Bolivar Especiales no. 2

[mm12]

So, a few days ago I decided to smoke my first one of these. I got the box soon after they were released last year, and I kept it sealed. When I unwrapped the foil, I got probably the best cold aroma I've ever smelled from a box of cigars. Leather, a little chocolate, some sweet spice. Super rich and pungent.

When I lit the cigar, I wasn't disappointed. Flavors of dark rich earth, cocoa powder and a little bit of licorice. Full-bodied and rich. Big flavors. I even got a hint of rootbeer like I sometimes get in Bolivar Corona Gigantes.

As I started getting into the second third, I got a sort of mineral spice type flavor starting to come in. The best I can describe it was that it was like drinking sparkling water or club soda. It had the taste of carbonation. I thought it was interesting/unique.

Then everything went to ****. About halfway through, the rich earthiness turned really dirty/grubby. There was a fair amount of bitterness, and almost no complexity. I could just barely detect some flavors of toffee around the edges, but they were almost totally drowned out by the awful dirt flavor.

I know these cigars have gotten a pretty a good reception, and I'm curious to hear what others have to say about them.

For those of you that rate these very highly, did you remove them from foil soon after getting them? I'm wondering if maybe by the keeping the box sealed and the cigars in foil, I slowed down the ageing process to a huge extent. It seems a little strange to me that a 2009 cigar with probably 18 months of box age on it would be this bad in the back end. Maybe the roller just dropped the ball on that particular cigar and messed up the blend.

After I took my cigar out. I carefully rewrapped the foil, and I'm planning on not touching these again for several years. Maybe I should ditch the foil?

Anyways, love them or hate them, I'd be interested to hear some other opinions on these.

[adic88]

Must say i've never had these. Hhhmm, now i'm curious.

[shrink]

Thanks for taking one for the team, mm! There is a reason why these cigars were sealed in foil. I'm reminded of the RyJ Cazadores, which are packed in exactly the same way. They are intended to remain sealed until "ripe", which can be quite a few years. Your cigar was beginning to show its' potential, but is clearly too young. Several more years will find them in their ideal state of readiness.

[mm12]

Thanks for taking one for the team, mm! There is a reason why these cigars were sealed in foil. I'm reminded of the RyJ Cazadores, which are packed in exactly the same way. They are intended to remain sealed until "ripe", which can be quite a few years. Your cigar was beginning to show its' potential, but is clearly too young. Several more years will find them in their ideal state of readiness.

This is kind of what I figured, which is why I re-wrapped them immediately after taking one out, and after smoking it, decided not to touch them again for a long time. But, the reviews I have read on these have been pretty much all positive. I don't remember anyone ever describing the kind of utter horror I tasted in the second half of this cigar. I've never smoked a Guantanamera before, but the second half of this cigar is what I imagine a particularly bad one would taste like.

[SpeedyGonzales]

Don´t think this is typical. I have smoked through almost one and a half boxes since they have been issued last year and there was not a single one I would have called „sick“, „green“ or „premature“ ;-) They have all been a delight, most being devine in aroma and power. There were some minor problems with some being rolled too loose and one too tight, but never ever during the last 1.5 years there was nuances of „dirt“ or utter horror. Must have been that single cigar being underwhelming. Don´t judge for the rest of your box.

By the way: Mine have been out of the foil since I bought them. I also have Cazadores which I left inside the foil. But honestly I don´t think it makes any difference if you smoke them within a couple of years after boxing.

Hoping the best for your Especiales No.2…

Greets, Speedy