Bolivar Petit Corona (5x42) (1997 Box Date)

I awaited the arrival of this box with great anticipation, it is just so rare to find a box with this kind of age on it. My friend got them, rested them gently, and then I took possession and began the journey. The cigar is beautiful, the wrapper is flawless and applied with the touch of expert hands. There is a leathery quality to wrapper that makes the palate anticipate the experience. An inspection shows that the cigar is well made, I only detect one area where there may be a small void to navigate. The pre light aroma smacks of cedar and leather. The pre light draw is smooth and easy while imparting flavors of earth, leather and tobacco.

I can hardly contain myself as I put flame to this one while walking out the door for the twenty mile cruise to my office. It is 8:30 in the morning and my senses are alive as I take the first draws. The opening profile is profound, showing leather, earth, spice and peppery flavors that are mingling to produce a superior sensory experience. At the back of the palate there are some hints of vanilla and a toasty note of bread. I am struck by the opening complexity, depth and balance of this smoke. The draw is exceptional, there is usually some tightness in this vitola, but not in this cigar as it smoothly delivers ample smoke. The burn is crisp as well and I am paying more attention to the cigar than the road, but it matters not as traffic is light.

The first half of the cigar settles down a bit. The profile delivers notes of leather and earth and is typical of most Bolivars that I have smoked, if a bit more refined due to age. At the back of the palate there are some bitter tones that detract slightly from the experience, but there are some excellent notes of pepper laced with the bready qualities that I noted earlier in the smoke. The draw continues to be flawless, but the burn has taken a turn for the worse as I approach the area I was concerned about. I make the decision to smoke through so as not to scorch the profile, besides I am always loathe to relight.

The final half of this cigar is everything that a classic Bolivar should be about. The core profile continues to deliver notes of leather and earth in a profound delivery of classic flavor that has balance and depth. At the back of the palate the toasty notes continue and the pepper becomes more subdued. The draw continues to perform flawlessly and the burn evens out without any touch ups from me.

The finish is smooth and leaves a satisfying earthy tone that lingers for nearly an hour.

Appearance- 95 an excellent looking cigar
Taste- 92 some subtractions for bitterness, but an excellent overall presentation
Construction- 88 points taken off for the burn issues, but other than that an excellent performance
Strength- 91 surprisingly bold for a cigar of this age
Overall- 91 an excellent experience

Perdomo Habano Petit Corona Maduro

I am back from Nicaragua and a tour of the Perdomo factory and I thus begin the reviews of some of the cigars I smoked while on the tour. They are in no particular order, I am just working off of my notes from the trip. I smoked this new addition to the Habano line on the bus trip from Esteli back to Managua to catch my plane back to the states. I was slightly uncomfortable, the bus I was on was not the best in terms of leg room. However, I was relaxed and happy after three excellent days with 12 friends in the beautiful environs of Esteli.

The cigar is a dark, bold looking smoke, especially for a Petit Corona. The wrapper is heavy and toothy and shows little veining. A quick inspection shows that the cigar is firm, but not too firm. The pre light aroma shows some notes of nice earth and rich coffee. The pre light draw is full of rich tobacco and earth flavors.

The cigar begins with a core profile of earth and coffee, the flavor is deep and rich. I am shocked by the depth right off the bat with this cigar. At the back of the palate there are some nice notes of cocoa and light toasty coconut flavors. The complexity this early in the cigar is also somewhat shocking and unusual. The draw is excellent and the burn is razor sharp producing a crisp white ash.

The first half of the cigar progresses nicely with a core profile of earth and coffee flavors. At the back of the palate some cocoa and light earth notes are mingling nicely for some extra depth. The draw and the burn are both continuing to perform extremely well to this point.

The final half of this short cigar makes me wish it were a Churchill. The core profile shows notes of coffee, earth and light pepper. The back of the palate is coated with excellent notes of cocoa, light earth and dark woody flavors. The complexity and depth of this cigar are excellent and it is one of the finest examples of a PC that I have smoked in some time. The draw and burn were excellent throughout.

The finish was a bit sharp, but showed notes of earth and tobacco.

Appearance- 91 a nice looking little cigar
Taste- 94 just short of being a classic profile for me
Construction- 95 an excellent cigar that performed extremely well
Strength- 90 a nice medium full/offering that could have used more power
Overall- 93.25 one of the finest cigars of the year to this point

Bolivar Petit Corona (Unknown Box Date)

The age of this cigar is not known with certainty, but it is believed to be from a box from 2004 or 2006. The cigar presents well with a medium brown wrapper that has very little veining. A quick examination of the cigar reveals no areas of issue. The pre light aroma has notes of leather and rich tobacco. The pre light draw shows strong notes of leather and some light spice, there is also some excellent tobacco flavor present.

The cigar begins with a stunningly complex profile that shows deep notes of leather, tobacco and some spice. At the back of the palate there is an undertone of cinnamon that adds another exceptional layer to the opening moments of the cigar. The draw is very easy, and I am surprised by this as cigars of this vintage and vitola are typically tight. The burn is a bit lopsided and the ash is forming in a way that is somewhat askew.

The first half of the cigar continues to impress, showing deep leather flavors as the main component of the core profile. I also note some excellent tobacco flavors, some light spice and fantastic flavors of light wood. The back of the palate is assailed by notes of cedar and I am blown away by the complexity of this little cigar. The draw continues to be excellent and the burn begins to even out.

The last half of the cigar has a core profile that continues to show leather notes, but they are accompanied by fine notes of cedar and other light wood. At the back of the palate there are still notes of spice. The draw tightens slightly at the end of the smoke, but it does not cause me too many issues. The burn, once levelled out, was as it should be.

The finish is long and flavorful, showing notes of leather and cedar.

Appearance- 91 a nice looking cigar
Taste- 93 an excellent profile that shows fabulous character
Construction- 95 one of the finest examples of this vitola that I have smoked
Strength- 92 a nice medium/full offering
Overall- 92.75 an excellent smoking experience

Arturo Fuente Petit Corona Natural

This is an old standby in my cigar rotation, but one that I have not smoked in over a year. The cigar presents with a tawny wrapper that is showing some tooth. The construction appears to be excellent as the cigar is well packed, but alluringly supple. The cap is a bit awkward and the foot is slightly squared giving this cigar a look that is rustic in it's simplicity. The pre light aroma is a bit sour, but has toasty notes. The pre light draw shows notes of light wood.

The cigar begins with some bitterness in a core of woody, toasty notes. There is a creamy undertone that could be more nuanced without the bitter overtones. The draw is excellent, which is rare in cigars of this size. The burn is solid, if a bit lopsided, and produces a nice firm, gray ash.

At the halfway point the cigar has progressed nicely showing notes of light wood, nutmeg, light spice and some pepper. The complexity is surprising, but the depth of the flavors is disappointing. I like to have deep rich flavors to consider, this cigar has many flavors but they are often too fleeting to be properly evaluated. The draw is still excellent, and the burn is very solid, holding an ash to almost the halfway point.

The final half of the cigar continues to show complex notes of flavor. There are notes of nutmeg, spice, light wood and bread. The draw has continued to perform well and the burn has remained solid.

The finish is long and has pleasing bready and toasty qualities. This cigar has proven why old standbys have their place in every aficionado's humidor.

Appearance- 85 not the most attractive of smokes
Taste- 91 an excellent profile that loses points for early bitterness and lack of depth throughout
Construction- 95 an extremely well made cigar that performed flawlessly
Strength- 88 an excellent mild/medium offering that could use more oomph
Overall- 89.75 an exceptional small smoke that is approaching magnificence

Siglo I by Altadis

This is a short Petit Corona sized smoke that presents with a light brown wrapper the shade of light coffee with cream. The wrapper is fairly non-descript and lacks oils, but has no flaws and appears well applied. A further examination of the cigar indicates that there are no construction flaws and I don't feel any hard or soft spots along the length of the cigar. The pre light aroma is grassy with a hint of ammonia. The pre light draw shows signs of dry vegetation and grass.

The cigar opens with grassy and vegetal notes, there is a touch of bitterness in the open and overall the cigar does not start well. The burn is a little hot at the outset, but settles down after the first half inch. There are no burn issues in the first half of the smoke.

In the second half of the cigar some bready notes appear and offset some of the vegetal notes that were experienced earlier in the cigar. There is a slight burn flaw that appears in the second half as well, but I smoke through it and it causes no issues with the exception of a flaky charred ash.

The finish is short and grassy with bitter undertones. Overall this was a forgettable experience.

Appearance- 80 a very average cigar in terms of appealing looks
Taste- 76 grass and vegetal notes hurt this score, the cigar also lacks depth
Construction- 87 the burn issue hurts this score, but overall above average
Strength- 80 this is a medium to full offering, but lacks any remarkable strength characteristics
Overall- 80.75

Tatuaje Noella

This cigar presents in a vitola close to a Petit Corona. The wrapper is a coffee brown and looks very appealing. There is some veining and the wrap does not look uniform down the length of the smoke, it appears as if the wrapper was wrinkled and in need of a quick iron before being applied. The pre light aroma is sweet and fruity. The pre light draw is unremarkable and does nothing to provide an indication of the profile.

The cigar started with very pleasing notes of chocolate and light coffee. There was not a hint of bitterness or any other characteristics that would detract from a cigar at this stage of the smoke. For a small cigar the smoke is satisfying and flavorful.

This cigar developed beautifully for the first half, maintaining an exciting blend of coffee and chocolate notes. Through the nose the cigar shows a profile of rich tobacco adding to the experience. The burn is slightly awkward but is holding its own. The ash is a gray/white combination and holds well for the first half of the smoke.

At the two thirds point this cigar developed a run in the burn that develops into a canoe towards the end of the smoke. This development is disappointing as the cigar was of excellent construction to this point. The flavor is still a mix of chocolate and coffee, but has picked up a slightly sour note at the back of the palate.

The finish is long and sweet leaving lingering notes of coffee and light tobacco flavors. The smoke was medium and all in all a very superior taste experience.

Appearance- 85 the wrinkling and veins hurt this score
Taste- 89 the slightly sour note at the end detracted from this score, there was also a lack of depth in the profile
Construction- 84 the run and canoe at the end hurt this score dramatically
Strength- 91 a very pleasing medium smoke
Overall- 87.25

Graycliff 1666 Petit Corona Maduro

This is a vintage that I have never smoked before. The cigar presents with a dark toothy maduro wrapper that is nearly black in color. The veining is minimal and the cigar is supple and well packed. The pre light aroma is acidic with ammonia notes. The pre light draw is non descript with some light hints of tobacco.

The cigar begins with hints of espresso and light cocoa, there is an acidic undertone that is present but not hurting the core flavors of the cigar. The burn is sharp and there is a noticable presence of oils around the shoulder at the edge of the burn.

One inch into the cigar the acidic undertone drops away and an underlying hint of orange peel becomes noticeable. This marries nicely with the core of espresso and cocoa that is still at the head of the experience. The shoulder is prominent and the ash burns slightly lopsided with a nice gray/white color and a flaky texture. This cigar produces mouthfuls of satisfying smoke, a little surprising as Petit Coronas usually do not yield billows of smoke. There is some harshness through the nose, but it does not detract from the overall presentation of flavors.

At the halfway point the cigar develops some bitterness as the core of flavors falls away. I am left with the citrus undertone and bitterness. The experience has deteriorated at this point. There is also some sort of acidic bite that is presenting itself.

The last third of the cigar recovers somewhat as some rich tobacco notes assert themselves and there is a return of some light cocoa. Interestingly, a peppery flavor has come around in the final stages as well.

The finish is short and bitter. There are hints of pepper and earth, but they are muddled and difficult to identify.

Appearance- 91 a beautiful cigar
Taste- 77 the flavors were prominent in the first half, but deteriorated in the last half
Construction- 88 well made and held up well
Strength- 77 this is trying to be full offering, but it is difficult to evaluate because of the acidity and bitterness that throw off the experience
Overall- 83.25