RA Club Allones – LAU DIC-15 (FFC)

[StogieSteve23]

Opening Remarks:  For this weeks competition the goal was to share a paring of food and cigars.  The fiancé and I did a “date night” over to my parents who weren’t in town.  We wanted to use their grill (per our community guidelines, we can’t have one on our porch) and sit outside for the evening.  We got a delicious all natural skirt steak which I did a rubbed with only EVOO, salt/pepper, garlic and onion powder and let marinate in that for the day. About an hour and a half before cooking I basted on some Lizano (Costa Rican sauce we love).  Fresh onions and squash on the grill along with fried potato slices in the oven and a fresh Greek salad create the meal.  The wine we paired with it was a Kunde cab from 2015. Funny enough, I didn’t realize the cigar/wine paring both from 2015 until we were playing cards after dinner..  I digress..  

I love this cigar.   The wrapper on this stick is a smooth dark brown beauty. With no large veins protruding out and what feels to be a semi-box pressed shape it, it fits perfectly in my hands.  Cold draw yields perfect resistance and a combination of raisins, espresso and cedar.

First Third: After toasting the foot, combustion is very nice but the burn is a little wonky and begins to run away. Slight touch up helps. Deep woody notes, roasted nuts, dry roasted chocolate, dark cocoa.  A beautiful chewy silky smoke fills the mouth. Burn has fixed itself by now. A slight pepper, spicy chocolate note.

Second Third: Draw, combustion, burn great.  Pepper has mellowed after a few puffs but chocolate stays. Cholate croissant – creamy cocoa, still perfect burn now.  A Nutella like creaminess and a molasses note comes off the retro. A slight runaway on the burn here leads to a little touch up. 

The wine has run out..  Switched to Michter’s Bourbon. 

Final Third:  A nice black coffee flavor ramps up for the final third. Not a burnt coffee taste, but one reminiscent of sitting at a counter in Havana, sipping on a fresh espresso. The cigar remained a nice cool temperature the whole time and was enjoyable from start to finish. 

Closing Remarks: Fantastic construction, medium plus in body and full flavored.  Nice complexity throughout. Chocolate, cocoa and coffee were the main flavors throughout the cigar which was very enjoyable after a full meal. 

 

Burn: 4/5 (Good burn – slight tough up near beginning which fixed itself after)

Construction: 5/5 (Perfect draw/combustion)

Flavor: 4/5 (Satisfying – chocolate, cocoa and coffee)

Smell: 4/5 (Smelled a bit like leather for the first third and then mellowed to a nice burning tobacco)

Wrapper: 4/5 (Dark brown with no large veins – nice sheen and a semi box pressed feel are nice to the touch)

Overall Score: 21/25

BONUS MEAL: Last Night I made the rest of the steak on the iron skillet and we made some tacos with homemade queso. 

[JohnS]

@StogieSteve23, that all looks grand! Thanks for the review! Like the recent thread on the Ramon Allones Specially Selected, the 2015 Limited Edition Ramon Allones Club Allones has its apologists and its detractors.

[StogieSteve23]

16 hours ago, JohnS said:

@StogieSteve23, that all looks grand! Thanks for the review! Like the recent thread on the Ramon Allones Specially Selected, the 2015 Limited Edition Ramon Allones Club Allones has its apologists and its detractors.

Thank you! I'm personally a fan of the marca but know many people (as clearly stated by the latest RASS thread) do not.  To each his own.