Cigars.ie

12 Robustos of Xmas, Day 8: Bolivar Royal Corona

The 12 Robustos of Xmas, Day 8:
Bolivar Royal Corona

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 boxed 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, one of the most complex and strong cigars reviewed so far.

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, definately 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