Cigars.ie

The Lonsdales of Christmas, Day 1 - Bolivar Gold Medal

It is Christmas eve, 7:45 am and I have just finished feeding a little man, who decided to give start roaring to let me know he is hungry at 6:30 am. With the whole family asleep again, and a long day ahead of me, I decided to  get the review out of the way as early as possible. After a quick espresso to get me going and a double americano to keep me going, I open the humidor and pick the first lonsdale of these series; The Bolivar Gold Medal. The Gold Medal is a Cervante, measuring 6.5″ in length by 42 ring gauge. The cigar comes from a February 07 box, one of the first batches made when the cigar came back to regular production.

This cigar has a long history. It first appeared before the revolution and was produced in small numbers. It was presented in a box of 10, similar to today’s box, with the only difference that each cigar was sitting in a groove on the gold, plastic base. The materials for the plastic base and the gold foil were hard to find in the early 90’s, and so it’s production was ceased in 1992. 12 years later, the Gold Medal was released again, commissioned to Christoph Wolters and his La Casa in Hamburg , in limited numbers. Since 2007, the Gold Medal merits a place in Bolivar’s range of regular production cigars.

Appearance 13 / 15

The Gold medal has a unique look that was not found in any other cigar until the release of the Punch Platinos. The presentation is the same as the original 1992 release -apart from the LCDH label -, with a golden aluminium foil covering two thirds of the cigar and the two labels in the middle of the stick. After removing the foil, a gorgeous smooth and chocolaty wrapper is revealed. The veins are present but very fine. The cap is well applied and the bunch is hard and consistent throughout the whole length. The prelight draw is good, on the tight side.

Flavour & Body 22 / 25

The cigar starts with a pleasant smooth flavour of chestnuts and a spicy finish. After smoking an inch, the Gold Medal shows some more complexity, with flavours of citrus, nuts, wood and earth, well balanced and with a good depth and a medium body. The finish is long and spicy, but slightly acidic. On the second third the cigar changes very little. It loses its spiciness and the earth and wood flavours become more prominent. The body is now medium to full body and the acidic finish is still present. On the last third the cigar changes profile, becoming more sweet and woody, with a bitter hint. The acidic finish is now covered by the strong flavours. The body stays medium to full until the very end.

Draw & Burn 22 / 25

Although the prelight draw is tight, the cigar delivers plenty of smoke upon lighting. The Gold Medal produces ample smoke that has a thick texture. The draw has some small issues, becoming uneven in some parts, but it corrects itself. The cigar requires a few touch-ups on the back third. The ash has good texture and a dark grey colour, falling when it reaches about an inch in length.

Overall 32/35

The Bolivar Gold Medal is a very pleasant cigar, Although it doesn’t follow the traditional woody and gutsy flavours of the Bolivar marca, it shows good complexity, depth and balance. The draw is good and the burn does not have many issues, apart from the few light-ups that are required. The only downside was the finish of ammonia on the first half. A very pleasant Lonsdale that has been getting better year after year.

TOTAL 89/ 100

Join me tomorrow, Christmas Day, for a review of another Lonsdale. I haven’t decided what I will be smoking yet, it depends on how good Santa will be to me and how Christmas dinner will go. And, don’t expect a review this early, as another little man will be waking up in the middle of the night to see what Santa brought him!

Happy Christmas to everyone, and may 2011 bring us, amongst others, the best cigars!