Ramon Allones Reserve Hermoso #2 maduro Review

[BlackIrish]

The cigar:
Ramon Allones Reserve Hermoso #2 maduro (5x50)

The marketing
CI: A stronger, more satisfying Ramon. Ramon Allones is an extremely tasty premium hand-crafted in Cuba, the Dominican, and Honduras. Manufactured by the mighty Villazon Factory of General Cigar (home of Punch and Hoyo de Monterrey), the Reserve series hails from Honduras and was specially blended to deliver a robust, long-lasting flavor that’s smooth and satisfying. To do so, a bold mixture of long-leaf tobaccos from Honduras, Nicaragua, and the Dominican Republic is hugged by your choice of two wrappers: Ecuadorian Sumatra and Connecticut Broadleaf. Either way, expect a smooth smoke with deep, enjoyable flavors

JR: General Cigar's Honduran division (Villazon & Co.,) has produced its own version of this fabled old-time Cuban brand. This deep, dark, delicious “Cubano” is in the tradition of the heavy-bodied beauties Villazon is known for such as Bolivar, Punch, and Hoyo de Monterrey. Blended with Honduran, Nicaraguan and Dominican fillers, these handmade smokes are available in both Ecuador Sumatra and Connecticut Broadleaf wrappers. Packed in solid-cedar boxes of 20, Ramon Allones Reserve is sure to be another home run!

Time in custody: 4 months

Prelight: A looker. Deep dark brown, rich-looking, smooth wrapper, well-made cap, nice band. Prelight aroma of dark tobacco and some chocolate notes, and similar flavors on the cold draw, which is just a bit tight. Solid in the hand, and obviously well-filled.

The burn: Excellent. Easy light, producing a firm light gray ash that looks great against the dark wrapper. It holds well, too; you only need to ash this stick three or maybe four times. The burn is even, with any wobbles self-correcting quickly. The steady burn lasted more than an hour, producing good volumes of smoke.

Flavor: Deep and dark. There was pepper upfront at the start, but it receded pretty quickly into smooth mellow maduro-ness. It was medium bodied and medium in flavor at the start, growing a bit in intensity as I entered the last third, reaching medium-full in both flavor and body. Most of the flavors appeared on the back of the tongue and the finish, never quite coalescing into a flavor explosion, and always less intense than I wanted, but the tease was nice. There was dark tobacco, leather, some bittersweet chocolate notes, maybe some vague suggestions of clove. Smooth throughout, with no bitterness, so long as you draw smoothly and slowly.

Overall: A really enjoyable cigar, similar in flavor profile to a Bolivar Cofradia or a Punch, as you might expect since they share a factory. It's not a life-changing cigar, but it's a really nice smoke, and one that's overlooked and undervalued. You can find these on JR for about $45 for a box of 20, and if you venture to CBid you can find them in the $30s. At that price, they are a best buy for those who like dark Honduran cigars.

Rock on.

[ggainey]

Thanks for the review.

[budkole]

good review. thess cigars have a lot to offer, and for the price its a steal. i have had far more expensive cigars that were far worse! bottom line: excellent cigar

[ky toker]

Nice review! And on a cigar that's off the beaten path. I've seen them and really wondered how they were.

[TheTraveler]

Nice review. I think I saw these at my local B&M so I might have to pick up a couple.

[ksibew]

Nice review, I was thinking of picking up a box. Now I will.....