When the Oliva Serie V first appeared on the market in 2007, it marked a true turning point for Oliva Cigar Co., as this was the most complex and sophisticated (not to mention full-bodied) cigar the company had ever produced. Then, in 2012 it refined the brand by giving it an Ecuador Sumatra wrapper and naming it Melanio after Melanio Oliva who, according to family history, grew tobacco in Cuba during the late 1800s. The Melanio went on to become a highly decorated brand and the Figurado was named Cigar of the Year in 2014. But despite all the critical praise and commercial success of Serie V and Serie V Melanio, Oliva wasn’t done with the brand. They took it into darker territory with the Melanio Maduro, which is covered in a leaf of Mexican San Andrés tobacco. However, rather than release an entire Melanio Maduro brand, it would come out with the Maduros one size at a time. The Maduro Torpedo hit the market in 2013 and it’s been impressing us ever since. Every puff is loaded with sweet wood, sea salt and dried fruit, but the tapered head of the Torpedo seems to concentrate the smoke for another dimension of flavor. —Gregory Mottola

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