A few years ago Oliva called a sales meeting to talk about creating a mild smoke, but the response from the sales team was that there was a bigger demand for a full bodied smoke so the Series V was created. Now, a couple of years later Oliva decided to create a mild cigar anyway and they came up with the Oliva Connecticut reserva, made from Nicaraguan filler and binder with an Ecuadorian Connecticut wrapper. I smoked the Toro, a 6x50 cigar that has a fixed price tag of € 6.00 here in The Netherlands. I was reluctant to smoke it, as I am not a big fan of Connecticut tobacco, but on the other hand, this is an Oliva stick and Oliva never let me down so far as you can see in my reviews of the Master blend 1 torpedo, El Cobre torpedo, Oliva V lancero, El Cobre toro, Oliva G tubo, Oliva O maduro torpedo, Oliva V torpedo, Oliva special S toro, Oliva O maduro torpedo *revisited*, Oliva V lancero *revisited*, Oliva V churchill, Oliva V maduro 2009 release, Oliva V maduro 2008 release, Oliva Master blend 3 robusto and the Flor de Oliva maduro robusto.

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I like the simple yet tasteful white band. The wrapper is light colored, a bit yellowish brown. The wrapper is smooth, shiny, oily and has some minor veins. The construction feels a bit soft, but equally soft. The predraw is good but tasteless. The cigar has a nice mild smell of hay and wood.

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The cigar starts with a bitter espresso taste with some sweetness and spicy. After half an inch the flavors get a little musty but fortunately that musty flavor disappears soon. After an inch I taste an earthy flavor and pepper, the flavors aren't very nice.

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Halfway I taste that classic Oliva sweetness that I taste in a lot of their cigars while I never ran into that specific taste in any other cigar, combined with some cedar wood. This is the flavor that sticks around for a while and only gets a little bit peppery spicy along the way. At the end the cigar loses the sweetness but the cedar wood and the spiciness stay around.

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This smoke time of this toro is an hour and five minutes. The draw and burn are very good and I got a lot of thick white smoke. The pepper and salt colored ash is firm. This cigar is full flavored and medium bodied.

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Would I buy this cigar again? No, I will get another Oliva stick instead, one without Connecticut leaf

Appearance: 7 / 10
Construction: 8 / 10
Draw: 8 / 10
Burn: 8 / 10
Smoke & ash: 8 / 10
Aroma first part: 6 / 10
Aroma second part: 7 / 10
Aroma third part: 7 / 10
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Wow Ferdinand, you and I have a similar taste in cigars except for Connecticut wrap smokes. I LOVE mild Connecticut wrap cigars.

Thanks for the review...and the reminder to get some more of these. :-)
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Great review, Ferdie!:-) I Agree With You On The Connecticut, Not A Big Fan.:-)
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Nice review...this one is way too light for me.
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:-)
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thanks for the review. I am a fan of the Oliva Connecticut, but I prefer milder smokes. To me its a great cheaper replacement for an Ashton Classic.
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Thanks for the review!

I mainly smoke heavier stuff. But these sticks are great for a lighter, creamy afternoon smoke. Very well made, flavorful and inexpensive.
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+1. I prefer the Lonsdale size.
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I smoked one of these as 6" x 60 Gordo. I thought it was pretty good for a Connecticut leaf cigar.
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These are one of my favorite morning smokes (the others being JdN Cabinetta and RP 1999 Connecticut). For me they are perfect for sitting out on the porch on a Sunday morning with a cup of coffee. To me that's livin' :-)
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I tried one of these, and while I enjoyed it, I found the Flor de Oliva Gold a comparable smoke for less money.
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Thanks for the review. The guy at my local cigar shop was trying hard to sell me some of these yesterday. Now I am glad I waited and read your review.
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Kevin (from Winston's) has recommended this smoke to me if I want to try a Conn cause I haven't come across one that I have liked. Based on this review, I'll continue with the assumption that I won't like it and not waste my money. Specially not when I can reach directly below it and grab a V.
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Hmmm, interesting take on things.

I had a couple robustos and lonsdales, then bought boxes of each - yes, liked them that much. While they seem milder than say the V line (I have a few of those too), they are a very tasty smoke. I like these for a change of pace.

I have found them to have some spice, some hints of coffee & nuts, and some sweetness that hovers ephemerally. They have nice body and a wonderful room note.

This just goes to show that different tastes are out there.

Oh, by the way, I love my strong cigars too, and this is one of the few connies I enjoy, in fact, the only connie wrapped cigars I have in my humidor at this time.

Peace of the Lord be with you.
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