Bolivar PC: ULA JUN-15 (BRW)

[StogieSteve23]

Bolivar PC: ULA JUN-15 (BRW)

Opening Remarks: One of the last few from a box I bought back in 2017 on my first trip to Havana.  I’ve enjoyed these sticks over the years but have never loved them per say. Aside from a lone Boli 1 Tubo that I have, these are the only Bolivar sticks in my collection, so I decided to pick this one for the review.  I enjoy the PC vitolas and slight box pressed nature of this stick.  A smooth almost velvety feeling wrapper with minimal veins and a nice toothiness about it. 

 Cold Draw: I prefer a straight cut on my sticks 95% of the time and this was no different.  Slightly more restriction than I tend to like but nothing that warranted a second clip. Cold draws yielded notes of dark chocolate, raisins and dry cedar.  

 First Third: After toasting the foot, combustion is decent but still not totally what I enjoy. Notes of cocoa, cedar and dried coffee grounds are predominant at first.  A buttered wheat toast flavor comes through for a few puffs. The retro is dried milk chocolate all the way. A bit of hazelnut creeps in for one or two puffs then turns vegetal like dried broccoli for the remainder of the first third.  Burn line is razor sharp with beautiful white ash looking like a stack of dimes.  Still producing a bit less smoke than to my liking but never needing to overwork the draw for its production is a plus.

 

Second Third: Dried tobacco and hay are better than the vegetal notes from before.  Dried coffee grounds make a comeback for a few puffs then turns into dark chocolate and a slight honey like sweetness which persists for most of the second third.  Just before the final third a puffs tasting like mint creep in.  York Peppermint Patties are what came to mind off the bat. By this time, the cigar has opened up a bit and smoke production has ramped up to a respectable level.

 

Final Third: The burn line is still razor sharp and the white ash is still stacking dimes. The aroma off the smoke is a burning cedar smell which seems very clean to me. Stale milk chocolate come back into the mix for a few puffs and green tea delights my senses on the retrohale. With less than an inch left I start getting fresh ginger notes.  The last 5 or so puffs are straight milk chocolate cedar bomb with great combustion.

  

Closing Remarks: Pleasant smoke all around.  Nothing out of the ordinary as far as flavors are concerned for me but this stick seemed more pleasant than some of the others I’ve smoked.  At just over 5 years of age, they’ve mellowed out from the first few I had in the box and seemed to burn much better.  Never a touch up or relight needed and the burn line remained razor sharp from toasting the foot to putting it down at the end. Combustion got better in the second third which was a plus and the overall feeling of the petit corona was a nice smoke for the afternoon. 

 

Burn: 5/5 (Razor sharp the entire stick)

Construction: 4/5 (Docked a point here for lack of combustion in the first third but overall it was perfect)

Flavor: 4/5 (Enjoyable – Mostly chocolate & cedar)

Smell: 5/5 (Delicious – Clean burning cedar smoke)

Wrapper: 5/5 (Smooth velvet like with no large veins– nice sheen with a slight toothiness)

Overall Score: 23/25

[Goodfortune]

Great review Steve!

[StogieSteve23]

55 minutes ago, Goodfortune said:

Great review Steve!

Thanks brother! ?