Bolivar Corona Junior MSU NOV 19 (XNYRW4)

[saltbox]

One of the leftovers from the Half Corona "ish" sampler from over a year ago. I haven't revisited these in a while, and wasn't super impressed before, so interested to see how they've come along. 

First half: opens with a big creamy earth. I've always struggled to describe the earthiness that Bolivars have. It's different from the more dirt/soil like earthiness that I get from a lot of non-Cuban maduros. Best I can think of is a rich loamy soil that's high in clay content. It's earthy, but less gritty and dirty and more aromatic.

Second half: some spices and anise join the flavor profile, but otherwise not much change. Given the short size and the rain possibly affecting the flavors, not surprised there isn't much evolution here.

Overall: Bolivar is a marca I always enjoy but don't reach for often enough for some reason. On the spectrum of earthy to creamy, I've found the Tubo No. 3 to be the extreme of the earth/leather side, the Petit Corona and Belicoso Fino on the creamy end, and this one squarely in the middle. 89/100