Oliva Serie V Lancero cigar and Colmant bubbly pairing.
Posted by Francois Pistorius on 14th Oct 2021
Oliva Serie V Lancero cigar and Colmant bubbly pairing
Summer weather, while you decide which cigar to light, begs for bubbles in your glass. Bubbly wine is always a good idea, brunch, lunch, drinks or paired with a summer dinner. If you have an Oliva Serie V Lancero to unwrap and enjoy, think Chardonnay. But, why not pair your full-bodied cigar with summer in a glass, Bubbly wine or Champagne. Pair the Oliva Serie V Lancero with exceptional bubbly.
Oliva Cigars History
Melanio Oliva first grew tobacco in Pinar Del Rio, Cuba, in 1886. The war started, and farming operations stopped but continued again post-war. In the early 1920's Melanio's son, Facundo Oliva, took over the business.
Communist Cuba changed the tobacco landscape. Facundo's son Gilberto Oliva then shifted to brokering tobacco. But in the early '60s, it was time to move.
Gilberto went searching for the distinct Cuban taste. He travelled all over South America but finally found fertile ground in Nicaragua. Today Gilberto, along with his family, are Nicaragua's second-largest grower of Cuban-seed tobacco.
Oliva Lancero Cigar
The Oliva Serie V Lancero impresses with focused flavours and complexity.
Made in Nicaragua, the Lancero embodies the Serie V line quality. The Lancero is a full-bodied concentrated cigar in a thinner format. The flavours are earthy and full. It is a cigar that offers tastes of pistachios, nutmeg and chocolate-covered almonds.
Cigar Connoisseurs value thin cigars like Lanceros. However, the market favours thick ring gauges. But Oliva continues to produce this slender format despite market trends. It is a remarkable cigar with consistency. Lancero smokers love the Oliva Lancero.
The company transitioned from a family-owned operation into a corporate entity. A new factory in Nicaragua meant increased production capacity.
The blend is Nicaraguan. The wrapper plays a more significant role in the cigar's flavours.
COLMANT BRUT RESERVE NV Bubbly Wine
The Colmant Bubbly Story
In search of the perfect bubble
In 2002, Jean-Philippe Colmant moved with his family from Belgium. They found a pocket of paradise in the Western Cape. He purchased a smallholding in the enchanting Franschhoek Valley. A 5ha smallholding part of the original La Motte farm.
"What better place to establish a property dedicated to the production of excellent bubbles? We set about planting new vineyards and constructing a cellar dedicated to the age-old method of Champagne production".
Jean-Philippe Colmant background is business. He took a leap of faith and learned about winemaking.
"Although I have always been a good consumer of wine and bubbly, I knew nothing about making it. I was a businessman, not a farmer or a winemaker".
He started an ambitious plan to build a facility to produce Cap Classique wines while importing exceptional Champagnes.
Jean-Philippe Colmant planted Chardonnay and Pinot Noir vineyards on the farm. The construction of South Africa's first cellar dedicated to Cap Classique was next. A new cellar to host the production and maturation. Also, they selected the best terroir to source the most suitable grapes for the Colmant range.
The farm was ready for its first harvest in 2006.
Today Colmant produce 60000 bottles of Cap Classique a year.
If there's one thing a bubbly lover understands, it's the concept of finesse. It takes planning and patience mixed with a passion for creating quality cuvées. The Colmant brand grows yearly from strength to strength. It is a brand of quality and reputation.
Paul Gerber, one of South Africa's leading Cap Classique winemakers, joined the team as a winemaker in 2019. Paul and JP strive to produce the finest boutique Cap Classique in South Africa.
COLMANT Winemaking Philosophy
Jean-Philippe and Paul strive to create Cap Classique with finesse. Bubbly with ripeness and fullness but still retaining freshness and balance.
Colmant bubbly consists of the traditional Champagne varietals. Pinot Noir and Chardonnay blend into the bubbly in equal proportions. The most crucial part of making a refined bubbly is the blending.
The Pinot Noir grapes grow on five different farms. Farms located between Franschhoek, Robertson and Elgin. All offer distinct characteristics of body and finesse.
The Chardonnay grapes add finesse, freshness and elegance. Its slow development gives an excellent ageing potential.
Half of the Chardonnay grapes grow on the Colmant farm. The grapes have balanced acidity and structure. The other half comes from the limestone soils of Robertson and Bonnievale. A small part of the grapes grows in the cooler climate of Elgin and Hemel-en-Aarde.
Oliva Serie V Liga Especial Lancero
Made By
Tabacalera Oliva S.A.
Factory Location
Nicaragua
Length
7 inches
Ring Gauge
38 ring gauge
Strength
Medium-Full
Filler
Nicaragua Jalapa Valley Ligero
Binder
Nicaragua
Wrapper
Habano Sungrown Nicaragua
Price
Check Website
The Oliva V Lancero Cigar
Serie V is a complex blend of Nicaraguan long-filler tobaccos. The Lancero Blend is fermented Jalapa Valley Ligero, finished with a high priming Habano Sun Grown Wrapper. The flavorful blend has complex tobacco with rich coffee and dark chocolate tones.
The Habano Sungrown wrapper has a dark caramel colour. Veins are delicate but visible. The aroma from the wrapper is a medium-full mixture of earthy spice, cocoa and herbs.
Oliva V Lancero Cigar Construction
The cigar construction is perfect. It is a spongy Lancero with excellent moisture.
Oliva V Lancero Cigar Dry Aroma
The immediate aroma is full-bodied tobacco. Hints of a smokey barnyard with toasty aromas escape while you unwrap the cellophane. The aromas of dark cocoa and earthiness are prominent.
Oliva V Lancero Cigar Dry Draw
The Lancero dry draw is light. The dry draw delivers flavours of honey and earthy tones with hints of fruit and smoke.
Oliva V Lancero Cigar First Puff
The first puff is medium-full with toastiness. The draw is light, with generous hints of dark cocoa aroma from the smoke production. A blend of dark coffee, cocoa, smokey notes, and fruitiness develops on the palate.
The cigar has scents of leather and a damp cellar.
COLMANT BRUT RESERVE NV
Sophisticated
Fresh
Elegant
The Colmant signature blend is a true reflection of Colmant's unique style.
Colmant Brut Reserve NV is a blend of Pinot Noir (52%) and Chardonnay (48%). The grapes grow in Franschhoek, Robertson and Elgin. A ten per cent part of the base wine ferments in French oak barrels.
A further twenty per cent of the blend consists of reserve wines from previous vintages. Each bottle matures a least thirty months before release. You can pop the bottle today or age for four to five years.
COLMANT BRUT RESERVE NV Bubbly Nose
While the bubbles spritz, the summer aromas of pineapple and honey fill the glass. The fragrances in the bubbly wine are delicious.
COLMANT BRUT RESERVE NV Taste
The bubbles drink dry with honey citrus spreading across your palette. The taste is full and luxurious. Warmer wine in your glass delivers richer flavours.
The bubbly stays crisp and fresh.
Oliva V Lancero Cigar smoke evolution
The Lancero has added complexity. The middle part of the cigar releases meaty herbs over the classic cedar and cocoa tastes.
The finish is earth over cocoa and medium-full. The blend tastes like dark cocoa caramel with honey.
While you smoke, the toastiness and herbs blended with earth and cocoa evolve. The cigar drops ash on its own. The ash is short but dark.
Oliva V Lancero Cigar Pairing with Colmant Bubbly
The flavours evolve fast without overpowering your tastebuds. A blend of melted cocoa and honey delivers rich textures with earthy spice.
The bubbly is misty and light. It embodies spring in a glass with dry and crispy sips.
Light, fresh with finesse.
The cigar and bubbly creates rich toasted flavours. Hints of honey and cocoa fill your palate. The blend is a mix of toasted caramel with hints of smoke, honey and dark cocoa. The bubbly and Lancero cigar pairing is a chocolate dessert with complex tastiness.
Oliva V Lancero Cigar Pairing with Aged Port
After the crisp Colmant bubbly, it was time to pair the Lancero with something fuller in taste.
With a bit of aged port left from 1979, it was the perfect occasion to pair with the Oliva cigar. The aged port nose is dry with plenty of fruit fragrances. It smells like Christmas cake soaked in rum.
The taste is rich and full, with ample fruit on the palate.
The aged port develops a dry sherry quality due to the oxidation. The pairing is a blend of caramel, dark chocolate and berries soaked in liqueur.
The port lifts the cigars creamy and nutty tastes. It is an excellent taste sensation with the fullness of dates lingering while you smoke. The sweet aged port makes the Lancero smoother. The blend tastes like chocolates and Christmas cake.
Oliva V Lancero Cigar Conclusion
The cigar flavour is excellent and complex. It delivers full flavours with incredible smoothness.
The right bubbly wine or Champagne will enhance the dark chocolate notes of the Oliva V Lancero. The cigar smokes creamier paired with full-bodied Champagne.
The cigar is the ultimate refinement. It smokes elegant and slow. Be careful not to smoke the cigar too warm. A Lancero demands patience and an easy flow.
My recommendation for the Lancero is a full-bodied Chardonnay bubbly or French Champagne. I love the Colmant bubbly, but my final tastes craved a fuller and richer wine. A cigar and bubbly is a luxurious pairing. It's a tasty, refined pairing of smoke, fruit and cocoa.
The cigar is the star of the pairing. The Lancero smokes silky smooth with refined construction and rich complexity.
To smoke an Oliva V Lancero Cigar, click the link below.
