Bolivar Colosales RE \'06 (Edicion Regional Review #3)

[Mike33]

Hmmm.....A thick, dark Boli. Very appealing to me from first look and from first smell. Tantalizingly good looking wrapper with a solid bunch at the foot. I clip the cap off and notice a firm draw with a hint of pepper on the tounge.

Upon lighting, the smoke is thick with each puff, but the smoke has a real lightness to it. There is no real texture to it which is new to me with such a large cigar that produces such large amounts of smoke. The draw is a touch on the firm side which is nice for a change. Initial flavors are a woody, coffee like smoke with a pinch of spice to draw your attention. Not very Bolivar in flavor at this point. The coffee notes are very light and come and go throughout the course of the cigar.

The ash is firm and the burn is good for a young cigar. Nothing really changes in terms of flavor for the first 3 inches of the cigar. It is medium-bodied throughout with a fairly long finish. The cigar is starting to bore me a little bit and it would be even worse if it wasn't for the long finish. Another inch in, there is a slight sweetness present that is reminiscent of honey. Still a lot of charred wood and some leather notes to this cigar. I'm still waiting for some earthiness to appear.

Still a good burn and an attractive ash on the Boli. The power picks up slightly as I enter the last couple of inches. Still nothing too exciting going on with the cigar. The earthiness that I was hoping to come in never appears. I lay it down with a little more than an inch left.

Overall: I would rate the Colosales an 86-87. A good, if unremarkable, cigar in it's youth. Really didn't taste anything like a typical Boli and maybe I shouldn't have been expecting that. I don't know if its a bland cigar or in a sick period, but to anyone holding onto some, lay them down for another 4-5 years minimum. I imagine that it will really shine in the years ahead, but it certainly isn't smokable right now as compared with a lot of other recent production cubans.

[stever]

Thanks for the review. Well done.

I've only smoked one -about five months ago- and found it to be pretty good. Definitely more subtle in flavor and lighter than the other '06 regionals I've smoked. Not sure how this one is going to develop.

[wp2]

Nice review Mike.

You've convinced me not to bother my box that is sleeping.

[El Presidente]

Nice work Mike

Interesting cigar. Not sure what the were trying to achieve with the blend. Time will tell but one of those cigars that some of us are questioning its long term potential. Christmas 2008 will be about right for a second look and hopefully a proper insight into what we can expect.