Top 10 Best Oliva Cigars
The Oliva family traces its roots in the cigar business back to Cuba in the 1800s. Before his passing in 2017, modern family patriarch Gilberto Oliva built the Oliva Cigar Company into a prominent brand with his son, José Oliva, in the wake of the Cigar Boom in the 1990s. Today, the traditions and growth the Olivas set in motion are carried forward by the brand’s Belgium-based parent company, J. Cortès Cigars N.V.
Oliva cigars are handcrafted in the company’s contemporary cigar factory in Estelí, Nicaragua. The brand is home to a number of top-rated, top-selling cigars as well as the Nub and Cain portfolios. Here’s a rundown of the best Oliva cigars you can buy.
#1 - Oliva Serie V Melanio
Oliva Serie V Melanio gets a ton of well-deserved attention from Oliva fans thanks to a ‘#1 Cigar of the Year’ title and a 96-point rating from 2014. More than half a decade later, the blend still lives up to its reputation with a medium to full-bodied profile of wood, caramel, and black pepper notes that please the palate in a collection of box-pressed gems.
#2 - Oliva Monticello
A shimmering and ultra-rare Nicaraguan Maduro wrapper leaf embraces a marvelous blend of Nicaraguan long-fillers in a rich, spicy, and sweet amalgam of flavors. Tasting notes of dark cocoa, cashews, and fresh ground coffee culminate in a luscious finish in a meticulously crafted collection of soft box-pressed shapes.
#3 - Oliva Master Blends 3
Considered the official ‘crown jewel’ of the Oliva portfolio, Oliva Master Blends 3 is the third edition in a limited series that debuted back in 2004. Demand has increased exponentially over the past fifteen years as cigar lovers continue to clamor for the cigar’s 92-rated sweet and succulent profile of dark chocolate, coffee beans, and brown sugar in a lineup of popular formats.
#4 - Oliva Serie V
Beginning in 2009, Oliva Serie V catapulted the brand onto the radar of a burgeoning audience of cigar lovers thanks to a series of ratings over 90 points. In 2017, the beefy Ligero-laden blend scored 95 points and was ranked as Cigar Aficionado’s ‘#3 Cigar of the Year.’ A touch of molasses surfaces in an intense but balanced profile of leather, cayenne, and black pepper.
#5 - Nub
Nub cigars are popular and well-known for the short, fat shapes they’re rolled in. The entire brand is handmade at the Oliva factory in Estelí, Nicaragua. Nub cigars are 3 to 4 inches in length and are crafted in ultra-thick 54 to 66 ring gauge formats in a collection of classic wrapper varietals, including Cameroon, Connecticut, Habano, Maduro, and Corojo options. Nub cigars deliver nutty, creamy, peppery, and sweet tasting notes in a collection of medium and medium to full-bodied blends.
#6 - Oliva Serie O Maduro
A chewy and smooth profile of espresso beans, black pepper, and dark chocolate emerges in the 90-rated Oliva Serie O Maduro. An oily Connecticut Broadleaf Maduro covers a sweet and earthy array of premium aged Nicaraguan long-filler tobaccos. Four traditional formats conclude with medium to full-bodied notes of maple and spice with a creamy, woody room note.
#7 - Cain
Cain debuted in 2009 as a new brand in the Oliva portfolio. The Cain collection was blended to cater to cigar enthusiasts who prefer stronger cigars. The brand is famous for a series of blends handcrafted exclusively from potent and peppery Nicaraguan Ligero binder and filler tobaccos. Today Cain is a bestseller among cigar lovers who prize low prices and powerful taste. Cain is available in a complex variety of Nicaraguan, Habano, and Maduro wrapper options, as well as a slightly milder and nuttier Ecuador Connecticut varietal.
#8 - Oliva Connecticut Reserve
Creamy and elegant flavors of cedar, almonds, cashews, and white pepper emerge in Oliva Connecticut Reserve. A golden-blond Ecuador Connecticut wrapper leaf harbors a mild to medium-bodied blend of premium Nicaraguan binder and filler tobaccos. Oliva Connecticut Reserve is handcrafted in a deep series of traditional shapes.
#9 - Oliva Serie G
An authentic gingerbread-hued Cameroon wrapper leaf distinguishes Oliva Serie G in a handful of classic round and box-pressed formats drafted from a premium interior of Nicaraguan long-fillers. The 91-rated blend delivers popular Cameroon tasting notes of cedar, coffee, toasted almonds, cinnamon, and baking spices for an excellent value.
#10 - Oliva Gilberto Oliva Reserva
Oliva Gilberto Oliva Reserva is named for the late legendary Oliva family patriarch, Gilberto Oliva, and is handmade in two distinct wrapper varietals: Sumatra (Oliva Gilberto Oliva Reserva) and Ecuador Connecticut (Oliva Gilberto Oliva Reserva Blanc). The names may be big, but so are the discounts on a pair of commemorative Oliva blends that span a complex spectrum of earthy, nutty, spicy, and creamy tasting notes. Oliva fans launched both versions to the top of our sales charts thanks to the consistent flavor and aroma they deliver. Oliva Gilberto Oliva Reserva Blanc scored 92 points in Cigar Aficionado in 2018.
#11 - Other Oliva Cigars
The Oliva portfolio is stacked with other top-selling classics, like the Serie O, Serie V Maduro and Serie V Melanio Maduro, and many more. The company also manufactures a series of affordable bundles called Flor de Oliva. Shop our full suite of Oliva Cigars for sale if you’re looking for more gems to try. We carry all kinds of Oliva cigar samplers and accessories too.
