RACF, forgot the code, RA Review comp 2016

[Lant63]

Ramon Allones CF (britanicas)

Drink Pairing: Southern Tier Warlock Pumpkin Stout

Lighter: Torch

Cutter : Palio

When I first started smoking cigars these were around at a great price, (it really irks me that regionals no longer are) I never decided to pull the trigger for quite some time. Once I finally did all the boxes were gone. I finally got a box from Rob, and decided to crack it open for this review. I love the size and shape, and I wish there were a britanicas in regular production.

First third: Roasted nuts, bread like nuances similar to Upmann. Not much depth to the flavor to start. As soon a I wrote the previous sentence a strong lasting peppery note, with some sweetness develops. Classic Ramon Allones profile but more power. The retroinhale has some floral notes that intermix extremely well with the power on the tongue. Toasted bread starts to enter the palate. I have to say this is firing on all cylinders at the moment. Burn is perfect, and the smoke production is very good as well. The cigar is pairing quite well with the Warlock Pumpkin Stout I am drinking with it. Neither is covering up the flavor profile of the other. Some black coffee notes pop up but the strong pepper is still dominating, it stays on the palate for quite a while and develops in a sweeter finish. Pepper starts to die down some, and the beginning toasted nut character comes back in. A couple puffs of date develop and then get washed over again with pepper power. Not as much floral on the retroinhale. I really wish it was still present.

The ash holds strong until the second third starts and it drops almost immediately. Toasted nuts on the palate, pepper on the retro and a touch of bitter chocolate develops on the finish. A bit of floral develops on the palate. I have never experienced this with any of the RACF I have smoked before. I wonder if when they age further this will become more predominant. I do think these have the legs to age for at least 10 more years. The burn is still spot on, no touch ups needed. More sweetness develops on the finish. The pepper turns into more of a bell pepper sweetness. This RACF starts reminding me more of a strong Partagas than a Ramon Allones at this point. Burn is still going well as is the smoke preduction.

Starting the final third, the the cigar needs a bit of a touch up. The ash still hasn’t dropped a second time. The sweet bell pepper is still in the forefront. Not a lot of fruit or stewed fruit to report throughout most of this cigar. A little more powerful pepper notes start to develop again. The pepper really pairs nicely with the beer. I will have to remember this combination. Not a lot of cigars can stand up to the strong flavors of the beer. The ash finally falls as I am removing the final band. The cigar is still gaining strength (which it already had quite a bit of) as it nears the end. Roasted nuts, pepper on the palate, intense pepper through the nose, black coffee on the finish. It starts to get rather cold outside so I lay the cigar down.

Thoroughly enjoyable to say the least. The flavor profile was continually changing, never getting boring. I do wish there was more sweetness in the classic Ramon Allones sense. The development of some floral notes I find very intriguing. I would love to see more of that develop as I age these. Hopefully I can stay away from them and see how they smoke in 20 years, or maybe I can secure a second box.

Final Score: 94

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[subport]

Good job Sir. Never tried myself but sounds pretty interesting 

[Elvis]

Nice review! Love the Hotel Nacional ashtray, it's beautiful.

[Lant63]

Nice review! Love the Hotel Nacional ashtray, it's beautiful.

Thank you!


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[TheMonk]

Very good detailed review, nicely done!

[Lant63]

Very good detailed review, nicely done!

Thank you!


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