Hello Friends! Ever since my push down the slope of the cigar world, the Bolivar Gold Medal has been one of the Sticks of my dreams, something I was dying to try! I finally got my hands on a box and got one torched. So I figured, for those who haven't tried them, why not give a little review to get you drooling?
The cigar in all its glory.
The cigar is a lonsdale size with a 42 ring guage, 6.4 inches in length, and absolutely beautiful construction. As I said in my review of the Punch Punch, this is a cigar that lets you truly appreciate the skill of the rollers in the ISOM factories!
Naked. I put the band back on for the review, there isn't one under the foil. That would be silly.
Prelight - As I said, the construction was perfect. My palio provided a perfect cut which resulted in a great draw. Fairly loose with just the right amount of resistance. The prelight draw gave off floral and earthy notes. Very pleasant already!
1st Third - Upon clipping, toasting and finally lighting this beautiful cigar, The medium bodied smoke gave off floral/earthy notes with a touch of an odd spice that I couldn't quite put my finger on. Hints of this strange spice and pepper would linger on the back of your palate and tongue leaving you with a very mysterious finish. I'm sure most people would just love this but I couldn't take the suspense of not knowing what it was! Once I got over the annoyance of curiosity, I sat back and started to really enjoy this phantom spice.
From the first puff, the smoke was very, very thick. I liked this considering I was in a large room with plenty of ventilation and air circulating. But I get the feeling it would be a little much if I were at the B&M or a restaurant (not that anyone at the former would really mind at all, the aroma was fantastic!)
The ash was a little flaky and didn't hold up too well at the start.
2nd Third - Very soon after a third into the cigar, maybe even a tad earlier, the spice almost completely disappeared. The smoke then was only one word...CREAMY (but if I had to use two words, I would add the word toasty to the mix)! Almost like a very very flavorful Montecristo White label. Yes, odd comparison but shut up and listen! The flavor was somewhat consistent from the first third, smoothly resting on my palate with strong earth and floral notes. Almost like a potpourri of sweet tobacco. The smoke was very sweet and still very thick. Though the smoke was extremely thick, you would never know you had any in your mouth. At this point I knew I had a winner for sure.
Creamy, toasty goodness.
(early pic)
The last third - Once I got to the last third of this cigar, I was sad to know it was almost over, but was cheered up at the thought that there were 9 more in the box!
At this point in the cigar, the flavor was much warmer, spice completely gone and a complexity that appeared from nowhere. The complexity of the last third of this smoke was very...different? A very woody, nutty profile took over, no flavors reminiscent of the floral tangyness of the first two thirds, and no more of that twang that makes the ISOMS famous. Just a very complex, full bodied flavor with a but of nicotine strength not found in any bit of smoke prior to this third. There was still a hint of sweetness that was on the finish, almost a coffee/cocoa finish to replace the "phantom" spice of before. The cigar finished off with a bang and definitely had me drooling for more! It makes me sad these things don't come in cabs, or even 25'ers. I definitely need to get my hands on more boxes soon.
No picture of the nub. I was too into the flavor
The pics are a little off with timing. But it's just to give you an idea of what it looked like as it was smoking. And the quality of the pics is bleh since I took them with my iPhone.
The cigar in all its glory.
The cigar is a lonsdale size with a 42 ring guage, 6.4 inches in length, and absolutely beautiful construction. As I said in my review of the Punch Punch, this is a cigar that lets you truly appreciate the skill of the rollers in the ISOM factories!
Naked. I put the band back on for the review, there isn't one under the foil. That would be silly.
Prelight - As I said, the construction was perfect. My palio provided a perfect cut which resulted in a great draw. Fairly loose with just the right amount of resistance. The prelight draw gave off floral and earthy notes. Very pleasant already!
1st Third - Upon clipping, toasting and finally lighting this beautiful cigar, The medium bodied smoke gave off floral/earthy notes with a touch of an odd spice that I couldn't quite put my finger on. Hints of this strange spice and pepper would linger on the back of your palate and tongue leaving you with a very mysterious finish. I'm sure most people would just love this but I couldn't take the suspense of not knowing what it was! Once I got over the annoyance of curiosity, I sat back and started to really enjoy this phantom spice.
From the first puff, the smoke was very, very thick. I liked this considering I was in a large room with plenty of ventilation and air circulating. But I get the feeling it would be a little much if I were at the B&M or a restaurant (not that anyone at the former would really mind at all, the aroma was fantastic!)
The ash was a little flaky and didn't hold up too well at the start.
2nd Third - Very soon after a third into the cigar, maybe even a tad earlier, the spice almost completely disappeared. The smoke then was only one word...CREAMY (but if I had to use two words, I would add the word toasty to the mix)! Almost like a very very flavorful Montecristo White label. Yes, odd comparison but shut up and listen! The flavor was somewhat consistent from the first third, smoothly resting on my palate with strong earth and floral notes. Almost like a potpourri of sweet tobacco. The smoke was very sweet and still very thick. Though the smoke was extremely thick, you would never know you had any in your mouth. At this point I knew I had a winner for sure.
Creamy, toasty goodness.
(early pic)
The last third - Once I got to the last third of this cigar, I was sad to know it was almost over, but was cheered up at the thought that there were 9 more in the box!
At this point in the cigar, the flavor was much warmer, spice completely gone and a complexity that appeared from nowhere. The complexity of the last third of this smoke was very...different? A very woody, nutty profile took over, no flavors reminiscent of the floral tangyness of the first two thirds, and no more of that twang that makes the ISOMS famous. Just a very complex, full bodied flavor with a but of nicotine strength not found in any bit of smoke prior to this third. There was still a hint of sweetness that was on the finish, almost a coffee/cocoa finish to replace the "phantom" spice of before. The cigar finished off with a bang and definitely had me drooling for more! It makes me sad these things don't come in cabs, or even 25'ers. I definitely need to get my hands on more boxes soon.
No picture of the nub. I was too into the flavor
The pics are a little off with timing. But it's just to give you an idea of what it looked like as it was smoking. And the quality of the pics is bleh since I took them with my iPhone.
