Bolivar Petit Corona

Just finished a couple of Bolivar Petit Corona. Probably not my favourite format, though as Michael from www.cigars-review.org puts it : "He who believes that all Marevas are the same lacks subtlety".
The Bolivar is a strong, spicy, some would say bitter smoke. It does not lack character, and somehow reminds me of another brand : Partagas. I enjoyed the petit coronas a lot, though I enjoyed more my evening smokes than my afternoon one. I like the colour too, very dark. Will go on "studying this brand" !

Brand : Bolivar
Origin : Cuba
Format : Petit Corona (Mareva)
Rating : A (please refer to my Cigar Rating Chart).

Another Hoyo de Monterrey - Epicure #2

I read rather unpleased comments regarding the Hoyo de Monterey - Epicure #2 recently. Allegedly the recent Epicure #2 are :

Wrappers became very light, construction uneven, and at times the wrappers had light shades of green! Terrible draw, bitter at times, and herbaceous! Nothing like the #2s I had previously.Submitted by mel on January 5, 2006

Well "mel" I just smoked one myself... What can I say ? It's the same mild, yet tasty robusto I tried before. It's an amazing afternoon smoke, which I didn't find herbaceous at all... The Epicure #2 has strong notes of leather, as well as hints of chocolate. My rating remains unchanged, still A+ (please refer to my Cigar Rating Chart).

Ramon Allones Specially Selected - Robusto

Just finished a Ramon Allones Specially Selected. Very good smoke, very surprising too. I never tried this cigar before. Well, definitely should have ! Combustion was not perfect (to say the least), but hey... What a taste!
Salty, hearthy, touch of leather here and there. But what did strike me most, was this salty/spicy flavour I can still feel on my lips. And not too strong as well, clearly milder than a Partagas D4
This definitely goes in my humidor for good!

Brand : Ramon Allones
Format : Robusto
Origin: Cuba
Rating : AA+ (pls. refer to my Cigar Rating Chart)

Quai d'Orsay cigar - Imperiales (Churchill)

I tried one of those during new year's eve : Quai d'Orsay - Churchill format. This Cuban brand might not be very familiar to you since it is exclusively sold in the French market. Actually you can find them elsewhere (like in Switzerland), but let's say it is rather scarce.
The name Quai d'Orsay actually comes from the surname of the French foreign office.
This brand is well known for its smoothness. This makes the QO Churchill a very good introduction to this format. I believe it is one of the mildest Cuban cigar in this vitola.

Brand : Quai d'Orsay
Format : Churchill (Julieta)
Origin : Cuba
Rating : BBB+ ( pls. refer to my Cigar Rating chart)