Vitola de Galera:  Robusto
Vitola de Salida:  Robusto
Shape: Parejo
Body: Square
Dimensions:  50RG / 4 7/8 inches
Presentation: Dress Box 25
Vintage:  January 2011
Age When Tasted:   4 yrs, 7 months

 

SUMMARY

Strength: 8
Touch:  Firm
Color:   Colorado Maduro
Draw:  Excellent
Burn:  Perfect
Progression:  Builds to crescendo
Finish:  Long, persistent
Smoking duration:  1 1/2 hours

 

AROMAS

Pre-Light: Cinnamon, leather, spice, dark chocolate
First Third:  Spice, dark honey, leather, herb
Second Third:  Leather, chocolate, animal, mushroom, dark rum
Last Third:  Grilled meat, burnt caramel, sweetened espresso

FLAVORS

Leather, herb, grilled meat, game, honey, spice

ENJOYMENT 

One of my favorite food pairings (in the cooler months) with this vitola is marinated and grilled wild game, morel mushrooms from my backyard, and some sort of roasted vegetable.  If I am enjoying with a cocktail I’ll aways go for an aged bourbon–or even a tannic red wine. Or for something entirely different, a vintage champagne.

EXPERIENCE

My next door neighbor is a real hunter.

He can walk in to mountains of Idaho, bow in hand and end up dragging out a bull elk weighing god knows-how-much.  Not an easy task, and something that probably 99.99% could not do–even if they wanted to.

I envy the guy–his deeply visceral connection with the earth, his understanding of the primal relationship between man and animal, and his ability to put food on the table with his own hands.  He also has a deep reverence and respect for his prey which I suspect is something that any successful hunter must possess.

He’s also a very generous dude (as all hunters are), and regularly brings over the spoils of his trips–like the beautiful elk loin he brought over last week.

When we finished the meal, I broke out the Specially Selected.

All Ramon Allones pair well with game because they possess a gamey character that is supremely well balanced with just the sort of aromas and flavors you’d find in, say, a forest.  Damp earth, mushroom, undergrowth, herb, sap, leaves.

And they just have this “meatiness” about them that is ever-so-compelling and addicting.  Sort of similar to a Saint Luis Rey–but with more herbal overtones.

A cigar for the cooler months, the Specially Selected always delights with rich, heady aromas deeply satisfying flavors–but it’s never overpowering or too aggressive.

It is the epitome of refinement and elegance, like all Ramon Allones cigars–easily one of my top ten.