Vitola de Galera:  Superiores
Vitola de Salida:  Corona

Shape: Parejo
Body: Round
Dimensions:  46 RG /  5.6  inches
Presentation: Dress Box/ 25
Vintage:  Feb 2011 / OGA
Age When Tasted:  5 yrs. 10 months

 

CHARACTERISTICS

Strength: 7
Touch:  Firm
Color:   Colorado Maduro
Draw:  Excellent
Burn:  Even
Progression: Linear
Finish:  Easy
Smoking duration:  1 1/2 hours

 

AROMAS

Pre-Light: Earthy, nutty, mushroom
First Third: Earth, cacao, brazil nuts
Second Third:  Earth, spice, peat, leather
Last Third:  Earth, spice, leather

FLAVORS

Chocolate, nuts, fungi, meat

ENJOYMENT 

As this vitola is in the Ramon Allones family, I decided to choose a strong cup of espresso and some dark chocolate with the intent to amplify the overall tasting experience.  On a warm summer’s day, I’d probably grab a flute of vintage champagne.

EXPERIENCE

Ramon Allones has been one of my favorite brands for many years.

A sad fact is that only a few regular production cigars remain in their portfolio–the Gigantes, Specially Selected, and the Small Club Coronas–all excellent cigars and very similar in taste.

I first sampled the Superiores at 2 years of age and was not overly impressed–I remember that the pre-light aroma was very similar to the Gigantes, but once I got in to the cigar the progression was linear and it never really evolved.

The taste was a bit empty, so I decided to stash them away in the humidor and wait several years before sampling again.

Four years has gone by since my initial tasting and I wanted to see if / how the cigar has developed after a total of 7 years in the humidor.

My initial impression on the nose was a fuller, rounder cigar.  After lighting, typical RA flavors of leather, meat, earth and musk began to emerge–although not as balanced as the rest of the RA line.

This cigar has a very distinctive meaty flavor that is hard to put my finger on–it is really dominant and really influences the experience.  I found myself liking it, but it was a bit of a distraction because it was so persistent.

After progressing through the first two thirds of the cigar, flavors of cocoa and nuts emerged, balancing out the meatiness to a large extent–which made the vitola more enjoyable.

At 7 years of age, I don’t think this is a particularly exceptional cigar.  That said, it is seeming to improve with more time in the humidor.

I’ll give it a go again after an additional 2 years of aging.