Oliva Serie V Churchill Extra Review

The Churchill Extra stretches the Serie V blend into a stately 7 by 52 - the long, classic size of the line. Mine wore the usual dark Ecuadorian Sun Grown Habano wrapper, oily and toothy, with a well-rolled cap and a seamless straight body. The extra length promises development room, and the 52 ring keeps things elegant rather than fat. My cold draw was clean and open, cocoa with a peppery lift, exactly the length-and-balance size a Serie V smoker reaches for when there's time.

It opens smooth and long. Coffee and cedar lead, with dark chocolate underneath and just a lick of black pepper - a more measured start than the stouter sizes, because the 52 ring burns balanced rather than thick. The classic Churchill proportions give a clean, elegant draw and a burn that tracked ruler-straight from the light. There's power here, the Serie V never hides that, but the format lets it arrive gradually. This is the blend with room to stretch its legs.

The long middle is the reward. Over the better part of an hour the profile builds patiently - espresso and cocoa thicken, cedar turns resiny and sweet, leather works in below, and the pepper settles to a steady warmth. The balanced 52 ring keeps the smoke refined, none of the notes crowding the others, and the extra length means the transition through the thirds is gradual and clean. The grey column stayed firm to the tap, the burn honest, smoke output generous the whole way. It smokes like a cigar built to be savoured slowly.

The last third deepens without turning harsh - dark espresso, cedar and cocoa richen toward the nub over roughly eighty-five minutes, the pepper firming late as the oils build. My verdict: the Churchill Extra is the Serie V for a smoker who wants length and elegance over sheer thickness - the most refined, drawn-out size of the line. The honest catch is time; at seven inches this is a long sit, so it wants an unhurried evening. But for balanced, gradual full-bodied development, it's arguably the definitive way to smoke the blend.