Ramon Allones Specially Selected Robusto

[edmundo]

Origin:	Cuba	Manufactured: Hand Made
Gauge:	Thick	Length:	124
Format:	Robusto	Ring:	50

Ratings for this particular smoke:

Appearance 5 out of 5
A great pale brown. Firm and springy to the touch.

Aroma 4 out of 5
A woody smell which filled the room quickly.

Burn 18 out of 20
Well constructed and held the ash very well, despite my slightly uneven lighting. Wasn't hard to keep going at all.

Taste 14 out of 20
Strong but smooth. Changed as I moved through it, getting more powerful.

This was my first go at a Ramon Allones (being more of a Partagas or Montecristo man myself). Probably not as creamy as my palate is used to but well worth the effort. The man in the shop compared it to a Bolivar; I'd pretty much agree with that assessment.

[larrysputnik]

Nice review. What do they typically cost?

[edmundo]

Picked two up for ?13 each.

[TJCoro]

Picked two up for ?13 each.

As it should happen, I smoked a Ramon Allones Specially Selected tonight before I came across this post. I agree the the RASS is similar to the Bolivar Royal Corona (CA's 2006 cigar of the year), but I find the Bolivar RC far superior to the RASS, IMO. I used to think of the RASS as the "poor man's" Bolivar RC, but that's not true today since you can buy a box of either for under 125 euros.

I keep a box of both in my humidor and choose which to smoke depending on my mood. Tonight I was in the mood for the RASS. I'll save the Bolivar for another day.

[Olls]

Had a RASS over the weekend - very nice. One of the better ones I've had so far. Didn't particularly have any flavours jump out at me this time so my palette still has some way to go, evidently. Excellent construction, burn and draw, though.

Got a Bolivar Royal Corona ready to go in the near future, too, so I'll be able to compare the two.

[Stevieboy]

Hi Edmundo!!

LOVE the RASS. Always keep a box in the 'dor. I've found that the newer boxes ie 2006 onwards have been smoking way better than previous years. Habanos SA seems to have finally gotten its act together re: quality control
I see this was your first venture into RA! I too used to stick to Party/Monte but I find RA to be a perfect companion to them. The RA Gigante is one hell of a smoke but they cost about ?17 each in the UK

[bigjohn62]

i had the pleasure of smoking one of those bad boys excellent smoke very powerfull imo

[daverave999]

I agree the the RASS is similar to the Bolivar Royal Corona (CA's 2006 cigar of the year), but I find the Bolivar RC far superior to the RASS, IMO.

TJ, after reading your comments I recently tried a Bolivar RC and enjoyed it a great deal. I wouldn't like to comment on which was 'superior' after only one, but could definitely see the similarities.

[whisky77]

RASS

Edmundo, liked the format and content of your review and i think you are correct in relation to the RASS, it is a very good smoke indeed.I think they are underated by a lot of cigar smokers as they don`t have the same marketing behind them as the likes of Partagas, R+j or Cohiba.Still, highly rated by people in the know.Read through any decent cigar book and you will always find the RASS as being one for connoisseurs.

[TJCoro]

Both Great!

TJ, after reading your comments I recently tried a Bolivar RC and enjoyed it a great deal. I wouldn't like to comment on which was 'superior' after only one, but could definitely see the similarities.

Senor Dave,

Glad you enjoyed the Bolivar RC and who knows, after a few more sticks you may prefer the RASS over the BRC. Bottom line, they are both excellent and underrated puros - at least until CA ranked the Boliver RC the No. 1 cigar in 2006. Between your an me, senor Dave...I hope they stay that way!

Names TJ, TJCore, and I smoke 'em both.

[Ramon]

Both great cigars. Another robusto that's overlooked a lot is the RyJ Exhibition No.4, a great cigar, especially the cab version

[edmundo]

Cheers fellas for all the comments here - was a while ago when I savoured the RASS and hadn't noticed them!

Still not as sold on them as I am on other robustos - had a Padron Series 2000 the other day - fuck yeah, that's what cigar smoking is all about!

[G-man]

Had a Padron Series 2000 the other day - fuck yeah, that's what cigar smoking is all about! For the $ U can't beat that stoogie.Every time I lite 1 up the first couple of hits remind me of the taste of hash.Don't ask won't have to tell. LMAO But the 2000 series is 1 hell of a smoke.Always keep a suppy on hand. Did u smoke the Natural or Maduro? IMHO the maddy has a better taste profile.Try and see if U like the maddy better.

[jdawg]

Cheers fellas for all the comments here - was a while ago when I savoured the RASS and hadn't noticed them!

Still not as sold on them as I am on other robustos - had a Padron Series 2000 the other day - fuck yeah, that's what cigar smoking is all about!

Nice review, edmundo! I really like the RASS. I also agree with your assessment of the Padron 2000. Nice smoke.

[sicnic]

RASS

I put this second only to the HDM EPI 2. I love this cigar and have a box from 2007. I think that they taste better than the Bolivar RC IMO.