Deep Dive: Bolivar Belicoso Fino

[El Presidente]

Bolivar Belicoso Finos!

They are certainly one of my favourite cigars but I am fully aware that there are plenty of members who just don't "get them".  I feel sorry for you  

Let's talk the Bolivar Bellicoso Fonos 

• Do you like  Bolivar Belicoso Finos?
• Where does it stand in the ranks of the other existing Belicoso's and even Piramides?
• Have you noticed a blend/flavour/body change over the years? If so, approximately when?
• How long does it take you to smoke a  Bolivar Belicoso Finos?
• Do the poll!

Salute the BBF!  

 

[havanaclub]

Absolutely love the BBF, one of my favs.
I had a 2017 cab that had issues with construction and made for a bad experience but the ones they were rolled well were excellent… particularly with a few years down.
But I find the recent production to be a notch better I think I got 19/20s.
I heard they used to be much stronger and they have become much “weaker” but I cannot comment on that because I haven’t had any from the late 90s.


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[Tstew75]

Have to admit I'm not really a Bolivar fan, including BBF.  They always seem brutish to me & lack the nuance I enjoy, in say a Piramides or Upmann No.2. BBFs also never exhibit that twang I love (though they do have that dirty mongrel thing that's interesting)

In terms of pyramids they rank in the bottom third for me

No body change in the last 10 years, IMO

*One other thing worth mentioning is that my experience BBF SLBs do not seem to travel well. Even the best packed boxes from retailers seem to include 3-5 cracked feet. Also, be very choosy form that last big SOR 21 run...1 in 2 boxes seem to sport pretty thin, brittle wrappers

[Ford2112]

I like them a lot.

[BrightonCorgi]

If talking current production, I would put the R&J Belicoso just ahead of the Bolivar.  Haven't had enough SCDH La Punta to know where they'd fit, but the SP Belicoso would be in last place.

I prefer the dress box BBF's solely do to space considerations.  I feel like the BBF blend changed in the early 2000's; shortly after they put bands on the cab's.  The power and flavor has gone away from the BBF and RC's in the Bolivar line up.  Still buying them though!

[Texwrangler]

Give me the BPC.   They’re smoking great right now

[Stevieboy]

Love the BBF. Always, always in my rotation.
Recent RyJ Belicosos have overtaken it as my go-to beli though as they've been incredible

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[gustavehenne]

Love the BBF and Bolivar in general although my favourite always has been the Libertador.

Never had a bad BBF to date and they are an excellent size.

[Akela3rd]

I've smoked a grand total of 4 BBF. 3 TEO ABR 18 which I noted as 'disappointing' and one from a FoH comp prize in August of 2020 which I noted as 'excellent'. On the back of that one cigar and the general high opinion on the forum I bought a box (SOR DIC 20 (fnarr)) that I'm leaving until the end of this year. Intrigued and curious as to what it'll bring...
Love the RyJ Belicoso though I'm sure it's a very different profile.

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[karp]

They are good - can be great but not as elegant as a Partagas P2 or as good as a (high quality) Monte 2.. VR piramides are also good but somewhat similar to Monte 2.. Totally different flavours in each though so the comparison is a bit meaningless! Compared to the other Bolivar when I’m hankering for that flavour, I would rank the PC and RC higher than the BF since they hit the mark on strength vs balance better if you want the earthy/sweetness flavour that Bolivar provides. 

[Ford2112]

2 hours ago, Texwrangler said:

Give me the BPC.   They’re smoking great right now

I gotta second that. I am almost through my latest box.

 

[Hoepssa]

Not a fan of BBF before this forum favourite fever starts. It was with Boli leather, factory made truffle jam for me, and mostly badly rolled.

Since reading several praise from this forum, I gave BBF a try and now love them! Now they are in my rotation and at least 100 sticks in my freezer.

[SmokyFontaine]

The three cuban cigars I'll choose from if I need something consistent and outstanding are a BBF, Connie A, or Lusitania. Maybe in that order. 

[Chibearsv]

BPC and BRC make me want to throw rocks at BBF. I don’t find them rich or flavorful at all. 🥱

[Puro_Lover83]

I always thought that the BBFs were strong, until I started smoking a lot more NCs in the last couple of years. Now, they are medium at most to me. The wrapper color also makes a difference.

[Frinkiac7]

I have had a few singles, never a box, and never was inspired to buy a box. I think Boli just isn't my preferred flavor profile.

[Edicion]

Took some time to aquire the taste and once I felt "I get it", it went into the regular rotation.

I've wanted to try a GR BFF and still on the hunt for a stick. 

[SCgarman]

Never had one! Ouch! My foray into Cubans was the BRC. Smoked many boxes of them. Also like the BPC in my PC rotation. Not sure at the current prices if I will ever pull trigger on a box of BBF. 

[Ites]

Didn't vote as I never had one. One could say "I don't get" bolivar. I've only tried this type of vitola (52 RG piramide) in a couple of NC and it's not for me. 

[Sir Diggamus]

I never got this cigar. Back in the day it was a powerhouse of flavors (woody & leather) that were too much for me. After a few experiences I stopped trying with this one. I was blown away when I found out that the blind tasting pyramid was a BBF, it was so mild with very little flavor. At the time I pegged it as a nice change of pace cigar but not box worthy. So in both cases I never found this a cigar I would keep in my regular rotation. 

[cigaraholic]

 BBF + Guinness = heaven 

[Joeyjojo]

I do love a BBF and Bolivars in general. I find the BBF to have everything I like about Bolivars but with all the dials cranked to 11. 

I have had a few singles though that tasted like necking a bottle of perfume. I remember an article I read about a 5th Avenue aging program in Cigar Journal saying that perfume flavour can be a sign of a cigar with a lot of age on it. So for me there must be a 'Goldilocks' zone which I have yet to define properly. (But I certainly won't mind further research to find it! )

 

[BlueRidgeFly]

Have only had four, from a FOH sixer MSU or UER JUL 19. My notes for all go something like, "first 2/3 was mediocre," "good, but not quite a BRC or BPC," "another underwhelming example."

Maybe I need to try some more recent BBFs, which sound a lot better. But based on these few along with the current crazy prices, I won't be buying more right now.

[SCgarman]

Interesting responses. Considering this is Rob's go to cigar amongst a handful of others, the consensus here seems to be a negative rating based on the comments. Seems the Bolivar royal corona and petit corona seem to be preferred over the belicoso fino. At today's "hyper inflated" prices, I'm not sure I would seek out a box of these. As far as the size itself I have a box of Sancho Panza belicosos and like the size, but not too far different that a robusto size. And it sounds like the Bolivar of years past was a much stronger cigar than the Bolivar of today. Heard that about the PSD4 also. 

[El Presidente]

86 % of folks "get it" 

......that is a great result👍