1 review for Bolivar Royal Coronas
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Bolivar Royal Coronas
Overall Score
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JL Graham
Origin : Cuba
Format : Robusto
Size : 124 x 19.84 mm
Ring : 50
Weight : 11.66 g
Hand-Made
Price : ~$12/piece
A wonderful thick handmade Cuban, Bolivar Royal Corona is likely one of the higher quality Robustos. It comes as no great surprise that these were voted number one in the top twenty-five of 2006.
Appearance : [rating:4.5/5]
Very short and stout. Pleasing to the sight, almost comforting. The Bolivar Royal Corona looks very inviting. The sensation is one of peacefulness.
Construction : [rating:4.5/5]
Non-distracting construction withtight, yet smooth binding. It has an amazing draw, and a decent plume of smoke, not overly impressive, but at an acceptable level. The burn was truly flawless, all the way.
Flavor : [rating:4.5/5]
The flavor begins very smooth, and begins to take on a nice hearty robustness. There is a very noticable and pleasurable earthy wood tinge to it. As the essence of this fine Bolivar begins to settle in, there is a considerable sense of the spice that has made it such a controversial choice. I, for one, think it to be a fine addition to the heartiness of the smoke.
Value : [rating:4/5]
An excellent investment, particularly for the fall and spring months. A very relaxing smoke, indeed.
Overall Rating : [rating:overall/5]
Truly a choice cigar. If you sit outside and smoke it on your porch, you can close your eyes and almost envision an earlier time, a better era. Excellent quality.
Yiorgos
My review of the Bolivar Royal Coronas
The Royal Corona is Bolivar’s robusto in regular production. It measures 124 x 50 and is presented in dress boxes of 25. It is produced in small amounts yearly (300,000 sticks) in the H Upmann factory. Following the standards of the marca, the Royal Corona is known to be complex, full bodied and spicy. Although not the most popular cigar of the brand, in 2006 it was announced “Cigar of the Year” by Cigar Aficionado scoring 94/100. Since then, everybody have been trying to get their hands on it and it has been receiving mixed reviews. Many find them too strong or too peppery, but almost everybody agrees that they need some age.
Appearance & Prelight 12/15
The Royal Corona is box-pressed and has a light brown wrapper, with some veins and freckles. The bunch is firm in most of the cigar’s length, apart from the head, where is slightly looser. The triple cap is rounded and well applied, while on the other end strong peppery and nutty aromas are present. The prelight draw is loose.
Flavour & Body 24/25
The Bolivar reveals its full body from the first draw, with strong flavours of coffee and chocolate. Through the first third, the cigar finds more character and delivers flavours of wood, pepper and spice, while coffee and chocolate are still going strong. During the second third, the taste of the Royal Corona gets sharper, now being more woody and spicy, as well as creamy and leathery. Complex and well balanced all the way through, the cigar finishes with a toothy and dry woody flavour. Very tasty.
Draw & Burn 22/25
The draw is looser, as expected, resulting to an overwhelming cloud of thick smoke after each draw. The cigar burns evenly all the way through, with a fast pace. Every inconsistence in the burn is quickly self-corrected, with no need of a touch up or re-light. The ash is firm, light grey in colour, and stays on the cigar reaching more than an inch in length.
Overall impression 33/35
Following its reputation, the Royal Corona is a very tasty and strong cigar, definitely not for a beginner smoker. Although its appearance and construction did not help the overall rating, its character, body and complexity make it a very enjoyable smoke. Age would benefit this cigar, mellowing the sharper flavours and adding more depth.
TOTAL 91/100
Michael
Bolivar is by far and away my favourite Cuban brand across all vitolas.To my tastes and from my experience,at least,Bolivar has done very little wrong right across the entire marque over the last three,maybe four years.The Royal Corona is absolutely no exception.The 2014’s are smoking beautifully! Nailed on,classic Bolivar flavours and aromas from the first light to the nub! Sweet and fruity,the woods and the earth secondary with subtle spice an ever present in the background,the canvass on which the rest of the flavours overlay,if you will.Traditionally the least strong cigar in the family and,whilst this is still true,it in no way compromises or waters down the Bolivar DNA.It would be completely pointless to lay these down even for a couple of years before digging in unless they get “sick”,which I’m really not expecting.Two or three years humidor time just isn’t going to improve them to a degree that renders them much better than they are now,if at all.
Willie
I’ve been smoking Habanos for 15 years, all sorts ! I have to say some are most wonderful and some only worth throwing away…. I first sampled this most wonderful cigar at the bar in the Parque Central in Havana, it was given to me by a Russian guy who like myself was on holiday, I have to say Wow, Wow, Wow.
It’s since been a regular on my shopping list and never have I found one ” worth throwing away ” whether purchased in Havana or online, one of the best.
yayaWHO
Hi every1, tried this lovely cigar for the 1st time yesterNIGHT & really really liked it.
Found it even sweet (still strong, though sweet taste …) in the first 3rd, went to stronger classic tobacco & woody in the 2nd & similar in the 3rd. NIce looking cigar & well constructed too, the flavours are nearly top to my (not huge in the cigar area …) … knowledge.
So overall money well spent on this one, would put him joint top (or only just 2nd behind …??) with the new Trini Vigia regarding the last 5 new – to me! – models I tried recently.
Can only recommend this lovely Boli, enjoy & regards
Rob P
Tried my first BRC form a 10-ct sampler from CT. This robusto stands up well, great medium/strong flavour and ash held onto the stick for a long time. Robustos are my favourite cigar shape and the BRC was enjoyable.
Andres Castro
Just smoked one. The draw was tight but I carefully and gingerly chewed on the nub and it loosened up to where it was workable. I had to “fix” the draw a few more times but that was the only issue. Complex flavors and an awesome finish that made up for the tight draw. I burnt my lips on this one!!!
Tony
Easily one of my top 5 cigars of all time. The combination of reasonable price, excellent flavors and good consistency makes this an excellent cigar that can be smoked with some frequency.
The newer Bolivars are being rolled slightly less tight than traditional, and I’m told that they are humidifying the leaf slightly more in the rolling process. This means that the cigars have a more consistent draw, and the ash is slightly spongy but firm.
The flavor profile for the Bolivar Royal Corona is more complex than some, without being overwhelming. You will notice subtle hints of cedar, roasted nuts, vanilla and leather. As you smoke through the cigar the leather notes will grow stronger while picking up some spice, the other flavors will become more subtle as the cigar is smoked.
I highly recommend having some of these in your humidor.
Aldo Mombello
I have smoked a Bolivar Royal Corona yesterday evening. Great cigar. In the category of robustos it is in my opinion at the same level of Partagas and Ramon Allones. I think that a robusto could be “robusto” and this cigar is strong but not too hard, with a variability of taste notes unsupectable for this vitola and with a decise flavour first of all of cuban tobacco and little bit pepper, spicy and in the same time fruit notes all that from the lighting to the end but with a constant increase of strengt. In my opinion this is a cigar for aficionados that love to have a decise cigar to smoke in their hands.
ScottyBoy
Smoked my first BRC a couple days ago,purchased thru CT, and i gotta say it was an instant favorite! So rich in flavor w/ a perfect burn. Construction was spot on too. These will remain a must have for my humidor!
ScottyBoy
Based on the review and the comments, I ordered myself some of these babies today from CT. Cant wait to get them!! My only hope is that I get some that have some age to them, as the last few boxes I’ve received came with relatively newer box dates. I don’t wanna have to wait long to smoke these…my mouth is watering already!! Bring on the Boli!
The Cigar Spy
My Review
Bolivars are on my top 3 cuban cigars list. The Belicoso Fino, is one of my favorite Cuban cigars of all time. I love the vitola, I love the flavor and the way it feels in my hand. Being a fan of robustos and Bolivar, it’s only right I share with you my thoughts on the Bolivar Royal Corona 10. Let’s get busy! (not like that nasty boy).
The Bolivar RC looks great. It has the gorgeous Bolivar band with a gold-ish color to pair nicely with the smooth, but little veiny Cuban wrapper. It’s a robusto, so it’s short in length, but a little chunky with a 50 ring gauge. A classic robusto vitola and a very popular one as well.
There’s a nice soft pepper smell on the wrapper and on the foot. I also found a little bit of a sweet aroma, just holding it close to the nose. You can tell by looking at the cigar and by running your fingers through the cigar, that it was rolled nicely and very carefully. It’s not heavy at all, feels a little light in the hand, which from experience I’m expecting a fast burning cigar.
Right from the first puff’s you get a lot of floral and almond flavors with a cedary finish. It’s a very good flavor profile from the beginning to the halfway point and it then beings to change a little. I noticed a lot of earthy-sweetness with the same long finish of cedar, but i was missing the floral and almonds. But then they come back to surprise me when reaching towards the band!
Perhaps the best part of the cigar is the last third. A lot of sweet-ness and aftertaste of nuts, floral, earth and maybe a touch of vanilla here and there. It was basically the flavors you were getting in the start, mixed with the sweet-ness of the second/third. On top of that, you never get a bitter taste and you never get any kind of harshness, it just remains fresh and cool on your palate. Just a perfect balance of flavors all through out the cigar.
Quality. Perfect burn through out the whole cigar with no touch ups. The ash held up really nicely and it had just the right pull on the draw. Seriously, this is one of the best well made Cuban cigars money can buy. Every penny spent on this cigar is well worth it. And time after time, it delivers.
Doc
Bolivar is my #1 CC. While I haven’t had that many, I have tried pretty much all the ‘biggies’, and Boli is definitely numero uno!
stevesauce
Started not as strong as expected and a bit flat flavorwise, got stronger in the 2nd third and started to develop a good deal of earthiness and pepper, the last third had a very strong punch and was very spicy, difficult to describe the flavor but its not coffee-ish like ive read somewhere. in the end a good, strong cigar, one of the better robustos out there but it didnt blow my mind.
phathungarian
Aficionado rated it as the best robusto of 2010 and there are plenty of competition. It is a true delight. You will remember this one for sure.
Bob
Obtained a box marked POL: SEP10 recently. Being new to the world of habanos, I didn’t know what to expect, but had certan hopes, one of them being that the RC would be “strong.” It most assuredly is, even as young as it is.
Simply put, this cigar is everything I always thought Cuban cigar-smoking should be like, especially considering my experiences with lighter, less complex smokes from the DR, Honduras and Nicaragua.
The draw was magnificent and easy, but didn’t cause an immolation situation. Flavors bounced from pepper to honey, and those flavors really made themselves manifest. It went perfectly with a Jacques Cardin VSOP cognac. The flavors of the cigar and the manifest grapes of the cognac seemed almost to communicate with one another on my palatte.
The burn wasn’t razor-sharp, but neither did it run in uneven rips. Ash was solid and dense, falling over the ashtray without so much as a tap when it hit about the 1.75 inch length.
Now, the challenge: leaving them alone and smoking some other, less expensive sticks while these babies grow up.
JoshK
Finally had 1 of these yesterday. Taste was great but had a bunch of burn issues (wish I knew the box code).
albertc
Bolivar-Royal Corona
Nov. 15, 2010
purch. from Cuban-Cigar.com $7.96ea. (box price)
Draw: slight resistant (ok). Aroma: distinctively rich (in the Cuban way) i.e. no singularly outstanding characters but a homogenous flavor. Some sense of sweetness. This cigar was part of a 5 variety sampler from C-C that also contained a Bolivar-Belicosos Finos. Although both are presumably similar tobaccos (is this correct?) the Royal strikes me as a fully smoke. Perhaps just the larger ring creates this flavor? Excellent to my taste. Would any one care to comment on the basic difference between a Habano and non-Habano? My thought is that Habanos’ are created with the flavor coming predominantly from the filler/binder and non-Habanos’ are predominantly from the wrapper.
Albert C.
cigarmonologues
I was very surprised at the development of the RC when I first smoked it. I was expecting a powerhouse from start to finish, but the strength built gradually throughout the smoke. I also appreciated the wonderful development of flavours, from a creamy and nutty start through to a punchy (though not harsh) finish.
A wonderful slow burning cigar which lasts a good while for a robusto. Definitely one to try!
J Kane
I recently enjoyed one of these with a glass of rum…it really is a wonderful smoke.
christian
L’un des 23 cigares fumés à cuba durant la semaine du 31 octobre.Fabriqué en mai 2008.
Prix:5.20 CUC
Construction impeccable,tirage parfait,belles notes de torréfaction et de cuir.Aucune rudesse
même au dernier tiers.Elégant et superbe.Rapport qualité-prix excellent.
Le meilleur robusto avec Ramon Allones Specially
Selected et Romeo y Julieta short Churchills
Alexandre
Smoked one yesterday and all i can say is that this is one of the best robustos I have ever smoked so far. The color of the wrapper is just beautiful, like a good cup of latté with a little more coffee than usual, just like I like it done. The burn was almost perfect, with a good ash. The smoke comes in velvety rolls that fill your mouth and make the room smell deliciously for hours. Starts out very sweet, smooth as silk, and builds up to a spicy, stronger taste thereafter, but never harsh or overpowering. i should have paired it with a scotch, but the little bottle of Wernesgrüner and the mixed nuts were surprisingly friendly. This, together with Ramon Allones Specially Selected and El Rey Del Mundo Choix Supreme, make up my holy trinity of cuban robustos so far (I’ve yet to experience so many, I know…).
B_A_R
I love these smokes, but i’m wondering if anyone else has been experiencing very tightly rolled batches? My new shipment arrived this week and 3 so far have been unsmokable. Anyone else having issues?? 🙁
k0mmissar
When I started smoking Cuban Cigars, I decided after much searching that a good 25 of these would be a divine experience! A few sharing aficionados freaked out, claiming these would be too strong for my virgin taste, but I could really appreciate the flavour build and they all went down a treat, if not just a touch too full flavoured for me at that point. A few years later, second only to the Vegas Robina, this has to be one of the finest best-value experiences in the size!
JoshDosh
Outstanding cigar. Can only be compared to a serie D if we’re talking about cigars that are always consistent and boast careful construction and extraordinary complex flavors.
les
I love a good cigar – and good glass of port to go with it.
Scott Stansfield
There are some pretty incredible fine cigars available, but the BRC is world class in my book! The draw was fantastic, the burn was flawless, and the flavor was absolutely incredible!
Close your eyes and you can almost picture a warm Havana night and a bygone era of tranquil simplicity long since past!!
There are cigars….. Then there’s this one!!
Tom (AKA Cigarfan)
One of my absolute favorites. It’s like a little vacation from the world. If I had to pick only one cigar to smoke, it would be a difficult choice, but it would probably come down to this one versus the Padron Anni 64. And the BRC would probably win.