Bolivar Belicosos Finos : ULA ABR15 : Bolivar Review Comp 2016

[skalls]

The day got off to a great start at the temple of pewpew (indoor gun range) with a couple handguns that have been neglected for awhile.  It was cold as balls this morning so while I wanted one when I got home, having a cigar when it was 34 degrees out wasn't my cup of tea.

After the F1 race wrapped up I checked my phone and it said 46, so figured why not.  Though 46 is what the temp was out, it isn't 46 in the shade, and my deck was covered in the shade.  It was cold.  Borderline too cold to have a cigar but oh well.

Pre-light:

Wrapper is colorado maduro (the pictures below don't do the shade justice) and very very oily.  The cigar is a bit on the spongy side so I feel like it's slightly underfilled.  Wrapper is silky smooth.  

First third:

Despite how the cigar feels spongy, the draw is perfect.  Smoke output is also fantastic.  The burn is razor sharp and the ash holds on for an inch at a time.  Bitter chocolate, leather and pepper are the main flavors.  Body is a bit above medium and there's no strength.  The smoke is very oily and has a long lasting finish.

2nd Third:

Body was all the way up to full bodied for half of this third.  I wasn't expecting this ramp up at all.  Not unpleasant but it did catch me off guard.  No new flavors but the leather has become the primary flavor I'm getting.  The chocolate and pepper are still there letting me know they are here but have really come down from the first third.  Did have to do a couple minor touchups.  Smoke output remains great.  By the end of this third the body was back down to a medium

Final Third:

DAMN YOU TAR!!!  I hate tar, luckily I didn't get much but damn was that unpleasant.  I made another cut about an 1/8" down the cigar and the tar didn't appear again.  Now this cigar is technically not that young anymore, but i did get some youthful character right toward the end that washed out the flavors.  Total burn time was 55 minutes.

Final Thoughts:

This was an ok cigar that I feel was let down by being underfilled and the tar at the end.  Can't fault the cigar for youthfulness but that did come as a surprise.  I am stumped by this format though.  After cutting the tip it's barely more than a robusto.  I just don't understand belicosos at all.  

88/100

This box definitely has a lot of upside, and by the time spring is here next year I fully expect the final third to be more enjoyable.

I'm still warming up inside.

[Bohn007]

With it being 46 degrees out, I would have viewed it as a sign and grabbed a Magnum 46. Just not a BBF fan although a lot of people like them

[TheMonk]

Very nicely done, as usual! And I agree, fresh BBFs tend to not really be that enjoyable at all, at least not for me.

Regarding the vitola, I've always thought that the Campana was simply a way of bringing the Pirámide's adjustable draw and flavour intensity option, to a shorter smoking time.

[Mattb82]

Nice review man