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As mentioned on the ?what are you smoking today? thread, I?ve been working my way through a selection of large Cubans during my holiday in turkey. Below are the consolidated mini-reviews which hopefully help some people with understanding how each of the sticks smoked. Final ranking at the end. Beware there?s quite a lot of text! They were as follows:
HDM DC
SCdlH El Morro
RA Gigantes
VR Don Alejandro
Bolivar Corona Gigantes (1998)
Partagas Lusitania
HDM DC. Some have asked for a review and ranking based on my acquisition for holiday. This starter is easy even with my poorly developed palate.
Creamy, smooth, hints of spice but not peppery and a sweetness to the aftertaste (then again I?ve only just started it but I can?t imagine the components will change, just the intensity of each).
The next instalment of my holiday cigars - SCdlH El Morro. Very different to the HDM DC I had yesterday but appealing to an entirely different section of my taste buds. Dark chocolate aftertaste which is very nice indeed, slight sweetness mixed with nutmeg and maybe a bit of cinnamon. There?s a warmth from a little white pepper but not what I would consider a peppery cigar. Very nice and hard to say it?s better or worse than the HDM DC yesterday.
VR Don Alejandro. I?m smoking the same as gojira and I have to concur, bloody delicious smoke. Its like I?m smoking a cup of fine coffee, hints of dark chocolate and plenty of creaminess. Also some dried fruit in there, raisins and a hint of almond. Not much spice at the moment but there is a hell of a lot of smoke, considerably more than the HDM DC and the SCdlH El Morro. Ranking wise, it?s really tricky as I?m not an ?experienced? smoker and appreciating all the nuances different cigars bring however, the burn on this has been disappointing - as we speak it?s got a serious jagged edge on it which unfortunately is relegating it to last place. If it was on par with the others burn wise, I think the flavour profile is my favourite thus far and therefore would be top of the pile. That said, none have been ?perfect? from a burn perspective.
The next instalment - RA Gigantes. It started off mild but by no means flavourless - slightly nutty, has a mild liquorice flavour and some sweetness (almost like the liquorice sticks you can chew on?). Aftertaste was again very mild and the smoke production was far less than the VR Don Alejandro I had yesterday. Definitely not full strength, I?m getting hardly any nicotine hit from this one. As it?s gone on the flavours mentioned above have chopped and changed intensity with an addition of well, tea?! Tea a valid flavour in a cigar? It?s no cup of Yorkshire Gold but it?s definitely there. Construction is easily the best of those had so far although the draw a little tighter than I like. A really good smoke, definitely complex, especially if you?re after something medium flavour that doesn?t punch you in the guts. Not my personal favourite so far though (this week of big cigars is like choosing your favourite child, they?re all great so it?s really tricky unless you really loathe one of them [emoji23])
Penultimate round - Bolivar Corona Gigantes (1998). My first ever aged cigar (and first Bolivar!) and it?s bloody delicious. Started off very mild which I wasn?t expecting with a cacao flavour, hardly any sweetness but hints of bitter orange like you get in an Aperol Spritz (don?t judge me!). It then became more leathery with some nuttiness, the citrus gone and flavour medium. I was surprised it wasn?t more full on from the start as I understand Bolivars to be full body full strength smokes? Towards the end it?s moved to strong espresso and cacao but absolutely zero harshness.
Construction was very good, lots of smoke (on par with the VR Don Alejandro) and very very smooth. Is this the result of it being a 20 year old stick?
As mentioned, my first Bolivar and first aged cigar and it?s an absolute cracker and not what I was expecting.
I?d love to know from you seasoned pro?s if the above is in line with the rest of the Bolivar vitolas. Perhaps I?ve been spoilt by its age?
Final round - Partag?s Lusitania. Construction, perfect (and I?ve heard of sketchy construction on these but this one is easily the best of the week). Like the others, it?s started off mild with nothing overbearing at all. Toasted tobacco, leather and an aftertaste like the one you get from tasting a coffee bean (is that a weird thing to do?) all very balanced with none of the flavours overpowering one another. Second third the orangey flavour I was getting from the Bolivar CG is very pronounced with the aforementioned flavours in the background, perhaps the leather being the most prominent. Not experiencing the typical Partag?s powerhouse I was expecting but imagine this will build up fairly soon. Onto the final third and it?s ramping up. The strength had crept up on me and the flavours have become much more intense but never harsh or bitter. Coffee has become far more prominent with some black pepper (not too peppery though) and a feint nuttiness. There?s an overall creaminess that coats your mouth to give an outstanding finish to a fantastic cigar. I?ve found my number one!
Final ranking:
1. Partag?s Lusitania
2. Bolivar Corona Gigantes (1998)
3. HDM DC
3. SCdlH El Morro
4. VR Don Alejandro
5. RA Gigantes
Now comes the question of what I would buy a box of next. Perhaps surprisingly, it would be the Don Alejandro?s because they are at the end of their life and with some age and a good construction, they?d be fantastic. Then it would be the Partagas followed by the Bolivar however I doubt I?d be able to get a box of 1998?s for a price considered reasonable and I?m not sure if a new Bolivar CG would match up to this one (I?ve heard the blends have changed a fair bit in the past 20 years).
After all I?m pretty new to this hobby and would love to hear others opinions on the above.
Hope this is mildly helpful to some out there curious about big Cubans.
On the plus side, there are a few others yet to sample (Punch and Trinidad spring to mind!)
Cheers!
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
HDM DC
SCdlH El Morro
RA Gigantes
VR Don Alejandro
Bolivar Corona Gigantes (1998)
Partagas Lusitania
HDM DC. Some have asked for a review and ranking based on my acquisition for holiday. This starter is easy even with my poorly developed palate.
Creamy, smooth, hints of spice but not peppery and a sweetness to the aftertaste (then again I?ve only just started it but I can?t imagine the components will change, just the intensity of each).
The next instalment of my holiday cigars - SCdlH El Morro. Very different to the HDM DC I had yesterday but appealing to an entirely different section of my taste buds. Dark chocolate aftertaste which is very nice indeed, slight sweetness mixed with nutmeg and maybe a bit of cinnamon. There?s a warmth from a little white pepper but not what I would consider a peppery cigar. Very nice and hard to say it?s better or worse than the HDM DC yesterday.
VR Don Alejandro. I?m smoking the same as gojira and I have to concur, bloody delicious smoke. Its like I?m smoking a cup of fine coffee, hints of dark chocolate and plenty of creaminess. Also some dried fruit in there, raisins and a hint of almond. Not much spice at the moment but there is a hell of a lot of smoke, considerably more than the HDM DC and the SCdlH El Morro. Ranking wise, it?s really tricky as I?m not an ?experienced? smoker and appreciating all the nuances different cigars bring however, the burn on this has been disappointing - as we speak it?s got a serious jagged edge on it which unfortunately is relegating it to last place. If it was on par with the others burn wise, I think the flavour profile is my favourite thus far and therefore would be top of the pile. That said, none have been ?perfect? from a burn perspective.
The next instalment - RA Gigantes. It started off mild but by no means flavourless - slightly nutty, has a mild liquorice flavour and some sweetness (almost like the liquorice sticks you can chew on?). Aftertaste was again very mild and the smoke production was far less than the VR Don Alejandro I had yesterday. Definitely not full strength, I?m getting hardly any nicotine hit from this one. As it?s gone on the flavours mentioned above have chopped and changed intensity with an addition of well, tea?! Tea a valid flavour in a cigar? It?s no cup of Yorkshire Gold but it?s definitely there. Construction is easily the best of those had so far although the draw a little tighter than I like. A really good smoke, definitely complex, especially if you?re after something medium flavour that doesn?t punch you in the guts. Not my personal favourite so far though (this week of big cigars is like choosing your favourite child, they?re all great so it?s really tricky unless you really loathe one of them [emoji23])
Penultimate round - Bolivar Corona Gigantes (1998). My first ever aged cigar (and first Bolivar!) and it?s bloody delicious. Started off very mild which I wasn?t expecting with a cacao flavour, hardly any sweetness but hints of bitter orange like you get in an Aperol Spritz (don?t judge me!). It then became more leathery with some nuttiness, the citrus gone and flavour medium. I was surprised it wasn?t more full on from the start as I understand Bolivars to be full body full strength smokes? Towards the end it?s moved to strong espresso and cacao but absolutely zero harshness.
Construction was very good, lots of smoke (on par with the VR Don Alejandro) and very very smooth. Is this the result of it being a 20 year old stick?
As mentioned, my first Bolivar and first aged cigar and it?s an absolute cracker and not what I was expecting.
I?d love to know from you seasoned pro?s if the above is in line with the rest of the Bolivar vitolas. Perhaps I?ve been spoilt by its age?
Final round - Partag?s Lusitania. Construction, perfect (and I?ve heard of sketchy construction on these but this one is easily the best of the week). Like the others, it?s started off mild with nothing overbearing at all. Toasted tobacco, leather and an aftertaste like the one you get from tasting a coffee bean (is that a weird thing to do?) all very balanced with none of the flavours overpowering one another. Second third the orangey flavour I was getting from the Bolivar CG is very pronounced with the aforementioned flavours in the background, perhaps the leather being the most prominent. Not experiencing the typical Partag?s powerhouse I was expecting but imagine this will build up fairly soon. Onto the final third and it?s ramping up. The strength had crept up on me and the flavours have become much more intense but never harsh or bitter. Coffee has become far more prominent with some black pepper (not too peppery though) and a feint nuttiness. There?s an overall creaminess that coats your mouth to give an outstanding finish to a fantastic cigar. I?ve found my number one!
Final ranking:
1. Partag?s Lusitania
2. Bolivar Corona Gigantes (1998)
3. HDM DC
3. SCdlH El Morro
4. VR Don Alejandro
5. RA Gigantes
Now comes the question of what I would buy a box of next. Perhaps surprisingly, it would be the Don Alejandro?s because they are at the end of their life and with some age and a good construction, they?d be fantastic. Then it would be the Partagas followed by the Bolivar however I doubt I?d be able to get a box of 1998?s for a price considered reasonable and I?m not sure if a new Bolivar CG would match up to this one (I?ve heard the blends have changed a fair bit in the past 20 years).
After all I?m pretty new to this hobby and would love to hear others opinions on the above.
Hope this is mildly helpful to some out there curious about big Cubans.
On the plus side, there are a few others yet to sample (Punch and Trinidad spring to mind!)
Cheers!
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
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