This Bolivar EL 2009 Petit Belicoso came to me by way of a bomb from butternutsquashpie at Canada Cigar Forum. Thank you so much for the opportunity to review a limited and fantastic release from Bolivar. It had been resting in my humidor since November 15, 2013 before I had a chance to review it.
[h=1]Nose:[/h] Theres a strong cedar here with underlying notes of wet stone. The closest smell I can link it to is a chalky wet limestone.
[h=1]Construction:[/h] Bolivar Edición Limitada from 2009 comes in a petit belicoso vitola measuring 5 by 52 ring gauge. The cigar has the typical Bolivar band, along with a second band identifying it as a Edición Limitada 2009.
This particular cigar marked the first EL (Edición Limitada) release from Bolivar and were available in 25 count boxes. The cigar itself has been aged for a minimum of 2 years.
[h=1]Flavor:[/h] [h=2]First Third[/h] The first opens with a delicious creamy sweet flavor that leaves a heavy coating on the mouth. There is some light pepper present after the draw that moves forward and lingers on your lips. The creamy sweetness falls off as the first settles in.
After approximately ten minutes there is some cedar and sweetness present on a deep draw.
25 minutes in and the Bolivar has really started to develop complexity. At about the inch and a half mark all the flavors start to blend together in harmony.
[h=2]Middle Third[/h] The flavors present in the first third carry their complexity into the middle third. The sweetness starts to fall off shortly after and is replaced with dry woody notes.
[h=2]Last Third[/h] More intense cedar with some mossy earth mixed in as the Bolivar Edición Limitada goes into the last third. Some sweetness returns as the last third establishes itself.
The pepper picks up and there is some earth with it that becomes just over medium intensity. The closest comparison I can make here is a loam flavor present sometimes in Nicaraguan cigars, but I didnt find it unpleasant.
[h=1]Burn/Draw:[/h] There is some uneven burn issues here which is pretty common smoking Cuban cigars in my environment in the winter. The burn corrects itself part way into the first third. I cut this with a guillotine cutter and had no draw issues. Total smoking time was just under 1 hour and 30 minutes.
[h=1]Value:[/h] Pricing for the Bolivar Edición Limitada has been hard for me to track down. As they are a 2009 release, 5 years is a long time time to readily find stock in the market. The closest indication I was able to find on 25 count boxes was $315, which I would consider a bargain. Youre unlikely to find these sold as singles unless youre dealing with a private collector.
[h=1]Final Word:[/h] As I started out my initial impression was that this would be a very simple cigar. What I experienced was a wonderfully complex cigar that continued to deliver from start to finish. I firmly believe you could smoke an entire box of the Bolivar Edición Limitada 2009 Petit Belicoso and never be disappointed. Ive added these to my future wishlist should I ever come across a box.
Link to review with gallery: http://cigarfederation.com/profiles/blogs/review-bolivar-edici-n-limitada-2009-petit-belicoso
[h=1]Nose:[/h] Theres a strong cedar here with underlying notes of wet stone. The closest smell I can link it to is a chalky wet limestone.
[h=1]Construction:[/h] Bolivar Edición Limitada from 2009 comes in a petit belicoso vitola measuring 5 by 52 ring gauge. The cigar has the typical Bolivar band, along with a second band identifying it as a Edición Limitada 2009.
This particular cigar marked the first EL (Edición Limitada) release from Bolivar and were available in 25 count boxes. The cigar itself has been aged for a minimum of 2 years.
[h=1]Flavor:[/h] [h=2]First Third[/h] The first opens with a delicious creamy sweet flavor that leaves a heavy coating on the mouth. There is some light pepper present after the draw that moves forward and lingers on your lips. The creamy sweetness falls off as the first settles in.
After approximately ten minutes there is some cedar and sweetness present on a deep draw.
25 minutes in and the Bolivar has really started to develop complexity. At about the inch and a half mark all the flavors start to blend together in harmony.
[h=2]Middle Third[/h] The flavors present in the first third carry their complexity into the middle third. The sweetness starts to fall off shortly after and is replaced with dry woody notes.
[h=2]Last Third[/h] More intense cedar with some mossy earth mixed in as the Bolivar Edición Limitada goes into the last third. Some sweetness returns as the last third establishes itself.
The pepper picks up and there is some earth with it that becomes just over medium intensity. The closest comparison I can make here is a loam flavor present sometimes in Nicaraguan cigars, but I didnt find it unpleasant.
[h=1]Burn/Draw:[/h] There is some uneven burn issues here which is pretty common smoking Cuban cigars in my environment in the winter. The burn corrects itself part way into the first third. I cut this with a guillotine cutter and had no draw issues. Total smoking time was just under 1 hour and 30 minutes.
[h=1]Value:[/h] Pricing for the Bolivar Edición Limitada has been hard for me to track down. As they are a 2009 release, 5 years is a long time time to readily find stock in the market. The closest indication I was able to find on 25 count boxes was $315, which I would consider a bargain. Youre unlikely to find these sold as singles unless youre dealing with a private collector.
[h=1]Final Word:[/h] As I started out my initial impression was that this would be a very simple cigar. What I experienced was a wonderfully complex cigar that continued to deliver from start to finish. I firmly believe you could smoke an entire box of the Bolivar Edición Limitada 2009 Petit Belicoso and never be disappointed. Ive added these to my future wishlist should I ever come across a box.
Link to review with gallery: http://cigarfederation.com/profiles/blogs/review-bolivar-edici-n-limitada-2009-petit-belicoso
