Ramon Allones Small Club Corona

[thechenman]

Cigar: RAMON ALLONES SMALL CLUB CORONAS

Vitola: Demi Corona/Minutos

Filler: Cuba

Binder: Cuba

Wrapper: Cuba

Box Code: Unknown – Purchased as a single from Czar (likely '07 - '08)

Price: $5.03 USD

Ring Gauge: 42

Length: 4.3 inches

Body: Medium

Pairing: Samuel Adams White Ale

Location: Outdoors – On my front porch

Date/Time: Tuesday, September 1st, 2009 @ 9:48pm EDT

Environment: Well, it was another chilly night in Westchester, NY. I almost feel motivated to check the Weather Channel and see what the “hell” is going on. Is summer over and someone forgot to tell me? When it’s summer in NY and you can see your breath in the night air…something’s wrong. The temperature was likely in the low-60s if not the upper-50s (farenheit). Once again the air was dry though, so that was a plus. I sat down on a bench on my front porch with a Sam Adams White Ale (leftover from the spring), and took a look at the evening’s smoke.

Band: I admired the band on the Ramon Allones Small Club Corona (RASCC). It is not quite up to the quality of the band that is found on it’s big brother, the Ramon Allones Specially Selected (RASS), but beautiful all the same. The band is primarily a shiny gold color. There is a burgundy ring at the center with Ramon Allones Habana printed in white lettering. Then a very thing gold ring, encircling a bright red circle which contains the Ramon Allones crest done up in shiny gold. It isn’t one of my favorite bands, but it is on one of my favorite smokes.

Appearance: Overall, this is a good looking cigar. Just a tad darker than milk chocolate in color, the cigar was begging me to light her up. The triple cap was well applied and looked good. There were two detractors though. There were several water spots on the wrapper which detracted from its overall appeal. The second, and last defect was that the wrapper was slightly torn near the band at the back of the cigar. Not that I am a big fan of water spots, but to me was the biggest detractor was the tear in the wrapper, luckily it was on the back of the cigar.

Construction: The construction of this cigar was pretty good. It had good feel and weight in hand. The cigar was firm throughout. There were no soft spots. The triple cap was beautiful and very well placed. As I mentioned earlier, there was a slight tear in the wrapper just below the band on the backside of the cigar where the band was glued together. From the foot, the bunch looked decent.

Aroma: I love the aroma of the RASCC. To me, pre-light they smell of milk chocolate…creamy and smooth. The sweetness really comes through. I didn’t know whether I should eat it or smoke it. I couldn’t wait to cut it, light it and taste it.

Cut: I cut the RASCC with my Palio cigar cutter. The cap came away fairly clean, leaving a few bits of tobacco on the freshly cut head. I brushed those tobacco remnants away with my finger.

Draw: The draw pre-light was good. More on the firm than the loose side, although my preference is for looser rather than tighter, but I was still very pleased. I tasted the sweetness of cocoa, some black pepper and tobacco flavor. I could tell this was going to be a good smoke.

Light: I lit this RASCC with my Zippo Blu lighter. Slowly heating the foot, the cigar began to glow orange. There was one spot at the foot that was tougher to get going than the rest. While it wasn’t a big deal, it did initially create a burn issue which I will discuss later.

Smoke: The RASCC produced a prodigious amount of smoke. I was pleased, as this is what I always like to see. That, and the fact that I find the smoke from the RASCC fairly aromatic. Go figure...my wife thinks the smoke from this cigar stinks. She came out at about the halfway point of my smoke to point this out to me.

First Third: Usually, my favorite part of the cigar is the second third, but with the RASCC it is often the first third. The cigar opened up on the lighter side of medium bodied. You could taste coffee right away, and an unidentified sweetness coated my mouth. It remained that way until the end of the first-third when a more earthy flavor (no, I don’t mean dirt) took over.

Second Third: The dominant flavor evolved into an earthy taste, or maybe it was leather. A nutty aroma also developed, which I liked. By this point the cigar was a solid medium bodied cigar. As the second third evolved the earthiness eventually faded with wood flavors coming to the front near the end with some spiciness.

Final Third: The final third was the strongest third of the cigar. Not surprising as the profile had been building throughout. While it did get stronger, it was never harsh. By the final third, the dominant flavor was pepper. Not my favorite part of the stick, but still pleasurable. I smoked the RASCC down to about an inch. That is my usual cut off point. At this point I think the tars were beginning to build up, and I wanted to maintain the pleasurable smoking experience.

Burn: The burn on this cigar started a bit unevenly as there was a difficult spot to light at the foot of the cigar. This created a burn issue right away, but within a few minutes the burn was able to correct itself. Never had to relight this baby. After that it was a pretty even burn all the way until the end.

Ash: The ash was your standard white and gray in color. It was layered and firm, with just some slight flaking. The initial ash held for nearly two inches before falling on its own. The rest held on till the bitter end.

Smoking Time: 48 minutes

Conclusion: What can I say about the RASCC that hasn’t already been said by so many others. While it does not get the same level of respect as its big brother the RASS, it is hands down my current favorite minuto. The RASCC is another Cuban cigar that I find to be a great bargain. For the price, it is oh so hard to beat. I don’t want to be Cigar Aficiando here, but value does count in my decision making process. There are so many cigars out there to spend your hard earned money on, and most of us have limited resources. However, the RASCC is not just a value cigar, it is a cigar if value. So give the RASCC a try if you haven’t yet. I don’t think you will regret it. Just don’t pair it with a Samuel Adams White Ale. That match was a bust.

Rating: 92/100

Date of Publication: September 3rd, 2009

Written by: David Chen (a.ka. thechenman)

[workinonit50]

Nice review. I like to enjoy these at the park while my dog runs around.

[strayvector]

Great review, Dave. Making your way through all the short smokes, eh? What's next on the agenda? BCJ? Siglo I? Looking forward to the next review.

[Jesuscookies]

I just picked up a couple boxes of these. I was hoping they would work as a replacement for the Punch Petite's that I daily smoke...Stupid HSA!!!! doing away with my favorite smokes.

[jquest63]

Excellent Review!

[soltino]

I just picked up a couple boxes of these. I was hoping they would work as a replacement for the Punch Petite's that I daily smoke...Stupid HSA!!!! doing away with my favorite smokes.

I find RASCC to be very different to the Punch Petit Punch. I find the PPP to be woody and quite 'dark' in flavour, but the RASCC is aromatic and uplifting I hope you enjoy the RASCC - it and the Bolivar Corona Junior are my favourite short smokes, can't beat the stewed fruits in a RASCC and the earthy leather from the Bolivar... yummy

[soltino]

There are so many cigars out there to spend your hard earned money on, and most of us have limited resources. However, the RASCC is not just a value cigar, it is a cigar of value.

Very well put, I totally agree

Thanks for the great review!

[thechenman]

Thanks everyone, for the positive feedback.