Roy R. Frush
Karaté?
- Joined
- Dec 10, 2005
- Messages
- 610
While in Puerto Vallarta over the holidays, I had the pleasure of visiting the LCDH store several times and sampling some of their wares.
A three year old Boli Coronas Gigantes is the first I will review.
I decided on the BCG based on the fact that I had plenty of time to smoke it while walking around downtown and also because it was one of the least expensive(still quite pricey) of the “big” cigars. LCDH had two options for me. There were approximately 8-9 cigars remaining in a dress box dating from JUN 02. They also had about that many cigars remaining in a cabinet dating from ’97 or ’98(suffix was SC, or SU) for the same price, but all of those cigars exhibited some type of damage in the way of badly split feet, torn or split wrappers, or appeared to be of sub-par construction(either anemic, or overpacked), so I opted for the younger cigar. I neglected to document the factory code on either box, which is unfortunate.
I selected the most impressive looking specimen from the dress box and examined it closely. The construction was impeccable. The shape of the cigar still retained some boxiness, but seemed like it had been free of a tight box press for a fair amount of time. This led me to speculate on something that will be reserved for another post. The rich Colorado wrapper was finely veined, very slightly oily and was of uniform color and texture. The cigar had the appearance and feel of a well-worn English leather chair—very firm, yet with just the right amount of pliability. Pre-light, the foot smelled fantastic. The scent was meaty, faintly greasy, and savory; the thought that comes to mind is fine quality beef jerky.
I used the scissors cutter at the shop and was very pleased with the result—a nice clean cut that formed a circle that looked as if it had been made by a punch cutter. The draw felt perfect. I used a strip of cedar to toast and light, thanked the senorita for helping me, and left the store.
The draw was excellent. It required just the right amount of effort which delivered mouthfuls of cool smoke packed with woody notes, cocoa, and wonderfully sweet, nutty flavors—something like biting into a walnut brownie. As soon as I took the first few puffs, I regretted not smoking this cigar indoors, where I would really be able to appreciate the different flavor components. I experienced the familiar lump in the back of my throat that often occurs when I smoke stronger cigars, which subsided after about 10 minutes. The sweetness remained, but the initial nuttiness gave way to a satisfying meaty, tangy tobacco flavor.
The ash was dark grey to black and very firm, but did bend noticeably, which I attributed to my walking along the boardwalk with the seaside breeze. The ash held on for a good two inches before falling off on its own. I often find myself smoking quickly, often double pulling in order to concentrate the smoke and flavors, and this cigar was no different. On two occasions I did need to relight. Once was after wandering through the flea market(some comical fakes in there btw), and the other after spending time talking with some folks on the street(perhaps the high ambient humidity in PV contributed).
Midway through, the cigar turned into an espresso bomb. Every pull was like holding a mouthful of rich, dark-roast. This went on for a good thirty minutes, and with every draw I wore this silly grin as I marveled at what a fine tasting cigar this was. Each draw seemed to improve on the previous one building into a coffee crescendo. I had carefully removed the band, as I fully expected to nub this one, but alas, with about an inch and a half to go, all flavors suddenly vanished! The flavors didn’t turn unpleasant; they were just non-existent. I gave it some time, but after a couple more draws, it was clear that this cigar was done. Crestfallen, I left the remains to go out in a sand-filled ashtray on top of a garbage can.
After discarding the butt, I became aware that I had a pretty good nicotine buzz going. It occurred to me that I probably didn’t notice it earlier because I had been constantly walking around in the fresh air. It was clear that this was definitely a ‘strong’ cigar and I also realized that it probably was a good thing that I hadn’t sat indoors somewhere while I smoked(with my tendency to smoke too fast and all), as I very well might have lost my lunch!
APPEARANCE AND CONSTRUCTION
(15 of the possible 100 points)
14. Make no mistake, the appearance and construction were flawless, and yet it has to fall a notch below perfection when compared to the Sir Winstons, and Trinis also in the humidor...
FLAVOR
(25 of the possible 100 points)
23. Excellent flavor that was full-bodied and evolved nicely throughout the smoke.
SMOKING CHARACTERISTICS
(25 of the possible 100 points)
solid 24. The draw was perfect and consistent all the way through and delivered copious amounts of cool smoke. Two relights and one minor touchup were required.
OVERALL IMPRESSION
(35 of the possible 100 points)
32. May be higher after another try. The next time, I will smoke indoors and more patiently to see what other things I pick up on.
TOTAL
93 A terrific smoke that I will definitely be purchasing more of in the future.
A three year old Boli Coronas Gigantes is the first I will review.
I decided on the BCG based on the fact that I had plenty of time to smoke it while walking around downtown and also because it was one of the least expensive(still quite pricey) of the “big” cigars. LCDH had two options for me. There were approximately 8-9 cigars remaining in a dress box dating from JUN 02. They also had about that many cigars remaining in a cabinet dating from ’97 or ’98(suffix was SC, or SU) for the same price, but all of those cigars exhibited some type of damage in the way of badly split feet, torn or split wrappers, or appeared to be of sub-par construction(either anemic, or overpacked), so I opted for the younger cigar. I neglected to document the factory code on either box, which is unfortunate.
I selected the most impressive looking specimen from the dress box and examined it closely. The construction was impeccable. The shape of the cigar still retained some boxiness, but seemed like it had been free of a tight box press for a fair amount of time. This led me to speculate on something that will be reserved for another post. The rich Colorado wrapper was finely veined, very slightly oily and was of uniform color and texture. The cigar had the appearance and feel of a well-worn English leather chair—very firm, yet with just the right amount of pliability. Pre-light, the foot smelled fantastic. The scent was meaty, faintly greasy, and savory; the thought that comes to mind is fine quality beef jerky.
I used the scissors cutter at the shop and was very pleased with the result—a nice clean cut that formed a circle that looked as if it had been made by a punch cutter. The draw felt perfect. I used a strip of cedar to toast and light, thanked the senorita for helping me, and left the store.
The draw was excellent. It required just the right amount of effort which delivered mouthfuls of cool smoke packed with woody notes, cocoa, and wonderfully sweet, nutty flavors—something like biting into a walnut brownie. As soon as I took the first few puffs, I regretted not smoking this cigar indoors, where I would really be able to appreciate the different flavor components. I experienced the familiar lump in the back of my throat that often occurs when I smoke stronger cigars, which subsided after about 10 minutes. The sweetness remained, but the initial nuttiness gave way to a satisfying meaty, tangy tobacco flavor.
The ash was dark grey to black and very firm, but did bend noticeably, which I attributed to my walking along the boardwalk with the seaside breeze. The ash held on for a good two inches before falling off on its own. I often find myself smoking quickly, often double pulling in order to concentrate the smoke and flavors, and this cigar was no different. On two occasions I did need to relight. Once was after wandering through the flea market(some comical fakes in there btw), and the other after spending time talking with some folks on the street(perhaps the high ambient humidity in PV contributed).
Midway through, the cigar turned into an espresso bomb. Every pull was like holding a mouthful of rich, dark-roast. This went on for a good thirty minutes, and with every draw I wore this silly grin as I marveled at what a fine tasting cigar this was. Each draw seemed to improve on the previous one building into a coffee crescendo. I had carefully removed the band, as I fully expected to nub this one, but alas, with about an inch and a half to go, all flavors suddenly vanished! The flavors didn’t turn unpleasant; they were just non-existent. I gave it some time, but after a couple more draws, it was clear that this cigar was done. Crestfallen, I left the remains to go out in a sand-filled ashtray on top of a garbage can.
After discarding the butt, I became aware that I had a pretty good nicotine buzz going. It occurred to me that I probably didn’t notice it earlier because I had been constantly walking around in the fresh air. It was clear that this was definitely a ‘strong’ cigar and I also realized that it probably was a good thing that I hadn’t sat indoors somewhere while I smoked(with my tendency to smoke too fast and all), as I very well might have lost my lunch!
APPEARANCE AND CONSTRUCTION
(15 of the possible 100 points)
14. Make no mistake, the appearance and construction were flawless, and yet it has to fall a notch below perfection when compared to the Sir Winstons, and Trinis also in the humidor...
FLAVOR
(25 of the possible 100 points)
23. Excellent flavor that was full-bodied and evolved nicely throughout the smoke.
SMOKING CHARACTERISTICS
(25 of the possible 100 points)
solid 24. The draw was perfect and consistent all the way through and delivered copious amounts of cool smoke. Two relights and one minor touchup were required.
OVERALL IMPRESSION
(35 of the possible 100 points)
32. May be higher after another try. The next time, I will smoke indoors and more patiently to see what other things I pick up on.
TOTAL
93 A terrific smoke that I will definitely be purchasing more of in the future.
