit, I found a delightful array of flavors in the mildly tasting smoke that were comprised of cedar, sweet aged tobacco, vanilla, toasted bread, nuts, and a bit of oak towards the last third that replaced the cedar. I might have even picked up a touch of hay and nutmeg in there somewhere, though fleeting. The smoke itself was chewy, with a nice full body to it that imparted a delicious, rich finish. I found no spice in the mouth or nose until the last third, when a bit of black pepper crept in to kick up the strength a touch.

Overall Impression

This cigar was an absolute treat to smoke, and left me saying, "Wow!" the whole time. If I could get these in a shorter vitola, this would make for an outstanding morning cigar with a cup of well creamed coffee. I love Olivas, and this cigar did not disappoint. I am rather sad that these have been discontinued, but luckily a quick phone call to Bo revealed that he could get a sealed box from his Oliva rep. Needless to say, I quickly told him, "Save one for me!"