Cigar Weekly

Black Plague · 03-15-2006, 08:33 PM

Having the opportunity to herf with wonderful BOTLs Mark (mrkmitch), Steven (red), Jason (LerLlama), Frank, Kent (MoombaMania), and the good people of Chairman's Cigars of Indianapolis (Matt, the owner, and Jason, his bitch

), I also tasted a few fine cigars.

Bolívar
Royal Corona
4 7/8 x 50 Robusto 2005

Appearance: Possessed a delicious colorado claro wrapped with a golden brown color. Very smooth to the touch, great feel, and flawless looking. Had a very nice Cuban triple cap and an appealing band, one of the newer Bolivar bands with intricate embossing and bright colors.

Prelight: Cut easily with no frays. Honestly, I didn't really pay much attention to the prelight draw before I started toasting it up.

Flavor: As soon as I lit up, the classic Bolívar profile came through. Very woody and earthy, a sweet taste like honey, and lots of spice. The spice, as always, was multi-varied, with black peppercorns and a wonderful hot roasted habañero taste. The cognac I was drinking with this cigar released a lot of lush sweetness, most noticable being tastes of honey-dripped fruit. Into the final third, as often happens, the roasted flavors deepened. I began to taste a distinct coffee flavor on the finish. The wood and earth began to intensify significantly. Nice and full in body and strength.

Construction: The draw of this cigar was very nice. The burn was okay, but suffered from a bit of waviness. The ash was medium-gray and held very well.

Misc: Accompanied with some delicious A. de Fussigny Cigare Cognac (courtesy of Frank) and water.

Summary: Not terribly complex, but satisfying nonetheless. I have to say that the Royal Corona is perhaps my favorite vitola of the Bolívar marque. It's incredible spiciness never fails to grab my attention and makes this a cigar worth paying attention to. I highly recommend this vitola to anyone who appreciates this line's great strength.

Partagás
Serie P No. 2
6 1/8 x 53 Pirámide 2005

Appearance: A wonderful golden colorado claro wrap sprinkled with dark oil spots and streaks. The wrapper was very smooth to the touch with no veins. Looked to be incredibly well-rolled with a perfectly formed tip.

Prelight: Made a very slight cut, as I am wont to do with figurados. The draw seemed just fine. Prelight tasting revealed nothing.

Flavor: And oh was that prelight draw wrong! From first light, a burst of flavors. Tangy, spicy, and earthy from the very start. It had that great Havana twang to, with lots of spicy flavors, fruity sweetness, and some nutiness to it, too. Very intense in flavor. The spice was very sweet, giving up notes of sugar and fresh-chopped ginger. On the fruit side, I could distinctly taste a medley of banana and pineapple (something I've never seen in a cigar before) and the taste of almonds and cashews. This cigar was just a tad ammoniac, on account of being young, but this fortunately vanished after the first inch or so. Around this point, the finish took on a distinctly woody tone. I began to detect a distinctly alcoholic edge to it. At first, it mingled with the fruit flavors to bring out a touch of Calvados flavor. As it progressed, I noticed more and more the creamy texture of this smoke, and the roasted flavors came out more and, along with the nuttiness, gave impressions of amaretto-spiked coffee. About two-thirds in, wood and earth dominated this cigar, especially on the finish, and I could detect some notes of black pepper. Throughout, the aroma was a mouth-watering mixture of bonfire wood and sweet floral scents. Overall, full in body and mild to medium in strength.

Construction: Near flawless. With just a slight cut of the cap, the draw was just right. The burn was mostly straight and self-correcting. Ash was medium to dark gray and held on incredibly well.

Misc: Accopanied with water.

Summary: Now I see what all the fuss is about! This pirámide absolutely blew me away! Such intense flavors and wonderfully balanced and complex, and all with so little age on it. I can't begin to imagine how delicious these cigars will be in four or five years. All I can say is that these belong in every humidor. An instant classic!

03-15-2006, 08:33 PM	#1
Black Plague Herf Meister Join Date: Nov 2003 Location: Southern Indiana Posts: 7,650	Double Review: Bolivar RC and PSP2 Having the opportunity to herf with wonderful BOTLs Mark (mrkmitch), Steven (red), Jason (LerLlama), Frank, Kent (MoombaMania), and the good people of Chairman's Cigars of Indianapolis (Matt, the owner, and Jason, his bitch ), I also tasted a few fine cigars. Bolívar Royal Corona 4 7/8 x 50 Robusto 2005 Appearance: Possessed a delicious colorado claro wrapped with a golden brown color. Very smooth to the touch, great feel, and flawless looking. Had a very nice Cuban triple cap and an appealing band, one of the newer Bolivar bands with intricate embossing and bright colors. Prelight: Cut easily with no frays. Honestly, I didn't really pay much attention to the prelight draw before I started toasting it up. Flavor: As soon as I lit up, the classic Bolívar profile came through. Very woody and earthy, a sweet taste like honey, and lots of spice. The spice, as always, was multi-varied, with black peppercorns and a wonderful hot roasted habañero taste. The cognac I was drinking with this cigar released a lot of lush sweetness, most noticable being tastes of honey-dripped fruit. Into the final third, as often happens, the roasted flavors deepened. I began to taste a distinct coffee flavor on the finish. The wood and earth began to intensify significantly. Nice and full in body and strength. Construction: The draw of this cigar was very nice. The burn was okay, but suffered from a bit of waviness. The ash was medium-gray and held very well. Misc: Accompanied with some delicious A. de Fussigny Cigare Cognac (courtesy of Frank) and water. Summary: Not terribly complex, but satisfying nonetheless. I have to say that the Royal Corona is perhaps my favorite vitola of the Bolívar marque. It's incredible spiciness never fails to grab my attention and makes this a cigar worth paying attention to. I highly recommend this vitola to anyone who appreciates this line's great strength. Partagás Serie P No. 2 6 1/8 x 53 Pirámide 2005 Appearance: A wonderful golden colorado claro wrap sprinkled with dark oil spots and streaks. The wrapper was very smooth to the touch with no veins. Looked to be incredibly well-rolled with a perfectly formed tip. Prelight: Made a very slight cut, as I am wont to do with figurados. The draw seemed just fine. Prelight tasting revealed nothing. Flavor: And oh was that prelight draw wrong! From first light, a burst of flavors. Tangy, spicy, and earthy from the very start. It had that great Havana twang to, with lots of spicy flavors, fruity sweetness, and some nutiness to it, too. Very intense in flavor. The spice was very sweet, giving up notes of sugar and fresh-chopped ginger. On the fruit side, I could distinctly taste a medley of banana and pineapple (something I've never seen in a cigar before) and the taste of almonds and cashews. This cigar was just a tad ammoniac, on account of being young, but this fortunately vanished after the first inch or so. Around this point, the finish took on a distinctly woody tone. I began to detect a distinctly alcoholic edge to it. At first, it mingled with the fruit flavors to bring out a touch of Calvados flavor. As it progressed, I noticed more and more the creamy texture of this smoke, and the roasted flavors came out more and, along with the nuttiness, gave impressions of amaretto-spiked coffee. About two-thirds in, wood and earth dominated this cigar, especially on the finish, and I could detect some notes of black pepper. Throughout, the aroma was a mouth-watering mixture of bonfire wood and sweet floral scents. Overall, full in body and mild to medium in strength. Construction: Near flawless. With just a slight cut of the cap, the draw was just right. The burn was mostly straight and self-correcting. Ash was medium to dark gray and held on incredibly well. Misc: Accopanied with water. Summary: Now I see what all the fuss is about! This pirámide absolutely blew me away! Such intense flavors and wonderfully balanced and complex, and all with so little age on it. I can't begin to imagine how delicious these cigars will be in four or five years. All I can say is that these belong in every humidor. An instant classic!