Robusto – Bui4Ever

Bolivar Royal Corona Cigar Review

Bolivar is a Cuban cigar company named after Venezuelan warrior Simon Bolivar and the cigars are rumored to be the strongest flavored Cubans ((http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bol%C3%ADvar_%28cigar_brand%29)).Today we review the Bolivar Royal Corona, the Robusto vitola that packs a lot of complex flavors.

I have a feeling I’m not going to be disappointed.

Bolivar Royal Corona

Origin:	Cuban
Format:	Robusto
Size:	4.8
Ring:	50
Wrapper:	Cuban
Filler:	Cuban
Binder:	Cuban
Made:	Handmade
Strength:	Medium-Full
Smoke Time:	~45 minutes
Price:	$7.16 in a box of 25

Construction

The Bolivar Royal Corona is a very well rolled Cuban cigar with minimal veins throughout the wrapper leaf. It has a nice rustic-brown color that is very similar to one of my other favorite Robusto cigars, the Ramon Allones Specially Selected (RASS), I have noticed that the Royal Coronas are consistently better rolled than the RASS with less construction issues. And like the RASS, the Bolivar Royal Corona has a slight box press.

Everyone of Bolivars that I’ve squeezed have no soft spots with a slight spongy feel. The triple-cap is nicely applied, but still not as nicely done as the ones on the Montecristo Edmundo, but obviously an issue that has little to do with taste or flavor and more with aesthetics. Looking at the foot of the cigar, it seems to be rolled tightly and packed with plenty of tobacco.

The Bolivar Royal Corona burns evenly requiring very few adjustments to correct any slight uneven burning. The ash holds firm for an inch to inch-and-half before breaking off. The draw is great, easy to pull with just the right enough of resistance.

Flavor & Taste

The Royal Corona is a full-body cigar with lots of powerful taste, but not overly kick-you-in-the-ass strong. Pre-light flavors are spicy, peppers, and mildly earthy.

Once lit, the predominant taste is pepper with roasted almonds and coffee. Occasionally I’ll enjoy the Royal Corona with a Grande Starbucks Chai tea and they compliment each other well.

I like how it’s almost buttery smooth like the Montecristo Edmundos and leaves a pleasant aftertaste. The flavors come out best, never getting harsh, at the last-third mark where you can’t resist nubbing it to where it burns your fingers.

Value

At $7.16 a cigar when purchased in a box of 25 is certainly not a bad value. With solid construction, great taste, and a 45-minute smoke time, you can’t go wrong with a box of these in the humidor.

Conclusion

Between the RASS and the Royal Corona, those are my go-to stick when looking for a daily smoke. With strong, complex flavors that never leaves you bored, it’s a great cigar for those days you’re looking for something different. A box purchase of these are a no brainer. This cigar is definitely on my recommended cigar list.

As always, be sure to checkout these other great reviews of the Bolivar Royal Corona:

Bolivar Royal Corona Gallery Pictures

Montecristo Petit Edmundo vs Montecristo Edmundo

Every Montecristo Edmundo cigar I’ve smoked have been exquisite, but I don’t always have the 90-minutes to enjoy them fully. I was super excited to see that Montecristo offers an 1-inch shorter version, aptly named the Petit Edmundo, that retains all the great flavors in a shorter vitola.

I was planning to review the Petit Edmundo without many comparisons to its larger brother, the Edmundo, but there are more similarities than differences of the two vitolas. So this review will be different that other cigar reviews in that it is more of a comparison between the two Edmundos.

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Montecristo Petit Edmundo

Origin:	Cuba
Format:	Petit Robusto
Size:	4.3
Ring:	52
Wrapper:	Cuban
Filler:	Cuban
Binder:	Cuban
Made:	Handmade
Strength:	Medium/Full
Smoke Time:	~45 minutes
Price:	$7.56, box of 25

Construction

The Petit Edmundos has a nice oily-sheen milk chocolate-brown wrapper with many fine veins very similar to the Edmundos. I noticed with the Petit Edmundo, the triple cap seems to be hastily applied on more than a few sticks, surprising since the Montecristo Edmundo has some of the best looking triple caps I’ve seen of the Cuban cigars I’ve tried.

20091229-Montecristo-Petit-Edmundo-Bui4Ever-011 The Petit Edmundos I’ve tried so far, all of them have exhibited consistent smooth draws; not too tight and not too loose giving you nice bellows of smoke. The Petit Edmundo is solidly built with no hint of soft spots when squeezed. The burn is decent, solid and slow with salt-and-pepper colored ash that holds on for an inch or more easily. The occasional minor burn corrections are needed to keep the Petit Edmundo burning evenly.

I was surprised to find that the Petit Edmundo has a larger ring guage (52mm) than the Edmundo (50mm) despite advertising suggesting otherwise. I can’t imagine this is a typo as many other online cigar review sites have listed the Edmundo and Petit Edmundo as having 52mm ring gauges. The Edmundos I own are not counterfeits, so it’s a bit perplexing. So as an FYI, the Montecristo Petit Edmundo has a 52mm ring gauge and the Montecristo Edmundo has a 50mm ring gauge. [2010-01-22 UPDATE: So this is quite interesting, I just received a box of 25 of the Montecristo Edmundo and it has a ring size of 52mm. It seems like the Montecristo Edmundo tubos have a slightly smaller ring gauge for whatever reason.]

When purchased in a box, the Montecristo cedar dress box is absolutely beautifully constructed with perfect hinges and a similar decorative lock type latch found on the Cohiba dress boxes, minus the shiny veneer finish on the Cohiba.

The Montecristo cigar band has also changed. The 2007 band on my Edmundos are plain, faded milk chocolate-brown and cheap looking where the 2009 cigar band is darker brown with raised lettering and accents. The new bands look better and less counterfeit looking. According to this website, the Montecristo band was changed sometime in 2007.

Flavors & Taste

20091230-Montecristo-Petit-Edmundo-Bui4Ever-013 According to the box code, the Petit Edmundos I have are dated as May 2009, unusually young Cubans, and despite better judgment, I couldn’t resist trying one as soon I received my box. While I can taste the same flavors as the Edmundo, there is a bit of bitterness which I attribute to the youngness factor. The Edmundos I have are more than twice the age and the flavors and taste on those are finally settling in real nice. That’s unfortunate as I don’t think I can let the Petit Edmundo sit undisturbed for a year or more without enjoying some. They don’t taste bad, but when you know how good they can be with age, it’s hard to fully enjoy. I’ll try and let them sit in my humidor for a month and see if the taste settles any better.

Otherwise, pre-light taste has hints of almond, chocolate, and pepper. The flavors of the Petit Edmundo is identical to the Edmundo. Flavors remain consistent throughout to the nub. The Petit Edmundo is classified as medium-full bodied as with the Edmundo. There are also a number of people who seem to prefer the Petit over the full-size Edmundo.

Value

A box of 25 sets you back $189 USD where the Edmundo is slightly more at $220 USD. Despite being slightly shorter than a typical Robusto, the larger ring gauge should make it burn about the same speed.

Conclusion

I’m a big Robusto fan and the size of the Petit Edmundo is about right for my on-the-go life where the Edmundo is better suited for when time is not a concern. In short, the Montecristo Petit Edmundo has the famous Montecristo taste and you can’t go wrong with having a box or even a few sticks of these in your humidors. Despite designed to be a quicker smoke, I would definitely suggest that you take the time to savior each and every draw and the wonderful taste of this cigar.

Check out these other great reviews on the Petit Edmundo:

Montecristo Petit Edmundo Gallery Pictures

CAO MX2 Robusto Cigar Review

When I had first tried the CAO MX2 Toro, I was impressed at how much I liked it despite being a very strong medium-to-full-bodied smoke. The MX2 line looks very intimidating because of its black Connecticut Broadleaf Maduro wrapper, but looks are certainly deceiving. If you’ve been a big fan of medium bodied, medium-full bodied cigar, add the CAO MX2 to your must try list; you never know, you might end up liking it.

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CAO MX2 Robusto

Origin:	Nicaragua
Format:	Robusto
Size:	5
Ring:	52
Wrapper:	Connecticut Broadleaf Maduro
Filler:	Nicaragua, Honduras, Dominican Republic, Peru
Binder:	Brazilian Maduro
Made:	Handmade
Smoke Time:	~60 minutes
Price:	Famous-Smoke.com: $6.50 for single or $5.15 each in box of 20, CigarsDirect.com: $32 for a 5-pack or $4.95 each in a box of 20 ($99)

Construction

20091229-CAO-MX2-Robusto-Bui4Ever-002 While the CAO MX2 Robusto isn’t the best looking cigar, it is very well-built without any soft spots when squeezed throughout. Present are some minimal veins that runs throughout the oily sheen maduro wrapper. While most maduro cigars have a maduro wrapper, the MX2 has both a maduro wrapper and binder, thus the MX2 designation, Maduro x 2.

The CAO MX2 Robusto is slightly larger than the standard size Robusto being 5 inches long with a 52mm ring instead of 4.8 inches long with a 50mm ring. The slightly longer length and thicker ring gauge makes for a longer smoke. Because of the great build quality, it required no burn corrections as the cigar burned evenly throughout, leaving a dark solid gray ash. The draw was very smooth with just about the right amount of resistance enabling you to draw in good amounts of smoke.

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As one of the online blogs had mentioned, the CAO MX2 band is reminiscent of a tuxedo with a faux-dual band and silver lettering of the brand’s logo, CAO, on one band and the MX2 designation on the second. I had no trouble removing the dual band.

Flavor

20091229-CAO-MX2-Robusto-Bui4Ever-006 So what does this cigar taste like? Dark chocolate, coffee, and pepper are dominate tastes I get throughout, all of which are quite pleasing to the palate. The Mx2 leaves a nice spicy tingling feel on my tongue each time I take a draw. The unique flavor has to do with the four different fillers blended with the maduro wrapper and binder.

The cigar starts out mellow and creamy and then gets stronger and stronger and less creamy until you’re close to the nub where the taste starts becoming harsh. I was able to almost nub it, but decided to put it down before I got sick from the very strong taste. A number of other reviews I read have the same conclusion that near the last third, the cigar loses its creaminess and becomes harsher to the taste.

Value

At $4.95 for the Robusto, this is quite a good value for about an hour-long smoke. You can buy a box of 20 for $99 from CigarsDirect.com. If you’re not sure if you will like this cigar or not, I would recommend picking up a 5-pack from CigarsDirect.com for only $32 to try before buying an entire box. You could also pick up a couple or few sticks from your local tobacconist.

Conclusion

I purchased this stick from my local store, Cigar Loft and Lounge and it sit for a few days in my humidor before I couldn’t resist smoking it any longer. The last CAO MX2 had been aged 2 years before I had it and I can say aging does nothing for them. Typically aging a medium-full to full-bodied cigar will take some of the bite out of the taste, but the 2-year-old MX2 Toro I had still had plenty of bite. The Robusto tasted identical to the Toro, same chocolate and spicy pepper taste.

I can’t say this cigar is for everyone, but I think it’s a definite must try. If you’re used to the lighter smokes, this guy will have some kick. Definitely an after dinner cigar. This has certainly become my favorite non-Cuban cigar and I would definitely pick up a box.

Be sure to read these other reviews on this cigar:

CAO MX2 Robusto Gallery Pictures

Montecristo Edmuno Cigar Review

Next to Cohiba, Montecristo is perhaps one of the most recognizable Cuban cigar brand in the world. Their flagship cigar, the Montecristo No. 2, considered one of the finest full-bodies torpedo cigars made by many cigar aficionados, rated as a 94 by Cigar Aficionado (Feb 2008 edition).

I, not being a fan of torpedo shaped cigars or full-bodied Cubans (yet), opted for the Montecristo Edmundo. Montecristo also makes a shorter version, the Petit Edmundo, which is also very highly rated for those who are shorter on time or prefer a smaller vitola. I have not tried the Petit Edmunodo yet, but from what I hear, it hits the sweet spot sooner. Definitely on my to try next list.

Montecristo Edmundo

Origin:	Cuba
Format:	Robusto
Size:	5.3
Ring:	50
Wrapper:	Cuban
Filler:	Cuban
Binder:	Cuban
Made:	Handmade
Smoke Time:	~90 minutes
Price:	$8.80, box of 25

Construction

Beautifully constructed, this Robusto vitola named after Edmundo Dantes, the hero in Alexandro Dumas’ famous novel, “The Count of Montecristo”, a favorite reading for the torcedores of the Montecristo brand.

This is a large puro measuring 5.3 inches with a 50 ring. There is hardly any veins in the wrapper with no soft spots when gently squeezed. There is plenty of tobacco packed into this beast. The wrapper has a nice naturally, oily sheen and smells great. (2010-01-25 UPDATE: I found something quite interesting. Apparently the Montecristo Edmundos that come in the tubos are 50mm ring gauges where the Edmundos from a box of 25 are 52mm. Not entirely sure why the tubed version would be noticeably smaller.)

The cigar band is a very simple design, perhaps the smallest and least decorative of its other Cuban brothers. The band design is so boring and uninspiring (Montecristo name on top and Habana at the bottom with a Fleur in the middle) you could think the cigar was a counterfeit if not for the beautiful construction, the perfect triple cap, and the robust flavors.

I received the Montecristo Edmundo 3-pack that comes in a very nice package, complete the Country’s seals of authenticity. The Edmundo in the 3-packs come in a very attractive yellow metal tubo with the ornate Montecristo logo, the cigar name, and a bar-code on each. Inside, lays an Edmundo wrapped in a thin piece of cedar to help lock in the flavor. What’s great about the metal tubos is that they prevent the cigar from getting damaged when traveling with a stick. Normally I carry cigars i plan on consuming in a Cigar Caddy, but with the tubos I can travel light and not worry my cigar being destroyed in my pocket or bag. Even with the tubos, you’ll still need to place them in a humidor to keep them until you’re ready to enjoy them.

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My friends and I have not had any burn issues with the Montecristo Edmundo. Once started, it keeps a very precise burn until the end, no corrections needed. The salt-and-pepper ash produced is solid an holds for an inch-and-half easily. Because of the size and how well it’s packed, it’s easy to get large billows of nice white smoke.

Flavor and Taste

The Montecristo Edmundo has a wonderful medium-to-full-bodied taste that remains unchanged except near the end. The flavors are buttery, with pepper, vanilla, chocolate with a hint of coffee beans throughout, but pickup more in pepper once you hit the last 1/3rd.

This is a cigar that you need adequate time to enjoy. Try rushing it and the strong flavors will kick your ass like gulping down hard Scotch, shot after shot. To truly appreciate this masterpiece, you need to take sips and let the taste flow around in your mouth before letting it out. I’ve tried to smoke these down to the nub a few times, but the flavors get too strong for me near the end, so generally I know when it’s time to put it down, it’s time to put it down. Also because this is more of a medium-to-full body cigar, make sure you have a hearty meal before enjoying one, or you will get sick.

The 5-pack of 3-packs (15 cigars) I have has a date code 2007 of making them 2 years-old (3 years, if you consider that the leaves are aged a year before being used) and from what I’ve read, can only get better with age.

Value

Purchased in a box of 25, the Montecristo Edmundo works out to $8.80 per stick. Purchased individually, the cost becomes a bit more on the pricey side of ~$13. Even at $13 a cigar, I definitely think it’s worth the value unlike the $36 Opus X Churchill I had.

For those who can legally acquire these beauties, they come as a single tubo, a 3-pack of tubos, a 5-pack of 3-packs (15 Edmundos), and a clamshell box of 25.

Conclusion

This has become one of my favorite cigars, so far. If you want to experience Cuban cigars at its finest, I would certainly recommend the Edmundo for its beautiful construction and yummy flavors. For $8.80 a cigar, you’ll be hard pressed to find even a Cohiba that taste as good for the same price.

Be sure to read other reviews:

Montecristo Edmuno Gallery

Ramon Allones Specially Selected (RASS) Cigar Review

One of my favorite cigar formats is the Robusto because it generally packs a lot of flavor and takes about ~45 minutes to enjoy making it great for after lunch, after dinner, and/or enjoying with friends. The Ramon Allones Specially Selected consistently tops the list as one of the top in its class. This Cuban puro rated an 82 by Cigar Aficionado in its August 2009 magazine and is consistently highly rated by many other online cigar aficionados here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, and here.

Being so highly rated by so many, I knew I couldn’t go wrong with the RASS; my thoughts inside.

Continue reading Ramon Allones Specially Selected (RASS) Cigar Review

Fuente Fuente Opus X Reserve de Chateau Cigar Review

I was first exposed to the Opus X, Arturo Fuente’s premiere line of cigars, back when I first started smoking cigars some three odd years ago. At the time it was considered one of the best smokes, consistently rated at 90+ points with Cigar Aficionado and the price most certainly reflected that. At the time it was too rich for my blood, and having no baseline as to what constituted a bad, good, or great cigar, I opted to pass.

Years later as I started getting back into this past-time and having had a number of cigar brands, I was beginning to understand and develop what I liked in terms of taste so I figured it was time to take a whack at the Opus X. I stopped into a semi-local B&M store at Valley Faire Mall in San Jose that I knew would have some in stock and ended up picking up the Opus X Reserve de Chateau, a churchill length cigar and it stayed in my humidor for a measly thirteen days before I decided it was time to try this baby out.

Continue reading Fuente Fuente Opus X Reserve de Chateau Cigar Review

CAO MX2 Cigar Review

I don’t remember how I ended up with a CAO MX2 Toro cigar in my humidor, I think it was included in a sampler pack I got some two years ago and has been sitting and aging in my humidor since. How could I possibly resist smoking a cigar for two years? Continue reading CAO MX2 Cigar Review