2012 BOUZA

[CaptainQuintero]

I've had two of these in my desktop since 2012 when a friend gifted me them as part fo a bomb, we had been talking about every day cigars that Cubans smoke and the topic of BOUZA had come up. He mentioned that while staying at Hotel Nacional he had bought some of their custom rolls and while waiting had asked if he could get a hold of some BOUZA to try, after a bit of talking the desk clerk disappeared for a few minutes and came back with some unbanded cigars.

2012 vintage

Marevas

Hotel Nacional

After two months in my dry box the stick was verging on plugged, five minutes in the freezer opened it up slightly but still not smokeable. A quick drill with a cigar poker and roll between fingers and thankfully the draw was tight but very much smokeable.

Draw at cold was a little spice on the tip of the tongue and a slight hazelnut character.

The first puffs were quite muted but then the cigar opened up into a rich fruity profile, not unlike a SLR Serie A. Good quality tobacco and lashing of coffee. Not to mention a very good amount of smoke.

The first third was very enjoyable but not much evolution from those initial flavours, I wasn't complaining; this is extremely enjoyable. The second third however brought change with the SLR-like fruit dying away to be replace with milk chocolate and vanilla. Not unlike a well aged Montecristo #3 or #4.

At this point I started to wonder if this really was the famed BOUZA. I took a look at the cripped head and there was clear indication of blending present and the filler was certainly not short filler. The smoke at this point has been fantastic; rich thick smoke and clear quality flavours. This strikes me as a premium cigar.

A caffe con latte flavour now comes in after the ash drops for the first time, replacing the chocolate and vanilla.

Into the final third now and the above elements have merged together and faded into the background to be replaced with a decadent hazelnut ganache.

Wow, ok so is this a BOUZA? I'm starting to think not! Possibly a Hotel Nacional custom roll petit corona? Maybe the Desk Clerk was Hamlet doing a little bit of moonlighting and he snuck away for a few sneaky rolls for a guest asking about what real Cubans smoke? Who knows but this was a fantastic smoke.

97/100

An incredibly rich and enjoyable cigar, medium body and light in strength all the way through. I'm glad I have another!

[ErikB]

Very nice review - thank you

I saw a bundle of Bauzas once in a Cuban ration shop ,

they looked very interesting but not at all like the premium cigars we lucky tourists had access to

[Maplepie]

97/100 oh my. that's pretty high......

maybe it was hamlet or someone else. maybe you should recheck your sources

[CaptainQuintero]

97/100 oh my. that's pretty high......

maybe it was hamlet or someone else. maybe you should recheck your sources

Best cigar this year by a mile! I didn't even mind that I'd lost feeling in my hands from the cold lol. It just screamed quality.

I can't put my finger on it being anything regular production that size, the core fruit if the first third I've only gotten from SLR but I've never had SLR progress into chocolate or coffee, never had a wrapper that shade or quality from SLR either. I think it most likely was some sort custom roll probably from one of the rollers in the Hotel.

[Maplepie]

i agree. sounds way too awesome to be a regular one. and 97/100 for a fresh, clean rolled cigar is even more impressive!

Best cigar this year by a mile! I didn't even mind that I'd lost feeling in my hands from the cold lol. It just screamed quality.

if it were really quality, your hands would've been burning rather than freezing.

haha, seriously though: didn't nub the badboy?

[CaptainQuintero]

Went down to an inch left and that hazelnut started to go so I left it there before it went completely, didnt want a bitter end to ruin the experience lol

I think it was May when my friend went to Cuba so almost two years of age on it, it was just in that sweet spot where the edges presumedly had softened but it still had that vigour and fresh richness of a young cigar. Straight into my top 10 cigars I've smoked!

[Maplepie]

I think it was May when my friend went to Cuba so almost two years of age on it, it was just in that sweet spot where the edges presumedly had softened but it still had that vigour and fresh richness of a young cigar. Straight into my top 10 cigars I've smoked!

whoops, thought this was just new!

probably tastes THAT much better because you can never get em again eh? (aaah, partagas anni cigars. how i'll miss you)

[Troels]

I bougt a bundle of 25 bouzas from a local store in trinidad in 2011. Though it only cost 25 cuban pesos (a dollar or two) I would consider buying again. They were very far from pleasent smokes.

They actually did look like the cigar in the picture, but from the taste you describe it cant be

[Rye]

Great review!

[CaptainQuintero]

Thanks! I don't know when to smoke the last one now, I'm certainly not a collector but damn. I need one of those duplicating machines!

[chris12381]

If you're referring to the Bauza peso cigar, I'd have to day the quality of the wrapper and overall construction appears to be several levels above most peso cigars I've smoked. Most pesos feature very rough and veiny wrappers, lumpy/construction and will be short filler. If you do a Google image search you'll see some examples.

Sent from my Nexus 7 using Tapatalk

[mk05]

Peso cigars are usually ok until halfway through. They are made with scraps and second rate tobacco, so the cigar is - I think - machine finished. Is that ash correct? Doesn't look like the ash from a machine made. And where is the poorly applied band lol?