Origin : Cuba
Format : Double Pyramid
Size : 180 x 22 mm (7.1 x 54)
Released in : 2013
Box Code : MUR OCT2013
Hand-Made
Price : ~$20 each
Last month I took some well-needed healing time from a medical procedure done in late summer. While recuperating, I tasked my favorite tobacconist to find a good “value” type cigar, that embodied the spirit of the traditional Cuban while giving the average hobbyist the opportunity to indulge themselves without cleaning out their bank accounts to pay for it. Quite frankly, Bolivars are a brand that I often overlooked, but after consuming the box I just did, I certainly can say that I would be more open-minded to them being suggested to me in the future. Did the Bolivar Poderosos meet my expectations?? You bet they did, and then some. This smoke offered expected standards for a Cuban torpedo, but tossed in a few pleasant surprises to boot.
Appearance : Rating: 
(3.75)
Cigar was a pleasing rich brown color with minimal spines and no blooming. Cigar was not too firm or loose and shape was favorable for controlling draw by adjusting end clipping. I got a pleasant surprise in the packaging. When you get a normal hinged box, you get a fill below the level of the lid, sometimes paper, a separator and sometimes even a little bubble wrap to keep the smokes from shifting in shipment. When I first saw the box, I thought there was no way they could get 25 larger sized smokes in such a box. I was wrong. Cleverly, they used every possible millimeter of airspace to fill the box with tobacco.
Construction : Rating: 
I encountered few construction problems, most evident being the tendency for the wrapper to separate upon clipping up to and sometimes including the first of two bands. Clipping within short distance of the band avoided that problem, but ended up sacrificing some of the length that could have been enjoyed. Lighting was fairly easy with a small amount of restricted draw. At times, the burn was not consistent; but not to the point where it did not correct itself, or could be quickly corrected.
Flavor : Rating:
The light on this stick greets you with a moderate, but pleasing peat-like note with miniscule aftertaste, if any. The note holds itself throughout the smoke. You definitely get the earth tones you expect from a good habano, but this cigar lacked complexity in its taste. The tones neither intensified nor abated through all thirds of the smoke. To me, I would have expected more complexity, but left the experience satisfied with what was delivered. The last stick in the box tastes and performs the same as the first, and that is what one should expect when buying fine Cuban cigars.
Value : Rating:
You definitely get your money’s worth with this cigar. A 54 ring is a small amount larger in diameter than the ring of, say, a Montecristo #2, but the length at 180mm packs more flavor than the more well-known brand. This is a great working man’s cigar. You get a lot of cigar for what you pay for; and for torpedos, this product fares noticeably better than most of its brethren.
Overall Rating : Rating: (3.75)
This was a pleasing experience for me. I tried a brand I had not consumed in a very long time and found the experience rewarding, indeed. You get a big cigar with all the taste you expect, delivered in a manner pleasing to the palate and the wallet.
Enjoy!!!
