With how ubiquitous they now are, it’s easy to lose perspective on just how meteoric the rise of Nicaraguan cigars has been over the last two to three decades. Today, the country handily occupies a position as the largest premium cigar producing country in the world. While there were many names and brands involved in that story, no retelling is complete without Oliva Cigar Co.

Today, we’ll be looking at the Oliva Serie G and Serie O; two fundamental pillars of the Oliva lineup. While the Serie V and Serie V Melanio occupies its position as the flagship Oliva cigar, the Serie O and Serie G act as a delicious and approachable entry point to the Oliva cigar family – and moreover a celebration of some of the best aspects of the brand’s rich history and expertise.

Starting with the O, these delicious medium-bodied sticks represent a love-letter to the companies’ history – taking shape as a Habano Puro. Like many other cigar making families, the Oliva’s trace their heritage to Cuba, where Melanio Oliva began producing tobacco in Pinar del Rio in 1886. Two generations of tobacco growing would follow, until the 1959 Cuban revolution would slowly push Gilberto Oliva Sr. to make the difficult decision to emigrate from his homeland. Decades of Tobacco growing in several countries would follow, until eventually Oliva Cigar Co. (first founded in 1995) would set its foundation firmly in Esteli’s soil in 2003.

A love letter to their lineage, the Oliva Serie O was blended using original Cuban seed tobaccos and grown in the Esteli, Condega and Jalapa Valley regions of Nicaragua – creating a beautiful melding of Oliva’s past and present homes. These cigars are rich with a sweet and spicy flavour profile; with notes of chocolate, caramel and pepper developing as the cigar progresses. Oliva cigars bearing the O name have found their way onto Cigar Afficionado’s Top 25 Cigars of the Year, with an impressive 11th place finish in 2014 with a compelling 94 rating. Moreover, Serie O routinely earns scores of 90 and above, placing it among some of the best cigars in the world.

The Oliva Serie G, unlike it firmly Americas-oriented brother, features a blend that departs this side of the world. Sporting a brilliant, milk chocolate Cameroon wrapper, this delicious medium-bodied cigar pairs it’s African wrapper with Oliva’s iconic Nicaraguan fillers, culminating in notes of sweet cedar and dark coffee. Once again, Serie G is no stranger to Cigar Afficionado, earning an 11th place ranking in 2006 and a 93 rating in 2024 – a testament to Oliva’s consistency and blending prowess.

While the Serie V will always hold a special place in the Oliva lineage, it can’t be understated how important the Serie O and Serie G are to the body of Oliva’s cigar portfolio. One is a celebration of Oliva’s heritage, and one is a bold exploration of an exotic wrapper mixed with iconic Nicaraguan flavour. Both come at an extremely reasonable price. If you’ve hesitated on Oliva cigars in the past, these two delicious options are a great place to start. Find Oliva Serie G and O in a Canadian tobacconist near you!