Bolivar Harmony (ER China 2008)
One
of the Regional Editions from Habanos S.A., which spread over tons of
releases divided among different Cuban cigar lines. The idea is very
simple; once in a while, Habanos S.A. lets a distributor come out with
an exclusive, limited edition cigar for a particular country or region.
For their Edición Regional production line, they use a vitola that is
present in the Habanos S.A. portfolio today, but not rolled for any
marque, although discontinued cigars have been used for Edición Regional
releases. Some I mean such as which brand to use whether Cohiba,
Montecristo, Romeo y Julieta or others whereas now the distributors are
only allowed one release per year but the cigars are not shipped in the
year they’re made anyway. The Armonía was part of the Edición Regional
series that began in 2005 when the rules on what was then a relatively
new program called Edición Regional were few.
Apart from a few standout features, the cigars all share one common characteristic: a red secondary band that reads Edición Regional followed by the name of the country, region or distributor it was released for. Aside from that, the packaging can go in all sorts of directions. There have been 10-count boxes, 20-count boxes, 50-count boxes, and jars but one Edición Regional box really stands out from the rest: the Bolívar Armonía.
If you aren’t so familiar with Chinese culture, the Chinese consider the number eight lucky because the word for eight sounds like the word for prosperity. In 2008, Infifon HK Ltd., the mainland China Cuban cigar distributor, launched the Bolívar Armonia, a 7 1/4 x 57 salomón vitola.
Continuing the eight is lucky motif, boxes were priced at ¥8,888 and there were 2008 boxes of eight cigars. Any one box of eight would be quite unusual, but not another that is fashioned like this modern Cuban cigar box. It was a huge circular shape painted high-gloss red with gold printing all around its perimeter. All the boxes inside are held inside a yellow cardboard container that has approximately space for around about 40 of these big salomónes. The other thing about it is it has this huge Habanos S.A. logo on it, though usually that’s ‘hidden’ somewhere not so obviously with the other markings on any cigar packaging.
Un autre détail intéressant: en 2017, 5th Avenue Products Trading GmbH (le distributeur autrichien et allemand des cigares cubains) a lancé le Bolívar Tesoro, un cigare salomón de 7 1/4 x 57 Bolívar ie. le même cigare. C’est une bizarrerie du programme d’Edición Regional: il est possible que ces cigares soient remis sur le marché sous une autre appellation et par un autre distributeur. Dans ce cas, la présentation était bien plus modeste.
The hue of the wrapper is as quintessentially Cuban in my mind: medium brown with various reds appearing as it’s rolled and a pretty even tone, save for a few patches of lighter hues around some veins. Having said this, it is not the most appealing cigar to look at, especially for the price. There are some ugly veins, a bumpy roll, and two loose seams end it all off. Maybe some of that would be exaggerated by the age, since these cigars must have stretched a tad from the humidor we keep them in goes to 65 percent RH. The cigar feels rock hard when touched but there is nothing to worry much about. There isn’t much distinct aroma scents: medium generic tobacco, ammonia and woody accents. The foot is slightly stronger in woody scents; sweetish aromas of wood are also present but cannot detect much else. Cutting the cigar doesn’t unravel, thankfully—it’s always a concern after this much aging. Tight in cold draws with some candy-like sugary sweetness and a unique floral sensation with spicy cinnamon underneath. Medium-full; smooth.
Apart from a few standout features, the cigars all share one common characteristic: a red secondary band that reads Edición Regional followed by the name of the country, region or distributor it was released for. Aside from that, the packaging can go in all sorts of directions. There have been 10-count boxes, 20-count boxes, 50-count boxes, and jars but one Edición Regional box really stands out from the rest: the Bolívar Armonía.
If you aren’t so familiar with Chinese culture, the Chinese consider the number eight lucky because the word for eight sounds like the word for prosperity. In 2008, Infifon HK Ltd., the mainland China Cuban cigar distributor, launched the Bolívar Armonia, a 7 1/4 x 57 salomón vitola.
Continuing the eight is lucky motif, boxes were priced at ¥8,888 and there were 2008 boxes of eight cigars. Any one box of eight would be quite unusual, but not another that is fashioned like this modern Cuban cigar box. It was a huge circular shape painted high-gloss red with gold printing all around its perimeter. All the boxes inside are held inside a yellow cardboard container that has approximately space for around about 40 of these big salomónes. The other thing about it is it has this huge Habanos S.A. logo on it, though usually that’s ‘hidden’ somewhere not so obviously with the other markings on any cigar packaging.
Un autre détail intéressant: en 2017, 5th Avenue Products Trading GmbH (le distributeur autrichien et allemand des cigares cubains) a lancé le Bolívar Tesoro, un cigare salomón de 7 1/4 x 57 Bolívar ie. le même cigare. C’est une bizarrerie du programme d’Edición Regional: il est possible que ces cigares soient remis sur le marché sous une autre appellation et par un autre distributeur. Dans ce cas, la présentation était bien plus modeste.
The hue of the wrapper is as quintessentially Cuban in my mind: medium brown with various reds appearing as it’s rolled and a pretty even tone, save for a few patches of lighter hues around some veins. Having said this, it is not the most appealing cigar to look at, especially for the price. There are some ugly veins, a bumpy roll, and two loose seams end it all off. Maybe some of that would be exaggerated by the age, since these cigars must have stretched a tad from the humidor we keep them in goes to 65 percent RH. The cigar feels rock hard when touched but there is nothing to worry much about. There isn’t much distinct aroma scents: medium generic tobacco, ammonia and woody accents. The foot is slightly stronger in woody scents; sweetish aromas of wood are also present but cannot detect much else. Cutting the cigar doesn’t unravel, thankfully—it’s always a concern after this much aging. Tight in cold draws with some candy-like sugary sweetness and a unique floral sensation with spicy cinnamon underneath. Medium-full; smooth.
Shape at the ready as the balk of Bolívar Armonía doesn’t create much smoke. Very first draw gives a super smooth woody gastronomy, savoriness, and hint of cream. I puff every 30 seconds or so for the first few minutes—in fact, I’m mostly just trying to keep the cigar lit until enough of the foot is lit to get this cigar “open.” THAT happens, and I breathe a sigh of relief since without lighting it seemed too tight and nearly plugged except for when it finally opened to smoke – perhaps just a bit more open than I expected but still showing some resistance that means I do not have to worry about any aspects of this big cigar being the draw. Surprisingly strong and fairly bold in flavor. Classic profile in heart from Cubans: rich wood and sugars with controlled pepper. Saltine crackers, cereal, malted barley, peanuts and fresh ginger are among the other flavors, though the main focus remains the spiciness. There isn’t a massive shift from the main flavor maybe about 3 times more pepper than there was before, but flavor development is organized from the time smoke hits my mouth to way after it has left. On the retrohale, a perfect example of balance between nuttiness, lemon, lavender and brown sugar is obtained. Peanuts carry over into the finish and sometimes build on top of their natural sweetness which tastes like flavors of caramel, vanilla bean and brown sugar. While entire flavor profile is an embodiment of refinement, retrohale’s finish is that part which shows it’s aging in most. Flavors are full, body is full medium-full and strength is medium. Outstanding.
It’s not one of those cigars that changes much in profile but it is not bothering me too much since the flavors are so good. Post half way through, the Bolívar starts getting a tad spicier. I can’t decide if it is more of a spiced flavor now or rather the spice that’s coming through, due to a cutting down of some other flavors that would have tempered the spice. Woody flavors are dominant. It’s neither singular wood nor a single wood note; it’s an assortment of different wood flavors like smell of a cigar box, with sawdust, tree bark and some charred wood the campfire. Mid-palate is all minerals, sugar, leathery notes and black pepper spiciness. Every few puffs I get a taste resembling freshly cut ginger but it is too short-lived. Flavor has transformed into the profile of warm milk toast, along with supporting cast sandwich bread flavors and faint herb characteristics that reminded me of a sandwich spread. Finish flavors are either woody or creamy. If it’s the latter, I get floral flavors, Spanish cedar, and caramel as near-equals. Creaminess abounds in the aftertaste’s finish with minerals and more of the same earthiness as in the aroma. Flavors are full, body is full-medium, and strength is medium-full which was indeed surprising! With a bit more than two inches remaining, I try to even up the burn line and ignite an area where the wrapper failed to combust along with the binder and filler. Otherwise, burn-wise, it was just as ideal as a three-hour smoke can get.
