Ramon Allones Robusto

Ramon Allones Robusto

Due to the efforts of a good friend, I had the privilege of smoking a Ramon Allones Robusto last week. I am familiar with Cuban Cigars, but this will be the first review I have posted of a Cuban. I tend to stay away from these types of posts (unlike Cigar Aficionado) because I often feel it is rude to show off wares and products that are inaccessible to most. Something of a “Look what I have that you can't get” type of situation. That being said, these particular cigars were a gift, and out of professional courtesy, and due to requests for more reviews, I bring you: The Ramon Allones Robusto, Hecho a Mano en Habana, Cuba

Pre-light aroma of fine leather and spice. It has a good firm feel and slightly oily texture – which I like, though some may not. It lit easily, with a smooth, easy draw. There was a good volume of soft, velvety smoke right as it opened up. The first third of this puro was excellent, with floral notes and a sweet flavor of honey. This led to a more robust middle section where the stronger tastes of leather, oak, and bourbon. These flavors finished off the cigar, but became ever more pronounced as I continued to draw. The construction, as to be expected from a Cuban masterpiece, was excellent, while the burn was even and clean. The ash was stiff, white, and firm. Even the winds of Newport Harbor had a hard time blowing the cherry off this cigar.

The Ramon Allones was a real treat to smoke, and I am glad to have a few resting in my humidor for future consumption. I am most impressed, however, at the similarities and confidence in construction and flavor that have been exhibited by many of my favorite Honduran and Dominican brands. There are still subtle differences, of course, and half of the pleasure of partaking in a Cuban cigar is knowing that it is, indeed a Cuban, crafted by the undisputed master tobacconists of the world. The cigar industry, though, has evolved to the level that craftsmen, many of then trained in Cuba or from the Cuban tradition, are rising to the times, and the gap in quality and flavor between Cuban cigars, and those of the free world, is shrinking with every crop of tobacco grown.