Bolivar Corona POS ABR 06

[stever]

Here’s a review from November of last year that I’m just now posting.

This corona has a rich brown oily wrapper and a nice box press. The wrapper is silky smooth with only one vein running along the back of the cigar. It is well constructed with a firm resiliency, but I detect a bit of hardness near the band. Pre-light nose is of barnyard and rich leather, and at the foot I also smell plum. The draw at cold is open, with just a hint of firmness, and tastes of sweet hay, rich dark fruit and rich tobacco.

Upon lighting, the first draw reveals tobacco and white pepper flavors. Smoke volume is excellent and the body is medium. Throughout the smoke, the burn is razor-sharp with the wrapper along the leading edge of the burn turning a darker, oilier color. The ash is dark grey, firm and striated.

By the second draw, a spicy sweetness starts to build. By the half-inch mark, the spicy sweetness is balanced by light nut, milk coffee, and round earth notes. There’s a rather long progression of flavors, moving from a nutty sweetness at the onset, to an earthy roundness with a sweet white pepper edge mid-palate, to a rich cocoa-like leather and tobacco aftertaste that leaves a slight tang in the back of the throat.

At the two-inch mark, the flavors are becoming richer and fuller, and I discover light cocoa flavors preceding the hits of sweet, white pepper. The cigar also develops strong nasal clearing-aspects and there are sweet grassy notes when I exhale through the nose. The nut flavors become more intense and are mixed with hay-like notes. The nut flavors at times seem tangy, mixed with what I think is a lemon-like citrus flavor. Intriguing, but fleeting. There’s a sweet zest preceding the sharp, but clean tobacco and leather after-taste.

At the midpoint, the cocoa flavor becomes more pronounced at the beginning of a draw and on the aftertaste. With two-inches left, there’s less of a nutty flavor and more cocoa. I also detect an orange citrus note mixing very well with the cocoa flavor. At this point, the flavors become subtler and the spicy zest fades somewhat to be replaced by a sweet grassiness. The smoke becomes more lush and round, with a richer, sweeter, and less tangy tobacco finish. At times I pick out sweet tea flavors on the finish.

With an inch left, there’s the occasional bitterness, but there’s also a prominent citrus note mixing with a tobacco finish that has gone back to being tangy. The occasional zesty toasted nut flavor also surfaces.

This Boli lasted for an hour and twenty minutes. Highly recommend this smoke for its intriguing and balanced mix of flavors. Can’t wait to try this again in about 6 months.

[El Presidente]

Nice review Steve.

They have come around nicely since then. If you are able, post a follow up review ;-)

[stever]

Rob, I'm on the case. Got one in dry box. Hope to smoke it within the next few days. Wondering where the citrus notes will be.

[Cam]

yeah nice review mate It's my favourite corona!