Lets Talk about the 2009 LE's

[El Presidente]

I and many of you have by now had a chance to try the 2009 Limited Editions in the Bolivar Petit Belicoso, the Upmann Magnum 48 and the Romeo y Julieta "Duke.

I am interested to hear the initial tasting impressions of members.

For what it is worth, here are my brief thoughts:

Bolivar Petit Belicoso LE 2009

At this time I prefer the 08 BBF. The Petit Belicoso is nice but has little flavour complexity to speak of. It is very much closed down in terms of defined flavours. Medium bodied with a core of tobacco and a sprinkling of cocoa and coal. One to reassess in 6 months once it has had time to rest but I am not overly excited.

H Upmann Magnum 48.

If they produced this at a length between the 46 ad the 50 they would have a winner. They have instead gone for a short fatty to meet the demand for shorter smokes due to smoking bans in most of their key marets (Uk, Europe, HK).

Medium bodied with rich sweet tobacco. very satisfying and very smokeable right now.

R&J "Duke"

Big gauge and not normally my cup of tea. I was pleasantly supprised however in terms of the flavour profile. Just under medium bodied, good tobacco, slighly sweet (cherry) with a nice dry woodiness. Lacking in flavour intensity but showing some promise. Needs a nap to get its act together but it should do so. Another to revisit in 6 months.

The Magnum 48 was the standout of the three but it has steep competition with the excellent 08 46 and 50's.

For those that have tasted them.....let us know your thoughts?

[Colt45]

I've not had the pleasure, but as always, I appreciate the insight.

[Tampa1257]

I believe I'll be sampling the Upmann Mag 48 at "Skinfest" nest weekend, I'll report back after the event.

[BobLobLaw]

H Upmann Magnum 48.

If they produced this at a length between the 46 ad the 50 they would have a winner.

When I heard LE Mag 48 this is exactly what I was thinking. I was really sad to see the format they ultimately decided on. Undecided if I will buy them now as the short fat cigars have not appealed to me at all.

[kcmontie]

Funny the Magnum 48 is the one I did not order

thanks as always for your honesty

Would like to know what Ken thinks of the 2009 EL?

[bunburyist]

I had the RyJ Duke a few days back. Whilst as a cigar alone I liked it, I just couldn't get away from the price for something that should would be a cracker if it was 30% less expensive and a 46ish ring gauge. I didn't really 'get' the current format but hey ho.

Flavour wise, agreed - the tobacco is clearly of a fine grade and very tasty, with imo quite mild spice notes, and a fair bit of cedar. Was difficult to tell but perhaps hints of coffee - was a bit muddled for me and hard to pull out too much. I associated the sweetness as more of a dark honey rather than cherry, but for me it was very weak and only brief. Nice cigar, but never a box purchase for me. Should make for a good wedding cigar in a year or two I suspect.

Not tried the others, but the H.Upmann 48 is such a bizarre format. The smoking ban means you can't smoke indoors most places. But you're not going to stand outside the front of the pub for 50min with one of those because it's quicker than a churchill are you? Only time you'd smoke a cigar like that is at home / walking the dog / or when you're in a place that actually has a smoking area, at which point you do have time. Who are these people who need to have a 'quick' hour long smoke? I think the popularity of the robusto format has given the marketing bods some funny ideas as to what people want.

[Ken Gargett]

Funny the Magnum 48 is the one I did not order

thanks as always for your honesty

Would like to know what Ken thinks of the 2009 EL?

have not seen one yet. plan to try and change that soon.

[thechenman]

Thanks for the insight all. Haven't had the chance to sample any '09 ELs as of yet, but like Ken I am plainning on changing that soon. The RyJ Duke sound interesting, and as it turns out, it was the one that appealed the most to me from the lot. Looking forward to sparking one up soon.

[ipfoley]

I haven't tried any of the LE's yet. Thanks for imparting your experiences.

[bassman]

Pass, pass, pass. Give me more 02 BCEs & another box or two of RA CFs when available. Yes, I LOVE strong cigars.

[Mr.T]

Thanks for sharing. I have not tried any, but I admit that I am suffering from severe EL fatigue......