Bolivar Belicoso Fino

You've all been talking about it ["macho grande" etc] so here it is...

"The most repeated word is strong, as this one is one of the strongest among Bolivar cigars. The main characteristics could be its smoothness and full body, plenty of smoke, thick, pasty and coats your mouth so you can taste it for hours after!"

Yep, you betcha, this Revolutionary's torp has lots of power and plenty of leather 'n spice to back it up - like most of the Bolivar lineup. Great match for a whisky, could even follow a vindaloo with garlic naan (i'm not actually recommending that). This is up there with the strongest you'll get in terms of habanos, but still far from the devastation of some of the nicaraguan powerhouses. We got some young ones, only a year old, which might have had a few more discernable flavours somewhere down the road. Maybe.


1hr-1hr30 smoke.
Size: Campana (roughly known as Belicoso size)
Length 14cm. Ring gauge 52.
Strength: Full-bodied
Drink match: Al Swearengen.
From box dated Feb '08.

Brand: Introduced in 1901, the powerful flavour of the Bolivar range is almost as widely know as it's namesake, Simon Bolivar "El Libertador"(1783-1830), the celebrated Venezuelan warrior who liberated all or part of what is today Venezuela, Columbia, Peru and Bolivia.

This guy had a fascinating life, worth reading up about. His influence still lingers e.g. as the inspiration for Hugo Chavez's Revolucion Bolivariana in Venezuela.

Cigar Heretics Poker

Brief reviews of Bolivar, San Cristobal, Cohiba and Hoyo- Epicure Especial.
PS- The Bolivar made Joel and I a bit nauseous. Even though it's not strong in a harsh-smoke sense (the San Cristobal was more this type of 'strong') its presence is overwhelming; its earthy, farming taste layers your mouth for hours and its raw draw numbs your brain. A challenge. Veni, Vidi, Vici (whatever the plural is in Latin).
The Cohiba felt like a sweet child after the 'Macho Grande' as Andrew called it [special mention to Andrew who dictated his tasting notes subliminally to the camera... Words are wasted when you're deeling with an exquisite mouthful of Cuban tobacco].
We also shared a Montecristo, which didn't make it to the video. I lost my notes for that one. Maybe one of the boys can fill us in.
Very enjoyable game of Poker- won by Zach- who successfully played the 'I'm new to this, what should I do? Please advise me. Hmm? What? Oh I won again!' card and came away laughing! I think milder drinks would have been more enjoyable than whisky to go with the cigars. Next time Port, coffees and teas will have to be on the menu.

Ageing and the humble cigar

Age tends to mellow flavours slightly as well as give added complexity to the taste as the various oils and aromas in the blend of leaves mix over time - ie the 1998 "Hoyo des Dieux" you just smoked probably has more discernable flavours (e.g. plum) than if you had smoked it in 1999.

Like wine however, more age does not necessarily mean a better cigar - cigars need to have a decent body to start out with or their flavour will die out too quickly. Generally speaking, larger cigars are better candidates for ageing as they have a wider variety of different leaves (volado, seco, ligero) rolled into them, so there is more potential for the exchange of oils between these to "marry" and produce more complex flavours.

Many cigars are made to be smoked straight out of the box, but most aficionados of the cuban leaf agree that a year or 2 can do wonders (In recent times, Habanos S.A. has upped its quality control and ages the leaves for a decent amount of time before sending them off to the rolling factories - so it's no longer always necessary to age for a year before smoking). Going beyond 5-6 years of ageing is a gamble for most cigars, as their flavours can fade quite quickly after that - but it all depends on the cigar.

Hard out connaisseurs will check each box of cigars and only age those which have oily, aroma-full, leaves; they might also smoke one every 6 months to check how things are progressing (hence they tend to buy 50-cigar cabinets rather than boxes of 10 or 25!). Many agree that most cigars "peak" between 3-6 years of age, but there are also those who prefer the strong flavours straight out of the box. As usual, theories and rumours abound, but a lot of it is down to individual experimentation and preference.

And if you don't have a stable humidity environment for your cigars (ie a humidor), ageing probably won't do them any good - they are most likely to dry out and lose their tasty oils... Cigars are like women - always beautiful, often fragile, but troublesome and even downright frustrating some days, and agreeable and understandable on others. Generally with no apparent reason for either state of affairs (well to us men at least). These challenges, however, are part of what makes them unique, attractive, and downright interesting - hehe.

Hoyo de Monterrey des Dieux - a portal to your senses

Hoyo de Monterrey - Le Hoyo des Dieux
Reviewed by Greg & Sam 15 Jan 2010

Wonderful cigar:
tastes include plum and wood; pleasant draw; well-packed; nice with wine.

Great quote from Sam:
'instead of invading your mouth with smokiness, it uses the mouth as a portal into your senses'

[Ed. note - These particular cigars were rolled in 1998, so the most aged cigar you will taste this year]

Quote of the Month

"When I have found intense pain relieved, a weary brain soothed, and calm, refreshing sleep obtained by a cigar, I have felt grateful to God, and have blessed His name."

Charles H. Spurgeon