Many, MANY smokers lit up a special cigar today in honor of the 2nd Anniversary of the founding of the Cigar Asylum. I had quite a few choices run through my head, but settled on something replaceable over the irreplaceable.
2 years have not whittled this smoke down any at all. It is stronger than I recall, leathery and richly 'aged' tasting. At the same time, it is rather 'fresh' and vegetal, not unlike a cool salad on a hot day. There is a slight edge of mint. The wrapper is a flat brown with no red tones, unlike the common wrapper leaf being used today. It tastes like a Bolivar without the creamy fruity notes. The burn is straight and the draw is fine. Smoke production is very nice; full, lush volumes of smoke available at the slightest pull. It may help that most of the boxes of these cigars are now in the hands of devotees, in that you just don't hear much buzz on these. In fact the last time anyone ever heard of the 'Britannicas' vitola was when it was released as the Ramon Allones Celestiales Finos Edicion Regional. It is a slightly tapered perfecto with dimensions very near a standard corona. No burn issues arise that could be attirbuted to the taper. As it burns right to the shoulder of the foot taper, no real changes in flavor develop. There is no sweet taste in the cigar, which I really miss, nor the 'standard' tea flavor that I really enjoy best in Cuban tobacco. What I wish most is to be able to compare this cigar to ANY other cigar that is reasonably known, but the taste still eludes me. But maybe the contemplation is worthy of the cigar to celebrate the initiation of Cigar Asylum. I have never found a cigar forum with as solid a feeling of community and love for one another than we enjoy there. I have been there for almost all of the 2 years, and to tell the truth, it seems 5 years old. I think that is because we came almost as one people, as the Israelites leaving Egypt as one, and having the seas part to welcome us to the other side.
The chaos of flavor is now leading to a chaos in burn. Weirdly scalloped, but still perfect in all other ways, this cigar is starting to act up. I guess the complaint I am having is that the flavor is thin. It is bold and strong, but lacks depth and interest. When you age a cigar this long before smoking it, you expect it to lose it's vibrant, sweet notes, but when it is well cared for in that time, you do hope that it has something more interesting to say. Again, the cigar is not spent at all, it's really peppy. But knowing my own taste, it is past it's joyous prime. There are flavor components that are either trying to say "I am gone never to return", or "please excuse our mess, we will be back, better than ever." Impossible to say at this point, but I WILL learn it's secrets, for I have a dozen left. But perhaps this is why some people don't like the Romeo y Julieta brand. It's really a dividing line among havanophiles. I really love a Tubo 1 through 3, as FRESH as you can find. But I have so many favorites outside the RyJ line, that I am more of a detractor than a lover. Still, that's not really what is going on here. It's just missing some little thing that would make it a truly special old cigar. What's worse though, is that I never smoke a cigar to the end just because it would be a waste not to.
I believe cigar smoking should only be a pleasure, and if a cigar is not giving me that pleasure, then I let it go. This Celestiales Fino is coming dangerously close to snuffing it. It's going to die a half-smoked
72. That is not to say that it was a bad cigar. It simply fell short of my high expectations for a well-cared-for vintage cigar that has a reputation for unique flavors. Good but not great. The only consolation is that havana cigars are not very consistent in flavor. This may indeed be an aberration in the box.
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