Good morning, afternoon and evening my wonderful readers, although the weather here in London is cold enough to make a penguin shiver I am in surprisingly high spirits, I hope you are all feeling the same way.
This week was a rather interesting one, although there are other things to talk about, my dear friend English Cigar Aficionado and I had the opportunity to sample some absolutely insane cigars and I feel as though that they deserve the respect of a dedicated post.
For those interested in a Week With Omar post, fret not, this will come a little later in the week. But for now, I will pass it over to ECA to tell you all about these truly extraordinary, unicorn cigars.
Words from ECA
When it comes to Cuban cigars, there are a seemingly infinite array of different programs or series as part of which Cuban cigars can be released.
Omar and I recently explored the Regional Edition program in our review of the Ramon Allones Private Stock 230 – more of which soon!
So, there are Regional Editions; but so too are there Limited Editions, Reservas, Gran Reservas and many more! We hope, together, to explore with you some of these releases in a review of some smokes from these categories. However, perhaps some of the rarest, finest, and most sought-after smokes can be found as part of the so-called Habanos Collection. I was lucky enough, with Omar, to sample not one but two examples of this kind in a really legendary day of smoking.
A little first about the series, the Habanos Collection.
Habanos introduced this program in 2001. The idea behind it being the release of special large format cigars beautifully presented in the form of a book. Most of these releases since 2001 have contained 20 cigars and they are, as mentioned, exceptionally rare with releases varying between 300 to 2,000.
To the Bolivar Gran Belicoso. It is a 2010 release of only 1,000 boxes. A vitola called Rodolfo and a beast of a smoke; measuring a 54 ring gauge and 7 1/8 inches long. It is a stunning looking cigar with a beautiful smooth wrapper. The flavour profile was unique; incredibly balanced and having aged well it was surprisingly mellow and overwhelmingly elegant in profile. Everything about this cigar delivered: from its burn, draw, and flavour. An exceptional cigar in every way.
Bolivar Gran Belicoso
The second cigar was another glorious sight: the Partagas E1. A vitola called a Duke No. 1 and measuring 54 ring gauge and 6 ¾ inches long. This was a 2013 release with only 2,000 boxes produced. For those of you that have tried the regular production Partagas smokes, it certainly had characteristics true to Partagas brand. Rich, spicy, and earthy notes but, once again, characterised by a blend that was extremely balanced and seriously smooth.
Partagas Serie E No. 1
The Habanos book collection is truly a work of art and every bit lived up to its reputation for excellence. So what is there not to like about being a book worm when it comes to the Habanos Collection?