Cigars.ie

Bolivar Greco - RE Greece & Cyprus

The Bolivar Greco is the first ever Regional Edition cigar to be allocated to Greece & Cyprus. Originally, the intention was for the name of the cigar to be “El Greco”, after the famous painter and architect of greek origins, but was then changed to “Greco” possibly due to copyright reasons. The Greco was released in 2009 for Phoenicia SA, the distributor that supplies the region. It is a Robusto Extra, measuring 141 x 50 ring gauge, and was released in 1600 boxes of 25 cigars with no immediate plans for a re-release.

A regional edition for Greece and Cyprus awakened patriotism and I had to try and get my hands on it. A good friend of mine sent me some from Greece, along with his warnings; “It’s a bad cigar”, he said, “nothing like a Bolivar”… Well even if it was a Guantanamera, I would still have to try it!

Appearance & Construction 12/15

There has been several complaints about the construction of the Bolivar Greco and my first encounter with the cigar has me puzzled. It looks good for starters; the wrapper is light brown and oily, with some very smooth veins. The cap is roundied and well applied, but the bunch is inconsistent. Firm in places while very soft on others. There is plenty of aromas coming out from the wrapper and the foot of the cigar, with coffee, nuts and wood being the strongest. The prelight draw is good and the wrapper leaves a sweet and spicy taste on your lips.

Draw & Burn 21/25

While the draw is good, the cigar delivers modest amount of smoke that has a medium volume. The burns starts slightly uneven, but corrects itself towards the end of the first third. The ash is thick and white and reaches an inch in length before it falls, leaving a semi-pyramid shaped coal on the cigar.Towards the end of the second third the draw gets uneven again, but the cigar stays lit. On the last couple of inches, the Greco gets too hot to smoke and it is put to rest rather early.

Flavour & Body 19/25

The cigar lights up easily and presents flavours or earth and wood, with a touch of salt. After entering in the first third, the cigar shows a medium body and strong flavours of earth and charcoal. The finish is long and spicy, but the cigar shows a lack of balance, depth and complexity. On the second third the cigar changes  very little. A nutty flavour dominates, followed by the earth and wood that was also present on the first third. The body is still medium. On the last third, the earthy and woody flavours dissapear, leaving a taste of roasted and spicy nuts.

Overall Impression 27/35

Unfortunately, the Bolivar Greco was as boring and unintersting as Greece’s World cup performance. It’s a pity, as this will probably be the only exclusive cigar for the region that we’ll see for a long time. I would have hoped that it would have been bolder, stronger and more complex, closer to what a good Bolivar cigar is. The construction is not good and the flavours and characteristics are just not there. I will hide the rest of them I have in the humidor, forget them for a few years and hope for the best.

TOTAL 80/100