RASS NOV04 review

[jadawin]

Rob gave me just the push i needed to get me to start doing reviews again;-)

Ramon Allones Specially Selected. NOV 06

beverage-Taylor Fladgate 20 year Port and a glass of water :-D

Fairly dark wrapper to this RASS with a nice triple cap that was slightly unevenly applied. This one doesnt seem as oily as previous RASS ive smoked, but that could be due to the insanely dry winter we are having (been working my ass off to keep my humi stable at 64%) This cigar has a nice feel to it, although i wish the wrapper was just a little smoother.

Aroma at cold is fairly mild and mostly just a straitforward tobacco smell to it, nothing special.

Seems to be a nicely constructed smoke with no major veins or flaws.

Pre Light draw is very nice, if not a big loose. Some toasted tobacco on the lips and not too much grassyness which is nice considering these are only about a year old.

First Third-Started off with a bang of spice and toasted tobacco flavors that quickly back off. Maybe a slightly youthful characteristic, but not one that puts me off at all. There is an underlying sour note that is slightly offputting but its already fading away as i get going through the first third of this cigar. This thing is producing a really nice amount of smoke that has a really nice room aroma, you know you are smoking a cuban by just the aroma on this cigar. I tried exhaling through my nose, which i NEVER do, and was greeted with a nose tingling bite of spice that isnt as apparent on the palate as it is through the nose. Starting to pick up a nice floral characteristic that i expect from this smoke, hopefully it will continue to develop as i get further into it.

Second Third-This cigar has really mellowed into a very nice cigar at this point. The sour notes have disappeared, and the floral notes are really coming around. The ash is holding great with a nice whitish grey color, and the burn is fairly even. The toasted tobacco flavor has evolved into a different toasted taste, almost reminds me of a darkly toasted bagel (i dont know where i get this stuff...haha). So far this is on the milder side of medium bodied if that makes any sense with no harshness to it.

Final Third-This cigar hasnt changed alot in the last third, other than it picked up in body a bit, now a solid medium. The only part of the flavor that seems to have changed is that the spice returned and the floral notes backed off a bit.

Overall i enjoyed this cigar, but yeah, it needs time. The burn and construction were fantastic, and i can see these being really good in a few years, but sadly i dont have the storage/patience currently to age them that long. Ill try to hold onto at least a few of them to see what they will be like in a year or so, and i imagine the sourness will disappear entirely with some age. Port worked really well with this smoke, bringing out the floral and pepper notes.

i would give it a 4/6

[El Presidente]

Great review. Interested on the slightly easy roll which I have also noticed on these. I always wonder on how much it dilutes the flavour.

[aavkk]

Great review Jadawin. It looks like we are going to have some stellar reviews over the coming week or so. I really love the monarcas!! Ill have to get to work tonight.