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

Bolivar Royal Corona

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:

• Cigars.ie
• CigarAficionado.com
• Cigars-Review.org
• CigarInspector.com
• CigarSmokingLounge.com
• CigarWeekly.com
• Humiblog.com
• StogieGuys.com
• StogieGuys.com – Quick Smoke

Bolivar Royal Corona Gallery Pictures

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

Ramon Allones Specially Selected (RASS)

Appearance & Construction

One of the very first things that stuck me upon opening my RASS box of 25 is the build quality is the most inconsistent of all the Cubans I’ve seen so far. No less than 3 of the 25 sticks had at least one defect or another from a broken wrapper or hastily rolled wrapper to poorly applied triple cap; perhaps I was just unlucky. Although when you reach in and grab a good, it’s damn good looking and feeling. The Colorado wrapper is a rustic brown color with few veins; it has less veins in the wrapper than compared to the H.Upmann Magnum 46.

The RASS exhibits a slight box-press, no where as well done as the Padron 1964 Anniversary Series cigars. There are very few noticeable soft spots when gently squeezed and looking at the foot of most of the RASS, it’s well packed with tobacco. There isn’t an issue with the draw, very easy to take in bellows of smoke. One thing I found interesting is that 2/3rds into the cigar, the cigar starts getting more spongy when squeezed unlike the other Cubans I’ve had, which continue to stay stiff when squeezed. So far, I haven’t noticed any issues with it. Of the four RASS I smoked so far, the third one had a very loose draw that felt like sucking air through a large straw; I should have figured that would be the case upon inspecting the foot and noticing that it wasn’t rolled as tight. It wasn’t until about the last third before the draw started to tighten up and become more smokable. Quality control on the box of 25 of the Ramon Allones Specially Selected (RASS) is lacking.

It's very easy to get an inch, if not more of ash sticking to the cigar

All four of the RASS I’ve smoked so far, I’ve found I’ve had to correct the burn many times as the RASS seems to burn unevenly, an issue I’ve never had with the Montecristo Edmundo. The RASS typically takes me approximately 45 minutes to smoke from beginning to nub. I’ve not had them go out on me.

I should also mention that the cigar box is absolutely gorgeous! The only other cigar boxes that are perhaps nicer than the RASS are ones by Cohiba. The artwork is very detailed on the cedar boxes from the Ramon Allones brand name inscribed repeatedly along the outer edges of the box to the colorful artwork that adorns it. The lid is held closed with a single small golden nail. After you splice the official Cuban state seal and the Habanos S.A. chevron, you pull the lid directly up and there is the official green and white warranty card. Underneath is a cover that is permanently attached to the box bearing the Ramon Allones seal with the first thirteen cigars nicely laid out with the cigar band properly facing up. Underneath those thirteen is a thin cedar sheet with the crescent cut in the upper right hand, when removed, will reveal the remaining twelve RASS cigars with a single white cardboard placeholder in the thirteen slot. The presentation I must say, is nothing less than beautiful.

Flavor

The one thing I’ve been reading about the Ramon Allones Specially Selected cigar is that it really young in taste and needs to be aged at least a few years to get it’s full potential. The box code on the RASS I have is March 2008 and I’m hoping that I can manage to keep my hands off a good number of them and let them sit in the humidor for at least another year and see if it gets better.

I found the pre-light draw to be bland: hints of tobacco and slight pepper, but that changes after a few puffs once lit. The most noticeable taste, to me, is the chocolate. There are also cedar and earthly tones.

One thing I found very pleasing about the RASS is it stays creamy, even right up to the nub, with no hint of harshness or harsh aftertaste but it doesn’t have the complexity of taste as the Montecristo Edmundo, my favorite cigar at the moment.

Value

From what I hear, a box of 25 for the RASS runs about ~$189 USD making it $7.56 per stick which isn’t too bad for a ~45 minute smoke. A couple of years ago, the RASS used to run for $135, which was an excellent price!

Conclusion

If the option was available, I would purchase a RASS box despite the occasional construction issues and the burn issues; there seems to be a bit of inconsistency between each stick in a box, at least for ones dated in 2009. I should note that for about the same price, one could get a box of the Montecristo Petit Edmundo (1-inch shorter than the Edmundo, and slightly shorter than a Robusto but thicker ring) and get all the great flavors that the Edmundo has to offer.

The RASS is a very good smoke when you get a good stick and it never hurts to have a few sticks lying around in the humidor.

Ramon Allones Specially Selected Cuban Cigar Gallery

What is the appeal of the Cuban cigar? Most non-cigar smokers would say it’s because they’re forbidden fruit as you can’t legally buy any Cuban cigars because of the 1962 U.S. Trade Embargo against Cuba, but that aside, many cigar hobbyist (such as myself) and aficionados would agree it’s more than that. From the way the Cuban cigars are hand-rolled to the specific tobacco leaves used, they are a treat unlike any other cigars, except a few non-Cuban brands such as Fuente (most notably, the Opus X) and Padron.

My favorite brand is Cohiba (not to be confused with General Cigar’s Cohiba brand), long a favorite to Fidel Castro as he had a hand in the brand’s development, you can read the story here. Now unless your name is Michael Jordan or Arnold Schwarzenegger, Cohiba cigars aren’t really for daily smokes, but rather special occasions such as anniversaries, weddings, and the birth of a child, as they are bit costly; and in some ways, they are actually overrated. Don’t get me wrong, they are an incredible smoke, but overrated in price because of brand recognition: think Nike. Fortunately there are a number of other Cuban brands that are equally as good such as Ramon Allones and H.Upmann. My favorite daily smoke (I actually only smoke a cigar once a week or once every two weeks unlike my abnormal addiction to Diet Coke) happens to be the H.Upmann Magnum 46, a mild to medium flavored cigar. Please note that by no means am I an expect in cigars and this review is merely my thoughts and opinions.

H.Upmann Magnum 46

Appearance & Construction

The H.Upmann Magnum 46 is a beautiful constructed Habana Coronas Gordas cigar with very small and few leaf veins meaning a very high quality tobacco leaf. It’s a 46 ring gauge that is 5.6 inches (143mm) long making it a great cigar to smoke with friends or after dinner. For me, this isn’t quite a lunch time smoke because average smoking time is 50-100 minutes. The Magnum 46 is packed nicely with a lot of tobacco and rolled just tight enough so that the draw is effortless smooth.

It features the well known triple-cap that you would expect from an authentic Cuban with very little to no flaws in it’s construction. It has a nice, slightly natural oily wrapper (as good to great cigars should meaning that the cigar’s wrapper leaf isn’t dried out). The wrapper is a nice consistent shade of milk chocolate brown; I should note that with all Cuban cigars, the wrapper should be a consistent color all around, any discoloration can suggest a fake Cuban cigar.

Squeezing the cigar at various points, there is a nice solid, firm (but not too firm) feel. The Magnum 46 features a double band, one being the H.Upmman logo band, applied nicely and looks gorgeous. Underneath it is another band indicating that the cigar is a Magnum 46.

Flavor

I’ve always been more of a mild-flavor cigar smoker, but have started become more drawn to the mild-medium, medium, and even medium-full body flavor as of recent as they’re aren’t really any mild-body flavor Cubans. Most other cigar sites say that the Magnum 46 has a creamy, little spicy, coffee bean, with a hint of chocolate taste, to which I must concur. The taste is consistent until the last 1/3 of the cigar when it starts picking up a bit more taste. If you smoke the Magnum 46 until about the nub, be prepared for a slight nicotine buzz that gives you that nice relaxed and overall happy feeling.

Value

As Cuban cigars are illegal to purchase, I can’t really say much for price. But from what I’ve heard, it’s quite affordable for Cuban cigars. The price ranges I’ve heard are $10 USD for a single stick to about ~$7 USD per stick for a box of 25. That compared to a similar type Cohiba, the Siglo IV that cost ~$13.40 USD per stick or ~$11.40 USD per stick for a box of 25!

Conclusion

There really isn’t bad to say about the H.Upmann Magnum 46. As I mentioned, this is my daily smoke cigar whereas I reserve the Cohiba for special occasions. I haven’t met anyone or read anything negative about the Magnum 46. One thing I have noticed, and has been reported, there has been some issues with Cuban quality control. The box of 25 I was given had 2 cigars that were slightly “bent” because the ribbon was tied a bit too tight, but they smoked fine without any issues. Obviously if they were a Cohiba box of 25, I would certainly be much more irritated given the cost. Also, the Magnum 46 box of 25 comes in a SLB (slide lid box) that is very nicely constructed with all the Habana stickers of authenticity.

I have no qualms on recommending these to my friends or anyone who is legally able to purchase the H.Upmann Magnum 46.

You can also read these other reviews by cigar aficionados who are certainly more expert than me: Cigar Inspector, HumiBlog.com, and Friends of Habanos.

H.Upmann Magnum 46 Pictures