Bolivar Regentes Prelight
Bolivar is a Cuban marca founded in 1902 by José F. Rocha. The brand was made to honor Simón Bolívar, the great leader of South American independence, and the former president of Columbia, Peru, and Bolivia. Bolivar is regarded as the most full flavored profiles in the Cuban portfolio. The Belicosos Finos, Petit Corona, Royal Corona, and Corona Junior are favorites among seasoned cigar fans.
Bolivar Regentes Edición Limitada 2021 is a little bit of a misleading name. The limited edition cigar was announced by Habanos in 2021, but was not actually released until early 2024. The tobaccos used in this blend were aged for a minimum of 2 years, but it’s unclear if that was the case back in 2021 or 2024. The vitola is the Discretos with a length of 5 1/8″ and a 52 ring gauge – something between a robusto extra and a toro. The blend is a Cuban puro using wrapper, binder, and filler from the Vuelta Abajo region in Cuba. The wrapper on this example looks very rich and oily. A straight cut shows a slightly open draw, with notes of earth and some cereals. I carefully lit this one using my torch lighter.
Bolivar Regentes First Third
A much slower start than I was expecting with this blend. Notes of toasted cereals, cedar, and cocoa puffs off the bat. The retrohale is showing notes of cocoa and cloves. The palate is all toasted wheat and some cocoa puffs. The smoke is at medium body with a lingering finish of cedar and clove. About half an inch in there’s some sweetness ramping up from some baker’s chocolate. Construction is top tier so far. Smoke output is at medium.
Bolivar Regentes Second Third
The woody notes, and clove have been slowly ramping up. Musty cedar, hickory wood, instant coffee and cereal are the notes on the palate. I’m getting clove, vanilla, and baker’s chocolate with a touch of honey on the retrohale. The dominant tones on the blend are the wood and clove notes, with a cereal and chocolate sweetness in the background. The intensity of flavors are slowly ramping up as we get deeper into the cigar. The overall profile here is spiced chocolate, and woody tones. Smoke output and body are still sitting at medium. Near perfect construction and combustion so far.
Bolivar Regentes Final Third
The flavor intensity continues to build. The baker’s chocolate is getting fudgier, and the wood notes are continuing to grow. The tones on the palate are musty cedar, hickory, cereals, and a touch of instant coffee. The retrohale is showing clove, chocolate fudge, and some dark honey. The mixed woody tones are the star of the show with the rest of the notes playing second fiddle. Whiskey and rum fans should take notice – this would pair beautifully with either. The mélange of sweet, savory, and smoky wood tones is very unique. The flavors remained consistent past the band with the richness of the chocolate falling off a bit. There was some nicotine strength felt past the band as well. I put this one down with about an inch left.
Bolivar Regentes Conclusions
The Bolivar Regente’s flavor profile was engaging and the construction was some of the best I’ve had out of Cuba. Woody flavors generally aren’t my favorite, but it was done exceptionally well in this blend. If you’re a fan of pairing cigars with rum, or whiskey I would strongly consider this one. The only issue I have with the cigar is the price. At this point a Regentes is retailing for the same as three Belicosos Finos, and that’s if you can even find one. Purely in terms of flavor, I think I prefer the rich chocolatey tones of the Belicosos Finos over the wood dominant Regentes. I generally advise people to stick to regular production sticks, especially when it comes to the Cuban offerings. There are some fantastic LCDH exclusives, but when it comes to the Edición Limitada, or Edición Regional a double band often isn’t worth triple the price.
