Got some of these for aging, as I understood them to be the same blend as the old Bolivar Fuertes. After three months in the humi, I decided to pull one out and take some tasting notes so I have a baseline. Expecting to be rocked back in my seat a la a Camacho (they are advertised as full strength), I was surprised at how smooth and mild they are.
The first thing I noticed right out of the cello (five packs are cellophaned, they are nude in boxes) is the construction. These are some rock-solid, tightly rolled sticks. You could club somebody with one of these things. Wrapper was oily, smooth, and black as night, a very attractive cigar. Pre-light bouquet was a faint cedar smell. A prelight draw produced a flavor of, well, pretty much nothing. I used a punch and the cap is as tough as the cigar's namesake, it takes a little bit of effort to cut through.
First draw was earthy, with faint notes of cocoa and cedar. Already I would judge this no more than a medium bodied, medium flavored cigar. The first third was more of the same, but the faint taste of cocoa trailed off and was replaced by a very mild leathery taste. Resting smoke was very light. There were points where I would class this at the upper end of the 'mild' spectrum - strange for a Bolivar, especially one that frankly looks like it would kick my ass a bit. They have that imposing appearance to a semi-newbie like myself; like an Edge, G5 Avenger, or an RP Cuban Blend, and a band which is a gussied-up version of the ISOM Bolivar's.
I wanted more flavor and smoke, so at this point I grabbed the cigar scissors and snipped about 1/8" from the cap. This helped the draw. The smoke is quite creamy, ash flaky and light grey which held on for a good two inches. The finish is long, leaving a pleasant taste on your lips I can't quite describe.
Toward the end of the second third the cedar really came into it's own, and mingled with the continued mild leather flavor. Also, an interesting white pepper note showed itself; but it is more felt than actually tasted - my palate tingled a little. In the nose I picked up a tiny hint of clove.
The last bit was more of the same - got a little stronger but maintained that smooth creaminess that I guess cigar geeks would term a 'noble' quality, likely the result of the Connecticut wrapper and binder. Burn was good throughout, no issues and no relights or touch-ups neccesary.
All in all a pretty good stogie, though it wasn't the 'event' I expected it to be. Not the best cigar I've had by any means but certainly not a dog-rocket either. I'd give this one about a 7 1/2 out of 10. For BOTLs that like mild to medium sticks I'd say give the Bolivar Cofradia a spin. To my knowledge the Cofradia factory has shut it's doors so there might not be any more of these in the future. Those that enjoy a powerful ligero-packed cigar will likely be disappointed though.
Origin: Honduras
Length: 6.00
Ring: 54
Strength: Medium
Wrapper Color: Oscuro (X)
Wrapper Type: Connecticut Broadleaf
Binder: Connecticut
Filler: HON/NIC
Shape: Parejo
Price: Around $95 for a box of 25
Random Trivia: Simón Bolívar is the only man in history to be exiled from a country that was named after him.
The first thing I noticed right out of the cello (five packs are cellophaned, they are nude in boxes) is the construction. These are some rock-solid, tightly rolled sticks. You could club somebody with one of these things. Wrapper was oily, smooth, and black as night, a very attractive cigar. Pre-light bouquet was a faint cedar smell. A prelight draw produced a flavor of, well, pretty much nothing. I used a punch and the cap is as tough as the cigar's namesake, it takes a little bit of effort to cut through.
First draw was earthy, with faint notes of cocoa and cedar. Already I would judge this no more than a medium bodied, medium flavored cigar. The first third was more of the same, but the faint taste of cocoa trailed off and was replaced by a very mild leathery taste. Resting smoke was very light. There were points where I would class this at the upper end of the 'mild' spectrum - strange for a Bolivar, especially one that frankly looks like it would kick my ass a bit. They have that imposing appearance to a semi-newbie like myself; like an Edge, G5 Avenger, or an RP Cuban Blend, and a band which is a gussied-up version of the ISOM Bolivar's.
I wanted more flavor and smoke, so at this point I grabbed the cigar scissors and snipped about 1/8" from the cap. This helped the draw. The smoke is quite creamy, ash flaky and light grey which held on for a good two inches. The finish is long, leaving a pleasant taste on your lips I can't quite describe.
Toward the end of the second third the cedar really came into it's own, and mingled with the continued mild leather flavor. Also, an interesting white pepper note showed itself; but it is more felt than actually tasted - my palate tingled a little. In the nose I picked up a tiny hint of clove.
The last bit was more of the same - got a little stronger but maintained that smooth creaminess that I guess cigar geeks would term a 'noble' quality, likely the result of the Connecticut wrapper and binder. Burn was good throughout, no issues and no relights or touch-ups neccesary.
All in all a pretty good stogie, though it wasn't the 'event' I expected it to be. Not the best cigar I've had by any means but certainly not a dog-rocket either. I'd give this one about a 7 1/2 out of 10. For BOTLs that like mild to medium sticks I'd say give the Bolivar Cofradia a spin. To my knowledge the Cofradia factory has shut it's doors so there might not be any more of these in the future. Those that enjoy a powerful ligero-packed cigar will likely be disappointed though.
Origin: Honduras
Length: 6.00
Ring: 54
Strength: Medium
Wrapper Color: Oscuro (X)
Wrapper Type: Connecticut Broadleaf
Binder: Connecticut
Filler: HON/NIC
Shape: Parejo
Price: Around $95 for a box of 25
Random Trivia: Simón Bolívar is the only man in history to be exiled from a country that was named after him.
"Civilized men are more discourteous than savages because they know they can be impolite without having their skulls split, as a general thing."
- Robert E. Howard
![[Image: 1bc4f12b9dc4c6d90564fc11a3f6a43a.gif]](http://picasion.com/pic29/1bc4f12b9dc4c6d90564fc11a3f6a43a.gif)
- Robert E. Howard
