My Cuban Bolivar Corona Gigante (Churchill), Reveiw

[The Count of Merkur Cristo]

A few days ago, I enjoyed (thanx Sergio for your most kind gift), a Cuban Bolívar Corona Gigante (47 ring gauge x 7.0 – Churchill – Factory Box Code: May 2008) paired with a glass of Justinos Fine Rich (doce) Madeira and this is my Reveiw.

Construction:

This cigar (47 ring gauge x 7.0in – Churchill – Factory Box Code: May 2008), construction had no imperfections, quite silky, smooth and rich dark brown wrapper with a slightly oily sheen with no hard spots and/or veins. Although this cigar was rolled kind of tight (when given the ‘pinch’ test), which told me that I may have some trouble with the draw, but all-in-all…a very well made cigar.

Pre-Smoke:

Right out of the box that Sergio sent me ( ), the aroma of this cigar had a soft woody earthiness that might deceive even the most experienced smoker, but tells something about this cigar's character and of things to come. This cigar was easy to cut, with no problems of un-raveling or ripping of the wrapper.

Smoking:

Lighting presented no problems either and did not ‘tunnel or canoe’. In fact, the burn was perfect with very firm ash (about 1½ in before I ‘knocked’ it off into the ashtray). Although the draw was a little tight at first, it did proceed to ‘loosen-up’ as I continued to smoke. When smoking this cigar, I was pleasantly surprised by its wonderful full-bodied rich flavor (but mellow), and delicious aroma and a generous amount of smoke. This cigar had a full strength body with a good amount of woody tobacco, leather and good touch of spice included. These flavors began a fresh and spicy start but, became much more pronounced (½ - ¾ burn), and dominant as I smoked this Churchill (defiantly stronger than a Cohiba Espléndidos). Furthermore, the burn time was about 75 – 90 (depending on your smoking style), minutes of pure Bolivar paradise.

Finish:

With many full-bodied cigars, the finish (or last ¼ of the cigar), can be unforgiving, but this cigar (with prudent and longer ‘rest’ periods between puffs), did not become hot and/or harsh towards the end. However, this cigar’s flavor and tannins amazingly did not overly linger (i.e., aftertaste), in my mouth and tongue some full-bodied cigars tend to do like Partagás and Saint Luis Rey.

Conclusion:

A excellent very good, full-bodied Bolivar (in my opinion, this cigar is certainly not for the beginner and/or novice), and perfect when paired with a glass of Cream Sherry, Madeira or Port or ‘snifter’ of fine Brandy, Cognac or Whisky (I had a glass of Justinos Fine Rich (doce) Madeira). In the end, the Bolivar Corona Gigante is a marvelous cigar for those desiring a rich, full-bodied (i.e., full strength), but mellow cigar in a Churchill format.

Christopher "Cigar smoking knows no politics. It's about the pursuit of pleasure, taste, and aroma." Anonymous

[sergio]

Thank you for such a wondefull review, you were able to capture in words exactly what i think of this cigar.
Cheers !!

[73mountaineer]

Another superb review, Christopher - nicely done!

Thank you for taking the time to share this with us!

[Don Barbiere]

Never had one, mouth is watering by just reading your review and looking at the picture!

[The Count of Merkur Cristo]

Thank you for such a wondefull review, you were able to capture in words exactly what i think of this cigar.
Cheers !!

Another superb review, Christopher - nicely done!

Thank you for taking the time to share this with us!

Segio & Steve:
Thanx for your very kind words of support and sharing.

Christopher "What this country needs is a really good 5 cent cigar". Vice-President Thomas R. Marshall