Bond Roberts Petit 109….not what I expected.

[DeeBeezy]

After having the privilege of being in attendance at the launch of the BR 109 at JJ Fox in London this time last year, and enjoying that cigar- it’s fair to say that my expectations for the petit 109 (a size much more to my preference) were very high. 
 

After having smoked the petit 109, I can report that those expectations were not met. 
 

They were FAR FAR exceeded. 
 

I thought I knew what to expect from this experience, I was wrong. 
I was completely blown away. 
 

Allow me to give some context:

Whilst I am a fan of the Fabrica 5 factory lineup (I have smoked almost all the blends and own bundles of multiple different ones) I wouldn’t generally say that I wave the Pom poms like I have seen some do. 
I can appreciate them as budget friendly Cuban style blended Honduran cigars. 
To me however, I would never confuse them in a blind taste test for Cuban cigars- and that is not an indictment! I can enjoy them for what they are- new world cigars. 
 

This brings me to the Bond Roberts blends…

At the launch of the BR 109 last year at JJ Fox, I remember thinking that the cigar on the night was an extremely refined upgrade on the Fabrica 5 blends whilst retaining the Nudie DNA (which to me is bread/ bakery/ biscuit)

That experience warranted me purchasing a full box of the petit 109- a size I prefer, if the profile would be remotely similar it would be worth adding to my rotation. 
 

After merely a week of rest in the humidor, I couldn’t stop myself. 
The aroma in the box was reminiscent of  Cuban tobacco- outstanding. 
So on Friday morning, I lit my first one up. 
 

A delightful  kaleidoscope of flavour!

Plenty of bakery character beautifully balanced out with an opulent cream, sautéed mushroom and subtle caramel rounding out the bouquet. 
 

I do not say this lightly because I dislike terms like ‘Cuban-esque’- I would have honestly guessed this cigar to be Cuban tobacco in a blind taste test. 
I have never said that about a new world cigar before. 
 

As I said above, I can appreciate a good new world cigar for what it is, I have been working in a number of new world cigars into my rotations and have been thoroughly enjoying many of them. 
 

This however is an entirely different beast- it smokes like a Cuban. And I can’t believe I’m saying that. 
 

I have been on a run of smoking a number of exceptional Cuban cigars- aged/ regionals/ limited editions- this smoked as well, if not BETTER than any of them!

 

Rob has compared this to the Connie 1( one of my favourites) I would agree with the sentiment and add that it also has some HDM DNA with the Sautted mushroom. 
 

I have rarely posted on the forum in recent times, however when a cigar is this good I feel like I just had to say something- simply excellent!

Rob Ayala, Rob Fox, Hamlet and everybody involved- take a bow. 
 

This was the last cigar I smoked before the arrival of our 4th child, my son the very next day- it is no doubt an experience I will remember for a very very long time. 

[poorman]

Couldn’t agree more. By far my favorite NC. 
Missed the 50 cabs, bring them back. Plz

[chasy]

I feel like I saw more love for the 109 (over the petit 109). I've had the 109 and it's great, but it's just too big of a vitola for me to smoke very often. I'm glad to hear that people are loving the Petit 109 as well. That's much more feasible for me.

[El Hoze]

2 hours ago, chasy said:

I feel like I saw more love for the 109 (over the petit 109). I've had the 109 and it's great, but it's just too big of a vitola for me to smoke very often. I'm glad to hear that people are loving the Petit 109 as well. That's much more feasible for me.

I felt the same thing…tons of love for the bigger 109, including me. For me the Petit 109 vs. the big dog is actually a tough call. I would say the Petit 109 has more going on and the 109 is more refined to my taste. I have smoked almost 50 of the Petit 109s and maybe 20 of the big ones. If I had to choose, and I take the format into account (and I like bigger cigars), I might just take the Petit 109 as it’s not a “petit” experience and fits my agenda a bit better. They are both killer cigars. 

[chasy]

1 hour ago, El Hoze said:

I felt the same thing…tons of love for the bigger 109, including me. For me the Petit 109 vs. the big dog is actually a tough call. I would say the Petit 109 has more going on and the 109 is more refined to my taste. I have smoked almost 50 of the Petit 109s and maybe 20 of the big ones. If I had to choose, and I take the format into account (and I like bigger cigars), I might just take the Petit 109 as it’s not a “petit” experience and fits my agenda a bit better. They are both killer cigars. 

That settles that.

[Stanislaw]

Yeah stop talking about these until I can get restocked 😜

[El Presidente]

Both the Petit 109 and the 109 cigars are still evolving. 

Remember the PCC 2007 release of the Punch Super Robusto and the Ramon Allones Estupendos? The Ramon Allones Estupendos came out of the gate the superior cigar. 5-7 years later the tables started to turn. Today?.....tossup but I would take the Punch. 

The Petit 109 has shown itself to be the ealry mover in evolution. Good thing if you are a lover of Belicoso/Robusto formats. 

The 109 to me is still just.....just...a cut above.  Looking for a Churchill/DC experience, you would be hard pressed to find better. 

The transition is going to be fascinating to watch over the next 3-5 years.