Ramon Allones Extra LE 2011 RSS Weekend Review Comp.

[Wailbait]

So very excited to sit down and write this review.  Not only because Ramon Allones is one of my favorite brands but because it lit a fire under me to pull out a cigar that I haven't sampled for a few years.  Sadly I don't have a date code for the box because my brother and I split the box years ago.  On to the review!!!

Prelight:  Normally I'd spend most of the time talking about aroma and construction.  Aroma was pretty subdued.  More cocoa notes than typical RASS at cold.  Fill was consistent.  Wrapper was dark and even.  However, since cigar smoking is an aesthetic experience, I'm going to spend most of this space and talk about the band.  This band is incredible from a design stance.  It bears the traditional Allones crest that is utilized on a multitude of their sticks, BUT the stark simple embossed white next to olive green is so unbelievably modern.  Distilled rococo abutting a sans serif Helvetica-esque font recalled something out of A Clockwork Orange.  I love it.  

(Please excuse the bad 90 degree rotation of the photograph.  I thought I tried everything and yet there seemed to be no way to edit the rotation after the fact.  Apologies in advance for the inevitable vertigo.  Hopefully the quality of the review makes up for it?)

 

First Third.  The wrapper is sweet.  Not cloyingly so but surprisingly so.  The draw is good and has a good balanced resistance.  For this cigar, I chose to make a Boulevardier.  It's basically a Negroni with bourbon (or rye) subbed out or the gin.  Proportions are slightly different but, hey, it's a cigar website not a craft cocktail website.  I thought it would be a good match because when aged,  RA cigars demonstrate a beloved fruitcake flavor.  I love it and thought this drink would be a good match.  Alas, I was wrong.  No fruitcake.  Some lemon/lime peel flavors but none of the stone fruit.  

 

Second Third.  The fruitiness began to disclose itself somewhat.  Some stone fruit, not rum raisin.  It's a more refined and delicate cigar than I was expecting it to be.  As a thought experiment, I kept asking what cigar I would have thought this to be if I smoked it blind and without a band.  Wrapper and delicacy made me think Montecristo.  But it was less creamy and less chocolate-y.  Nevertheless, it's a good question to ask as I'm sure I saddled this cigar with unnecessary burden imagining what it "ought to be" instead of appreciating what it was.

Final Third.  Grass and hay.  All the way.  Fruit is gone.  Some toasted marshmallow on the back.  My friend detected a slight "egginess" to the smoke coming off.  Perhaps some sulphur/sulphide residue.  

Final thoughts:  Did I like the cigar?  Yes.  Did I love it?  Not by a country mile.  Upon reflection, the fact that it didn't taste like other Ramon Allones sticks isn't that consequential.  After all, I smoke many other brands of cigars that I like.  If this cigar were "great" I believe I could enjoy it for it's own merits.  The positives were excellent draw and construction.  I like mild and refined cigars.  Diplomaticos for example, when aged, are mild with extreme depth.  This was mild but there was no "there there."  I don't believe that more aging will necessarily evoke more flavors but who knows - I've certainly been wrong in the past.  But that band.  Oh how I love that band. . .  

[Sean3]

Ever the eternal optimist, I say let 'em nap a couple years and give it another go, you might be surprised.  Cheers

[gummy]

Man this reminds me it's always tough to balance expectation with what the smoke wants to be! Hope you've got a couple left to try again in a year or two.

[Fatshotbud]

Had one of these gifted to me this past weekend - I believe thanks to @SignalJoe

Welcomed by a cold morning - I decided that this corona might be a good selection for my Breakfast smoke today.

I paired it with a large mug of Ruta Maya (ungarnished)- a shade grown Arabica bean from Chiapas, Mexico area (medium roasted). 

All in all a lovely choice - I think possibly having a hot (slightly acidic) beverage helped to draw out more of the fruity/nut flavors evading Wailbait? 

Great critique!

My trip was very similar - I was not anticipating a great smoke as my bias leans toward slightly larger formats. Hard to pack a real soulful experience into a 43 ring.

This one actually surprised me - I may be masochistic because I enjoyed the slap in the face it gave the last few puffs! 

And the "B" Band is kind of a nice touch.........

BUD

[Wailbait]

Great point, Fatshodbud.  I thought a fruitcake-y drink would be a good match. Coffee would have been a great combo as I love it with Montecristos and this cigar reminded me more of a Monte than an Allones.

There was definitely a lot of flavor in a 43 Gauge.  I have a sneaking suspicion that yours was much better than mine.  Oh well, all part of the handmade cigar game.   Keep your band! 

[NSXCIGAR]

The few of these I had several years ago seemed to me to be a throwback to the older ELs with that "forest floor" EL character so prevalent in the 2000s and started to go away a bit right around 2011. No RA DNA I could find. I've always been curious about the potential of these as I didn't see it. Seems that these still have a long way to go if they ever do become something great.

I do like the throwback bands though. 

[Danimalia]

I love the band. I love the size as well. 44rg is super common with non-Cubans, but rare with Habanos. Wish there were more. 

[Wailbait]

Nsxcigar, in the time that I smoked the cigar, I looked it up to see what others had said.  I believe I agree with you - it is an interesting flavor.  Also possible the blend wasn’t necessarily consistent as others found flavors that I didn’t observe. Mine certainly didn’t have the allones dna.