Oliva Serie V Lancero Review

The Lancero is the format the aficionados chase - a long, pencil-thin 7 by 38 that Oliva rolls out of the same Serie V blend as a nod to old-school connoisseurship. Mine came from Esteli with the line's Ecuadorian Sun Grown Habano wrapper stretched tight over that narrow body, a small pigtail cap left on. The lancero's whole appeal is ratio: a lot of wrapper relative to filler, which puts the leaf's character front and centre. The cold draw was crisp, cedar and cocoa, and I was keen to see how the blend translated to the shape.

A 38-ring lancero is all about the wrapper, and this one led with it - cedar and a fine black pepper right up top, brighter and more aromatic than any wider Serie V. Where the gordos push thick coffee, the Lancero reads elegant and lifted, the dark chocolate a quiet base beneath the spice. It's a demanding format to roll and to smoke, and this one lit evenly and drew clean, which is exactly what a good lancero should do. The strength is full, but delivered with finesse rather than muscle. A refined, wrapper-driven start.

The middle is where a well-made lancero shines, and this held its line. Cedar and pepper stay forward, a touch of dried fruit and citrus brightening them, the espresso and cocoa filling in below - all delivered with the clarity the thin ring gives. Because so little filler feeds each puff, every note is precise and the wrapper's own sweetness reads clearly. It burns a little warm, as lanceros do, so I kept the pace slow and it stayed elegant over about seventy minutes. My ash was tidy, the burn honest, the draw crisp the whole way. This is the blend at its most refined.

The final third concentrates the cedar and pepper, the cocoa deepening as the oils build toward the pigtailed nub. My verdict: the Lancero is the connoisseur's Serie V - the format that shows the wrapper and the roller's skill more than any other, elegant and precise where the gordos are plush and powerful. The honest catch is that a 38 ring runs warm and demands a patient draw, and it gives up the cool, thick depth of the big sizes. But for a smoker who values the classic lancero shape and wants to taste the Serie V's wrapper at its clearest, it's a treat.