In this season of good weather, more hours of sunshine and numerous celebrations, a series of new vitolas have arrived in the cigar cellars of Spanish tobacconists to please aficionados who are constantly trying to find new flavors, aromas and tastes.
Under these truly exceptional weather conditions, although meteorologists insist that the lack of rain is not the best thing given the drought in our Spanish lands, the terraces will be populated most days by premium cigar aficionados.
The aperitif and after-dinner hours, and why not what has come to be known as the “tardeo”, can be very useful for us to open our cigar boxes and enjoy those Cuban cigars that populate the Habanos showcase according to each of the moments we have chosen to perceive the flavors and aromas of our cigars.
Every year, cigar aficionados from all over the world hope to find something new to take home with them during their visits to the cigar cellars, to prove that the newest and hitherto unknown vitolas show them everything that Cuban cigar makers are capable of conceiving.
And this is not a request from the youngest or the most experienced, since during the course of each year almost a dozen habanos that we haven’t tried before are usually launched in Spanish tobacconists’ shops.
The chamber quartet that makes up the Spring-Summer novelties is a set that includes vitolas of different brands that have arrived in Spanish tobacconists in recent weeks, and with which you could make an exquisite symphony, since their respective formats and strengths will surely satisfy the most demanding requirements of any Cuban cigar aficionado.
In terms of the strength of each of these vitolas, for those who prefer the strongest Habanos, the Bolivar is the one to highlight, as the rest of the trio is rated at a strength of one out of five, although the 2021 Edición Limitada del Hoyo de Monterrey has a slightly higher score than the rest of the vitolas from this brand.
The Bolivar New Gold Medal is a standard format whose galley vitola is a classic Cervantes, some of whose boxes were available for purchase by those attending the 2023 Habano Festival, which was discontinued in 1992, and have a unique presentation as they are wrapped in gold aluminum foil.
All the Limited Editions, which we could call “crianza” in parallel with the world of wine, are arranged so that the cigars that make them up are aged for a minimum of two years, and that’s why the Hoyo de Monterrey Monterreyes No. 4 represents exactly the aforementioned model.
The Quai D’Orsay No. 52, a vitola of absolute novelty both in its format and in its model of proportions and dimensions, joins the brand’s portfolio, adding to the three already available.
The Rafael Gonzalez Coronas Lonsdales is another of the first that we will be able to enjoy as an innovation because it is smooth and with good presence of traces of the best Cuban dark tobacco well combined with woody tones.
All of them have been in the cigar cellars of Spain for the past few weeks, although some, like the Hoyo de Monterrey Monterreyes No. 4, are only available at tobacconists catalogued as Especialistas en Habanos or Habanos Point.
BOLIVAR NEW GOLD MEDAL
Format: Length: 165 mm. Diameter: 19.05 mm. Gage: 48. Weight: 11.26 gr.
Tabaco: Vuelta Abajo and Partido (Cuba).
Before lighting: Color: strong carmelite. Aroma: old hay
Combustion: First third: perception of its strength in the first puffs. Second third: well defined earthy and spicy notes. Third third: greater intensity of the flavors, although well balanced with the aromas.
Smoking time: 45/55 minutes
Shot: Excellent.
Ash: Dark gray.
Commercial presentation: Box of 10 units
Comments: This novel cigar offers its strength and a magnificent taste of Cuban dark tobacco with well pronounced flavors and a process of great intensity in the mouth throughout the tasting.
HOYO DE MONTERREY MONTERREYES No. 4 (Edición Limitada 2021)
Format: Length: 145 mm. Diameter: 21,83 mm. Strain: 55 Weight: 17,19 gr.
Tobacco: Vuelta Abajo (Pinar del Río, Cuba).
Before lighting: Color: carmelite. Aroma: old hay.
Combustion: First third: penetrating flavors of well-aged tobacco. Second third: white pepper mixed with sweet and spicy touches. Third third: a powerful flavors and a summary of a well-balanced cigar.
Smoking time: 55/65 minutes
Shot: Excellent.
Ash: Steely gray.
Commercial presentation: Varnished wooden box containing 10 cigars.
Comments: The special aging of this Limited Edition is perfectly in keeping with the characteristics of these cigars, so its more than two years of maturation and aging of its tobacco leaves give it a more pronounced flavor and strength.
QUAI D’ORSAY No. 52
Format: Length: 156 mm. Diameter: 20,64 mm. Strain: 52 Weight: 17,54 gr.
Tobacco: Vuelta Abajo (Pinar del Río, Cuba).
Before lighting: Color: light carmelite. Aroma: woody.
Combustion: First third: smoothness with good traces of tobacco. Second third: some spicy touches with some wood and very faint spicy notes. Third third: the honeyed notes are maintained accompanied by some very light toasted touches.
Smoking time: 55/60 minutes
Shot: Excellent.
Ash: Light gray rather light.
Commercial presentation: Boxes of 25 and 10 cigars.
Comments: Rich, tasty and smooth on the palate, this new vitola from the French brand offers a slow, calm taste with numerous nuances coming from the Cuban dark tobacco.
RAFAEL GONZALEZ CORONAS DEL LONSDALES
Format: Length: 127 mm. Diameter: 19,05 mm. Strain: 44. Weight: 11,78 gr.
Tobacco: Vuelta Abajo (Pinar del Río, Cuba).
Before lighting: Color: light ripe. Aroma: old hay
Combustion: First third: smooth and with good presence of tobacco traces. Second third: light touches of wood appear along with other very little noticeable touches of white pepper. Third third: continues with some more powerful flavors.
Smoking time: 40/45 minutes
Shot: Excellent.
Ash: Mid-tone gray.
Commercial presentation: Boxes of 25 cigars.
Comments: A simple and very tasty cigar that does not present any kind of aggressiveness in the mouth, with soft beginnings that are maintained until the end of the combustion, given its strength rating of one out of five.
