Origin : Cuba
Format : Lonsdale
Size : 165 x 16.67 mm
Ring : 42
Weight : 10.8 g
Hand-Made
Price : $8 each
Bolivar Gold Medal disappeared from local cigar shops more than year ago. Nobody seemed to know what happened. Recently I have seen it on sale again and jumped on the occasion to purchase a few samples. Rumour has it that the regular production is far inferior to the 2004 release exclusive to Germany and also that the 2007 production was a flop. Unfortunately I don’t think I’ll be able to verify this information as the ’04 cigars aren’t available anywhere and the ones I have are from a ’08 box.
Appearance : Rating: 
The presentation is certainly original. Golden foil covers a slightly rustic yet soft almost maduro wrapper (by the way, it requires some serious skill to remove the foil without damaging the wrapper – I struggled!). As soon as the wrapper is naked, it starts propagating aromas of mature tobacco. There are almost no veins visible and the cigar seems to be very well rolled.
Construction : Rating: 
The pre-draw, predominantly spicy, is a tad tight. Fortunately, it opens up as soon as the cigar is lit. The burn is not perfect but self-corrects nicely. Do not leave it for more than one minute as it goes out quite easily.
Flavor : Rating:
After some surprisingly moderate spice in the first puffs, powerful woody and earthy notes take over the flavor profile. The smoke is medium-bodied so far, but I can feel the approaching of a full-bodied Boli. The second third brings some variety in the flavor department – I can detect leather and black pepper. The Bolivar Gold Medal becomes even more powerful in the last third, to the point of being difficult to nub.
Value : Rating:
Nice value for a Cuban lonsdale. If you are a fan of strong Bolivars, you won’t be disappointed.
Overall Rating : Rating:
I tend to like slightly less powerful cigars, however I can’t deny Gold Medal‘s obvious complexity. It will without any doubt appeal to you if you enjoy the Royal Coronas or Belicosos Finos. Furthermore, the value is quite interesting. Worth a try.
This post was written by Denis aka Inspector, who founded CigarInspector.com back in 2007. Click here for his latest articles and more information.
