Ramon Allones Small Club Corona AME AGO 13 Review

[Laynard]

This is a cigar I bought "blind" in a sense. The sense being that I had never tried one before I bought a box. I had other RAs, and enjoyed them fully, and after hearing others rave about this cigar, I had to pick up a box when they were offered by Rob some time ago. It had been resting at 70% for some time, so I dry-boxed it for 36 hours prior to the review. I used a punch and the draw seemed perfect, so I fired it up.

The RASCC starts off spicy enough to burn my nose during retrohales. I pick up some woodiness right off the bat, with a creaminess. The cream is more in the texture than the flavor though. This little guy starts off showing it's strength. As our Aussie brethren would say, it's a "mongrel." There is a toasted tobacco flavor with a bit of a floral finish. It is a bit difficult to pick up on any subtle flavors as this cigar is a powerhouse, despite it's diminutive size. The burn is a little off, so I am forced to touch it up a bit.

I am starting to feel a tingle on the tongue, almost like a minty sensation. The floral flavors increase, and I start to pick up some espresso notes. The woodiness from the beginning is gone, and the intensity has settled a bit, but I know better. It's like hearing a puma purr, or standing in the eye of a tornado; the relief is almost horrifying. The floral notes seem to change into more of an herbal mixture.

The herbal flavors are primary, but there is also a dustiness to the taste. And, as expected, the mongrel is back. The monster minuto requires another touch up as the flavors revert back to the ass-kicking toasted tobacco in the beginning.

I'm really not one to put a number rating on cigars, but if my arm is twisted, I'd say a 91 for this one. The flavors are great and powerful. It's like the deliciousness of a CC and the strength of a NC. If the burn line was even, it would have been closer to 95, but I have to knock it a bit. This is a great cigar, and one I plan on always having in stock, God (or Rob) willing.

[Pedro2486]

Nice review mate. RASCC are my favorite minuto. Can I suggest trying another after it has been kept at 60-62rh. I find the burn is better and a better flavour experience

[ramon_cojones]

So just to clarify if the burn line which has no impact on flavor was even you'd rate it 4 points higher?

Your humidity is too high, bring it down to 65 then dry box for a day or so. Also these will get amazing with time.

[mikek]

Great review,I have gone through box's and box's of these I have NEVER got A bad box,although some have been A little better than others.I find they smoke best 65-66.Thanx for the review!

[Laynard]

Thanks for reading the review all.

Nice review mate. RASCC are my favorite minuto. Can I suggest trying another after it has been kept at 60-62rh. I find the burn is better and a better flavour experience

Yeah, I was caught a bit off gaurd by the review contest, so dry boxing it was my only option. I think if I follow your advice, my mind may be blown, as the flavors were already great!

So just to clarify if the burn line which has no impact on flavor was even you'd rate it 4 points higher?

Your humidity is too high, bring it down to 65 then dry box for a day or so. Also these will get amazing with time.

I'd rate it higher due to better overall experience with a better burn line. The rating is more than just flavor to me. Burn is also a factor.

As far as the rH, I know that many don't like 70%, but that is what I currently use for longer storage. My desktop is in the lower 60%s and that is where I typically put my smokes to acclimate for a few months before smoking, but again I was not prepared for Rob's generous contest. My desktop is mostly NCs right now I'm trying to burn through to make more room for CC purchases.

[ramon_cojones]

I understand, it comes down to personal preference to keep your smokes at whatever rh you fancy, we are just trying to say that they will smoke better and burn better once they are acclimated to a low 60s rh.

Regarding the burn, for me personally it matters not the visual aesthetic of the cigar including the line. It could canoe, or it could be an ugly stick that is completely dry looking and I wouldn't rate it any less because the flavor is how I rate the cigar. Everyone has a different scoring system though so thanks for sharing.

[Pedro2486]

So just to clarify if the burn line which has no impact on flavor was even you'd rate it 4 points higher?

I respectfully disagree, recently some of the cigars I've smoked have had a quite different flavour when the burn went off course (tunnelling, burning down one side etc). Makes sense to me as different ratios of wrapper, binder and filler are burning. Of course this is due to the cigars construction but I would say that construction = burn = effect on flavour.

If the burn was more even there may have been a more tasty cigar, 4 points worth? I don't think that much, but some none the less.

Plus then there's the overall experience of smoking that cigar contributing to how you would rate it

[Pedro2486]

Thanks for reading the review all.

Yeah, I was caught a bit off gaurd by the review contest, so dry boxing it was my only option. I think if I follow your advice, my mind may be blown, as the flavors were already great!

Let them age a few years, you mind will transcend this plain of existence.

Well, maybe not, but they sure are a treat

[Pedro2486]

D D D D Double Poooooooosssst

[Laynard]

I understand, it comes down to personal preference to keep your smokes at whatever rh you fancy, we are just trying to say that they will smoke better and burn better once they are acclimated to a low 60s rh.

Regarding the burn, for me personally it matters not the visual aesthetic of the cigar including the line. It could canoe, or it could be an ugly stick that is completely dry looking and I wouldn't rate it any less because the flavor is how I rate the cigar. Everyone has a different scoring system though so thanks for sharing.

Thanks. I know you were being helpful, and I appreciate it. I know that a lower rH is better for smoking, but I feel in my noobishness that closer to 70% may help preserve oils over the long haul, but seeing that I'm just over a year in this hobby, I acknowledge I have a lot to learn and am grateful for the advice you and others provide. I do try to let smokes get down lower before I light up, but there just wasn't enough time. My greed affected the review I suppose.

And, now you see why I don't like giving number ratings. We all have different criteria.

I respectfully disagree, recently some of the cigars I've smoked have had a quite different flavour when the burn went off course (tunnelling, burning down one side etc). Makes sense to me as different ratios of wrapper, binder and filler are burning. Of course this is due to the cigars construction but I would say that construction = burn = effect on flavour.

If the burn was more even there may have been a more tasty cigar, 4 points worth? I don't think that much, but some none the less.

Plus then there's the overall experience of smoking that cigar contributing to how you would rate it

Perhaps four points is a little much now that I think back. But 94-95 was what I was thinking before the first touch up. So burn aside...great cigar! Damn the numbers!

[ramon_cojones]

I respectfully disagree, recently some of the cigars I've smoked have had a quite different flavour when the burn went off course (tunnelling, burning down one side etc). Makes sense to me as different ratios of wrapper, binder and filler are burning. Of course this is due to the cigars construction but I would say that construction = burn = effect on flavour.

If the burn was more even there may have been a more tasty cigar, 4 points worth? I don't think that much, but some none the less.

Plus then there's the overall experience of smoking that cigar contributing to how you would rate it

Well I used canoeing as an extreme example and yes in those bizarre cases I would say you don't get the full flavor of the cigar but an uneven burn line I could argue doesn't. Solution? HIt it with the torch

[dowjr1]

I agree that burn can affect taste. For sure an off burn is not good.

[CigarEnthusiast]

Great review mate. Always a pleasure.

[Optic101]

Nice review. Like this one a lot and support the lower RH out of my expierience.

[Laynard]

So, for the sake of continuing the discussion:

It has been recommended that storage should be ~65% and the cigar should also be dry boxed for one day for good results.

If one were storing at ~70%, how long should the cigar be dry boxed to reach those same results? Or is it even possible from the starting humidity?

I know that this is a difficult question, as variables exist such as humidity in the dry box, personal tastes, etc., but I'm interested in the thoughts of you all. Primarily because I plan on participating in the live video review/herf tomorrow, and I have a PSD4 in the same dry box after being at 70%. It will be in there for about 60 hours at that point. Will the cigar be at a decent humidity in time for the review or will I be sacrificing another cigar at non-optimal conditions?

Thanks, I appreciate it.

[Ramrod918]

Thanks for the review, i enjoy reading these.

[SaintLuis]

So just to clarify if the burn line which has no impact on flavor was even you'd rate it 4 points higher?

Your humidity is too high, bring it down to 65 then dry box for a day or so. Also these will get amazing with time.

I think the burnline definitely affects flavor. As that ratio of wrapper to filler get's distorted, so do the flavors contributed from each leaf.

On R/H, even 65 for some of my CCs can be a bit too wet. I actually find the most consistency and optimal flavor at around 62. As for storing at 70, then bringing them down to 62 to smoke, I question how well the cigar has adjusted to the lower R/H. I think it takes a long time (months upon months at a minimum) for a cigar to evenly adjust and stabilize with the broader R/H measured from the air. Water transfers quickly and easily through a gas, but very, very slowly through a solid piece of mass.

In fact, I suspect the variation in R/H within the stick is why you had burning issues. The wrapper and binder elements of the exterior of the cigar had probably adjusted, as had the foot, but once you had delved 1" or more into hte smoke, you had all kinds of varying moisture affecting the burn. Same effect happens when I travel with cigars to a humid place.

When I went to Puerto Rico earlier this year, I actually cut 3 or 4 of the sticks I planned to smoke over the next few days, and dry-drew them a few times a day to bring the local R/H through the entire stick. I actually had great success with minimizing typical burn issues like tunneling, that usually happen when I travel to a real humid place. Usually, even a minuto will be trash half-way through, impossible to keep from tunneling and turning bitter.

[ramon_cojones]

So if you were blindfolded and I handed you the cigar in picture 1 then at the point in the 2nd pic you'd be able to tell a difference in flavor? Read post 11 again and you'll see where I'm coming from.

[SaintLuis]

The second pic being the one with a major canoe?

Definitely. I'd have hit that sucker with a torch before it got that far along. I find that one or two tugs after the fix, the cigar immediately tastes "right" again.

It's definitely a ratio thing.

[Yagermeister]

Good review. Love these sticks. Definitely on my "must have in stock at all times" list.

[DWC]

I feel you also have charred unburning wrapper/binder contributing to the overall taste when it's not burning correctly.

I've found when smoking at night and not being able to see the burn line, sometimes the flavor 'goes south' and if I get it in the light, I almost always find the burn is screwy. Touch it up and the flavor returns to normal.