Another absolutely legendary cigar – the Bolivar Belicoso Fino! This one has been on my list for years. I had a recent business trip to London, and had the privilege to pick this up from Davidoff London. Bolivar is one of the more characteristic Cuban brands, but my experience with them is fairly limited. I’ve got a box of the Bolivar Petit Coronas which I’ve been thoroughly enjoying, and was beyond excited to try the flagship blend.
A snug draw, but nothing a massage above the band couldn’t fix. The first few puffs offer unsweetened cocoa puffs, and malted milk. The retro notes are bright cedar, tinges of citrus, and some baking spices that tickle the sinuses. The draw was giving me some issues with smoke output, as I wasn’t getting as much as I’d like. There’s an overall richness to the blend here, almost like a deep fudginess. It’s not sweet per say, but very very well balanced.
The cedar began creeping up here in the second third. Woody notes are not usually my favorite, but given the profile it sits in the blend really well. The richness is really the main takeaway here. I’m extremely impressed with the blending here. The construction begins to lead to some issues with the burn line, I’m assuming that was due to the less than stellar draw.
The blend took a bit of a turn here. The main flavor was a smoked meatiness, with some peanut, and a figgy sweetness in the background. As I got closer to the band the cigar started to show some signs of youth. Some charred wood, burnt brownies, a bit of ammonia.
Barring the construction issues the first half of this cigar was just incredible. I loved the combination of the baking spice, cedar, and unsweetened chocolate. The balance and the richness was something I haven’t had anywhere else. You’d be very hard pressed to find a comp for this specific cigar anywhere in the world. While this wasn’t the overall amazing experience I was hoping for, I think I saw a lot of this cigar’s potential. This was from a ’23 box, so it’s entirely likely it needed some more time to rest. I don’t usually like recommending cigars that need to be aged for years to be enjoyed, but I can absolutely see myself picking up a cab of these to age for the long haul.
