Ramon Allones Extra 2011 (NRW)

[99call]

Ramon Allones 'Extra' 2011

Aroma at cold :  Tannic oaky wood, antiques shop, bbq meat smoke

Cold Draw: Dark, golden virginia, beef, cuban twang

1st 3rd:   Dank salt, cigarette smoke,  drum tobacco……a terrible opening.  I want to like this, I want it to surprise me, but if it carries on like this, it will of gotten worse, not better. The draw is great, the size is ideal, the appearance is great,  but thats where the positives end.   It hints towards being able to conjure some of the good, rich elements of a Punch Regios de Punch, but still falls flat. Whereas this tasted and smelt, like the killing fields of the UK's beef crisis (when it hit the shelves back in 2011).  It’s once intense burnt beef, is now a sad, last in the vending machine, beef sandwich. 

A commendation!???   the smell of the foot is like a really nice R&J Royales/Cazadore, lots of burnt jammy, middle eastern spices.  This is exclusively foot smoke however, and offering your mouth up to the cigar is like sucking on an exhaust pipe……actually it’s worse than that, as there’s just nothing there. The best thing about this cigar is the band, and I’d go as far as to say, more valuable than the cigar itself. 

2d 3rd: Very vague, popcorn, fleeting and gone. just lots of nothing, remarkable how little flavour this has.  razor burn,  great ash, but all meaningless.  I do prefer these tasting of nothing as opposed to the bovine apocalypse bonfire, they once exhibited. 

3rd 3rd:   Wow stunningly boring. Watered down beef consommé, and a tiny tiny bit of Party SDC gaminess,……but oh so weak, whatever it was, like the popcorn it was gone in a flash.  I don’t think I’ve ever smoked a cigar so void of flavour,  it’s actually quite impressively bad.  I take the band off, as I feel sorry for it,  It’s clothed this mess of a cigar for too long.   Rest easy little papery sash, it’s over. 

Hmmmm some nice aspects of the Punch Regios at the death,  zipped from literally no body, to medium full. Charcoal, jerky, leather, heavy oak tannin.   But no last hurrah, can wipe out the hurt of this cigar has rendered on my Sunday. 

Conclusion: I genuinely feel really bad I gifted about 20 of these cigars to people in the past.  Lord knows what they did to deserve such a snub. Much like the 'Revisado' stamp, I think these should be stamped "Terrible" Just next to the "Extra"

Score: 75-100

[Chef]

Man, I had one the other night. I definitely like mine more than you did yours.  Thanks for the review, though. 

[Fugu]

I have a theory about these. These are very love-hate among the community, as we all know. Some folks went so far as to say they'd taste NC-ish or they'd even suspect Nic-leaf to be contained in the blend. Hogwash for sure, but still - to some degree I can relate to that. I really think, and agree, this is some quite "special" leaf. Don't know what they really put in there, but this is very atypical for a Cuban, even if just considering the LE range. My take on it is - moisture! Moisture seems to be a critical factor in the enjoyment of these as to my experience. This tobacco is dryer and less hygroscopic than what we are used to, and indeed it shares some NC properties in that regard. These cigars must not be smoked too dry. Not sure where your storage is at @99call, but just for the fun of it: Before smoking the next one try and once acclimate a few (if not given them all away yet) to a higher humidity than you are used to (e.g. 65-67% rH at room temp) and give it another try. You might be in for a surprise.

[99call]

2 minutes ago, Fugu said:

Not sure where your storage is at @99call, but just for the fun of it: Before smoking the next one try and once acclimate a few (if not given them all away yet) to a higher humidity than you are used to (e.g. 65-67% rH at room temp) and give it another try. You might be in for a surprise.

I fluctuate between 65 to 69.    I'm more than prepared to believe these can be good.....hell anything is possible.   That said, this is the last in my ownership, and I'll never be purchasing again. (unless I suffer blunt force trauma to the head).  Interesting what you said about being less hygroscopic.   They were defo at 65-69, but somehow seemed dryer than my other cigars. 

To me the Club Allones, is the cigar they were trying to make,  and failed at.  I really rate the Club Allones, rich deep damson fruit and a great expression of the RA blend.  

[Fugu]

54 minutes ago, 99call said:

I fluctuate between 65 to 69

Ok, now that already is at the higher end then. So funny, as what you describe sounds like the exemplary description of a dry / dried out cigar for me. So perhaps really a dud box that you got there (I remember there was also some talk about the two or three different factory codes back then, with either ones supposedly being good or meh). That said, I am in complete agreement with you that even the good ones don't share much of their marca's elements. I think one has to take them as the uniques as which they come. When looking for Ramon Allones DNA and wanting to safely escape any disappointments I'd always reach for a SCC.