Ramon Allones Small Club Corona

As I get more and more “settled” into cigar smoking, I find myself preferring smaller vitolas, so I’m happy that one of the CotMs this month was another petit corona. I honestly do not know very much about the RASCC. This one was about a year and a half old.

Statistics

CotM: October 2013



October 2013





Shape: Parejo

Parejo





Chosen by: wedgewoodrings

wedgewoodrings





Size: 4.37″ x 42







Country of Origin: Cuba







Wrapper: Cuban







Binder: Cuban







Filler: Cuban







Color: Colorado

Colorado





Strength: Medium







Price Paid: Trade

Trade





Smoke Date: 10/18/2013

10/18/2013





Box Date: July 2012

Accessories Used

Palio Composite cigar cutter (which was assembled on my 30th birthday!), Silver & Chrome Vector Stratos single-flame torch lighter, Handmade English walnut ashtray made by wedgewoodrings (recently polished).

Pairing

Golden Monkey Imperial Yunnan Chinese loose leaf tea served in a small porcelain teapot (Adagio PersonaliTEA) and matching Asian style (no handle) teacup. A good Golden Monkey is just one of those teas you can’t go wrong with. This tea can pretty much be whatever you want it to be. Today, I wanted it to be sweet and light, so I made a weaker-than-usual pot. The light floral taste worked in perfect harmony with the rich flavors of the Small Club Corona.

Appearance/Nose

The RASCC didn’t look like anything special. The wrapper leaf was smooth and brown, with some veins and a little tooth. The band was fairly generic with some embossed dull gold. The lack of color in the crest on the middle makes it look like a golden bumpy blob. The nose was very faint, with traces of hay and tea. The RASCC’s presentation did not promise much.

Construction

The wrap job was adequate, but not particularly pretty, with a few wrinkles and veins. The triple caps were quite straight though, There were no soft or hard spots along the length of the stick, and it felt fairly dense–a tight pack, which contributed to an hour-long burn time. The burn was razor sharp the whole way through. The ash was solid and gray, holding on for about 3/4″ at a time.

Cold Draw

Cold draw off a guillotine cut was smooth, if a touch loose. I hoped it would not loosen up further after lighting. The flavors were a light floral taste, along with a weird, tangy, almost…tomato-basil flavor? Before even lighting, I had the distinct impression that this was a weird stick.

Smoking

First third

Most of my apprehensions were blasted away by the first puff. What a flavorful stick! It was full of coffee, caramel, herbs, and creaminess. Smoke production was quite high, and it chugged along even while sitting in the ashtray.

That “tomato-basil” flavor I detected on the cold draw was definitely in there. There was a very unusual twangy-herbal flavor underneath the predominant coffee. I don’t recall ever having tasted this flavor combination before.

The consistency of the smoke was unusual. I don’t often refer to cigar smoke as “oily”, but this definitely was. The smoke almost felt like a liquid in the mouth. The burn line had been perfect so far, and burned at quite a quick pace.

About a half-inch in, the herbal tastes subsided, and the rich flavors of coffee and caramel stayed dominant. The draw never did get as loose as I feared.

Second third

Towards the end of the first third, a bitter taste began to develop. It was a bit like strong, slightly over brewed coffee. This bitterness heralded the calming of the sweet caramel notes, and a return of the basil-herb flavors, which quickly became the most prominent flavor.

The smoke continued to pour out of the stick, and each oily puff coated by tongue with a sweet film that was only washed away with a swig of hot tea.

The herbal taste continued to dominate. I wish I could place exactly what I was tasting at this point. There was a twangy, herbal note, a musky floral sweetness, and a bitter, almost chalky, strong coffee bitterness. Quite interesting and complex.

Final third

Coming into the final third, the coffee died down again, and the sweet caramel came back. The final third was lighter and creamier than the previous two.

The herbal flavor was still there, playing tricks on my taste buds. Moving towards the nub, the flavor became earthy with a hint of cinnamon.

Right up until the end, the smoke production was high and the burn never wavered once, despite me putting it down for a couple minutes at a time.

Notes

Draw: Smooth and even

Smooth and even





Body: Full

Full





Primary Flavors: Coffee, basil, caramel

Coffee, basil, caramel





Smoke Output: High

High





Smoke Time: 1 hour

Overall

This was a very complex cigar, and a fun ride. The flavors weren’t all my bag, but even the bitterness, which initially turned me off, became charming by the end. The way the oily flavors coated my tongue, I was glad to have a hot beverage to help melt them and wash them down. This stick would probably be overbearing with a cold beverage. Black coffee would probably be an ideal pairing here. I love petit coronas, but I don’t usually expect such major transformations in such a short stick.

Rating