Ramon Allones Specially Selected TEB JUN07

[KB24]

The Ramon Allones is prolly my favorite cigar. I got a box of 06 and am seriously pondering purchasing a cab of 50 once my Aristocrat Plus arrives. Such a consistant cigar draw, taste, and burn wise. My go to cigar for every occasion.

-P

[shrink]

Thanks for reviewing a favorite, Prez! I'm glad you stuck with it, and were rewarded with a good smoke. IME, once a cigar goes bad, it seldom recovers.

Still, the JUN07 you smoked doesn't sound nearly as good as the FEB and MAR07 RASCC that I've been enjoying recently. These are seriously good young smokes, with great potential.

Do you have any early 2007 RASS boxes?

[El Presidente]

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» Do you have any early 2007 RASS boxes?

Can't help you there Bob. Interesting to see how these June 2007 develop. Hats off to TABACUBA in remaining true to the Marque.

[El Presidente]

There has been some deiscussion recently about the strenghts or otherwise of the 2007 offerings particularly in comparison to the 2006.

I have been lax in sampling many 2007's to date in part due to the fact that we have only been receiving 2007's in serious quantities over the past three months.

So I took the opportunity today to sample a very young June 2007 Ramon Allones Specially Selected from an open box in the humidor.

To be honest she is not the prettiest RASS I have seen. Slightly green hue to the wrapper but I was buoyed by uniform spots of oil throughout. In the hand it certainly had a velvety feel but concerns rose again when I lifted the foot of the cigar to the nose whereby it revealed an aroma of green tea and light tobacco. I almost put it down and selected a sample from another box before admonishing myself for a shallow cad like display of judging a book by its cover.

Construction was flawless....good weight in the hand, nice fullness to the roll with just a little spring.

Clipped the cap and the draw was impeccable. On the lips there was a slight grassy and greenish tobacco note but it may have been my paranoia.

Fired up the foot and looked out at the impending storm quickly bearing down on Czar House. You have to love a lightning display accompanied by black/green clouds threatening hail, wind and damnation.

The opening to the RASS was a little limpwristed and green. Elements of green grass, little spice through the nose all accompanied by a touch of sourness. I am only 2 minutes into the cigar but the thought of pitching the cigar...cutting my losses and selecting another went through my head before I reigned in my more compulsive side.

I touched up the burn and placed it in the ashtray while I went to work on the last e-mail of the day. Picked up the cigar a few minutes later and found it to be still smouldering away and after a few purging puffs I noticed a welcome change. Medium bodied, all astringency and sourness gone. Some elements yet of green grass but their are fruit flavours beginning to show and a little white pepper spice development through the nose.

The transformation continued in almost a minute by minute manner. Nearing 1/3rd in the RASS was smooth and lush. Any signs of youth almost completely gone and some great stewed fruit notes were building and had reached a point where they were dominating the palate. By the the time I reached the halfway point what I had in my hand was a great cigar which reminded me so much of Christmas mince pies.

The aroma was noticeably floral. The body of the cigar pure medium. The smoke was a blueish white which hung heavy in the humid air.

The flavour was a heady mix of butter, brown sugar, raisins, sultanas, black currants, brandy and mixd spice. There is a little pepper bite through the nose but it is more an afterthought than a statement. So smooth on the palate which it coats thickly.

The storm has now hit from the west but our deck is well protected and I was in no mood to move. The RASS has not changed an iota as I move into the last third. I think that the stewed fruit profile is the definition of great RASS and Ramon Allones Gigantes. You don't always get it but when you do it is like coming home.

I am noting some sweet cinnamon, peel and green apple now and note to myself how good this cigar is considering it is so young.

Overall I would like to see it develop a little stronger profile...a little more bite but I am again picking att he edges of what is a very satisfying cigar. I waited on the final bitterness or charred wood elements to appear but as I reach the last inch they fail to show.

Bravo. 90/100 5/6 Smokerings.