Ramon Allones Specially Selected Cigar - Cabinet of 50

Reviewed by Joe Gellman For those of you who like to read the last page of a book, first, this is a very special cigar which, in my opinion, rates as close to a perfect 100 as possible. Forget whatever you might have read about this cigar, you must experience it for yourself. Having smoked many RASS' in the past, I can say, without embarrassment, that the ones C.GARS Ltd sent were the best. I seriously consider it a great error not to order this cigar, if available, from C.GARS Ltd (the ones from other sources pale in comparison). The cigars were all an exacting 50 x 5, and all weighed 11g. This is the first time an entire box of cigars were dopplegangers of each other. Each cigar looked as if it had been lightly brushed with oil! The sheen was impressive and there was bloom forming on most of the cigars. They were all maduro (not to be confused with what passed as "maduro" from other countries); a deep, rich, brown, almost as dark as any Cuban cigar I have seen. I am sure the resplendence of oils helped to give this appearance. Each cigar was silky smooth and firm. All caps were typical of the hand of a top torcedor, and I would love to have his chaveta to mount on my wall, in a prominent place. Take a look on page 89 of "Havana Cigars" by Gerard Pere et Fils - my selection of RASS' make his picture look bland by comparison (I also disagree with his tasting notes, as you will see). The aroma of the cigar, out of the box, is one of cedar notes. The wrapper, likewise, tastes of cedar and musky wood. The cap cut without a problem (my companion smoker, Jenny Green cut hers while I used a punch). From the very first the cigar's flavor was of cedar; this did not diminish at all, throughout the smoke, but was melded with other flavors and aromas. The cigar started out subtly spicy and developed a stronger spicy flavor, but never was it overpowering. Within the first few minutes one could taste a blithely sweetness and an almost imperceptible fragile vanilla taste. There was a hint of fruit in the smoke, one which I was unable to identify, but there, nonetheless. The cigar was fresh, full, medium bodied, and held on to its very enticing flavors and aromas to the end. One marvel of the cigar was how well balanced it was. It was firm to the very last draw, which draw was always easy and cool. I mention the ash, last, though the lucky smoker of this cigar will notice it at all times. The ash was a very deep gray, almost verging on black. It was firm and had to be removed with some little force. It was solid and crunchy to the touch and showed a perfectly even burn. The ash did not give off any "ashlettes" which generally find a resting place on my shirt, tie, or slacks. I would be remiss if I did not urge the reader to buy a box. The price is right.

Reviewed by Josh Humphreys (October 2000) The first order I placed consisted of a group of various cigars, one of those being the Ramon Allones Specially Selected. Needless to say I was pleased to find 3 of them in my mailbox a few weeks ago. I decided to utilize the knowledge of a great friend in the taste testing process. We had an excellent time enjoying these fine cigars and the comments are somewhat a combination of our tastes. The construction of these cigars is flawless. They are a medium-dark brown and just slightly box pressed. Very few veins are present. The Specially Selected were in superb shape in terms of firmness. The colorful Ramon Allones band completes the cigar perfectly. From the initial cut and light, the complexness of this robusto began. The draw was smooth and easy. There seemed to be a hint of spice in the beginning, not too harsh with a very pleasant taste. As this enjoyable cigar was coming to an end, the taste became spicier with hints of coffee and cream. The finale of this beautiful vitola was pleasing to the palate with the continuing and heartier spice taste. The burn was consistently even and produced a nice pewter ash. With the ease of the draw, one would think that the amount of smoke produced would be high. It seemed with these smokes that the output was low but included a nice aroma. I would recommend these somewhat complex cigars to anyone that might be looking for a short yet powerful smoke. Accompanied by a glass of aged Puerto Rican rum, these smokes were are some of the best and most consistent Cuban's I have smoked. Thanks to C.GARS Ltd for allowing me to partake of these wonderful Ramon Allones Specially Selected.

Reviewed by Joe Gellman (27th November 2000) Some time ago I did a tasting note on this cigar. I was moderately enthusiastic about the selection I bought from C.GARS Ltd. Over the past several months I have been gifted, have traded, and have bought, other RASS. The following is an updated review of these cigars. This brand and vitola are some of the best Cuba has to offer. There are, however, differences in almost all aspects of this cigar, depending on where it is bought and how old it is. All cigars were at least 6 months old and one was two-years old. The samples tasted were from C.GARS Ltd, Switzerland, Spain, and Germany. Each cigar was laid to rest at least 60 days before tasting in my humidor. The settings in this particular humidor were 66/66, and I keep my best cigars in it. The sample from C.GARS Ltd and from Germany were the best of the lot. The ones from C.GARS Ltd were 50 x 4 7/8 and the German, 50 x 5. Each weighed 11g. The German selection was two-years old and C.GARS Ltd's were 8 months old. This vitola was originally produced for Hunters & Frankau, the UK importers, and C.GARS Ltd's source. Not unexpectedly, C.GARS Ltd's selection had the mark of perfection; they were exactly the same gauge, length, and weight. The German selection was less attractive; none were the exact same shade nor did they all have the same feel or sheen. They were not the silky smoothness I found in C.GARS Ltd's selection yet they were attractive; the German selection was duller. The test between the two, of course, was in the smoking. Both selections lit well. The draw on the German selection was not as easy as C.GARS Ltd's and I had to relight the cigar twice. In addition, the German selection "ran" after about 5 minutes whereas C.GARS Ltd's burnt evenly to the very end. I expected a darker ash on the aged German but this was not to be the case. The ash was uneven and had was spottily gray. C.GARS Ltd's was a deep, dark gray and was somewhat powdery in appearance. Having just returned from Cuba I have to make a somewhat subjective comparison regarding the color of the selection from C.GARS Ltd; the silky, rich, dark, smooth appearance was not unlike some of the most beautiful women I observed in Havana. When asked by a friend, which I liked better, the Cuban women or the Cuban cigars, I was left in a quandary. Frankly, I want/like both, one after the other! C.GARS Ltd's selection was earthier and had a more pronounced cedar/musky aroma. In fact, the Swiss and Spanish selections lacked the depth of aroma of the others. Only C.GARS Ltd's selection had a woody aroma. The German, Swiss, and Spanish selections had a subtle spice to them but, C.GARS Ltd's selection had a deeper spiciness, lasted throughout the entire smoke, and was never overpowering. As with my first tasting, C.GARS Ltd's selection had a delightful sweetness the others lacked and carried an almost imperceptible fruity/floral undertone. All the other selections were spotty in this category marking the distinction between the best and the "others." As with my first tasting notes, C.GARS Ltd's was the most well balanced and firm to the very last draw. As for the Swiss and Spanish selections, I would hesitate to purchase them as they do not represent the best this vitola has to offer. Because of the differences between the German and UK selection, I have to opt for C.GARS Ltd's selection. One ought to be mindful that C.GARS Ltd gets to select the primo cigars from Hunters and, in my opinion, that makes the difference in me decision to buy his. This cigar remains one of the best to buy and never be out of.

This was another straight forward review, although a bit lacking in character and detail. Taster covered all the expected points, but it could have had greater depth. Rated 8/10 Rated by Frodo I am not a fan of the Cigar Aficionado scoring/tasting method, though it does encourage a thorough analysis and description of the cigar under review. This review is a good example. It is straight-forward and prosaic. Score: 8/10 Reviewed by Van55 Good, straightforward cigar review. Would have liked a little more prose included (the environment, any drink pairing, etc). Rating: 8/10 Reviewed by James R aka John Shaft OVERALL SCORE: 24/30

Reviewed by Colin Flynn (July 2003) Appearance and Construction - 12 There was a big splotch under the band, and a messy looking cap. The prelight draw was smooth, and the smell was nice, but the taste was a bit bland. Flavor - 24 The first draw was strong and easrthy, with a peppery note - very pleasing. Strong notes of pepper appeared early on, and a bit of anise was noticeable. 1" - A sort of dry, blackberry taste was apparent, something altogether new to me, and very pleasing. Notes of leather, and toasty tastes were also present. 1.75" - The pepper taste is starting to show as a trend, and is very tasty, forcefully presenting itself. 2" - Hints of cocoa are present, and will be displayed mildly throughout. 3" - Pepper is once again dominating, with a distinctly tasty and complex aftertaste on the tip of the tongue. The finish displayed very nice notes of dry, nutty flavors. This was a very tasty cigar, and, so far, the tastiest i have had all year. Smoking Characteristics - 24 Draw is slightly tight at the beginning, making it a bit hard to get a full mouth of smoke. Around 1" the draw loosened up and began producing brilliant mouthfuls of billowing smoke. The burn was a tad flaky, but did not at any time need to be corrected, and stayed even throughout. Ashed at 2.25" and did not ash again for the rest of the burn Overall Impression - 34 This was an incredibly tasty little cigar, and altough i did not notice any of the floral tones many talk about with this cigar, it was very complex, with wonderful development, and tasty little surprises all along the way. Best cigar i have smoked all year. Absolutely wonderful. TOTAL SCORE - 94 --- Colin Flynn a.k.a. The Big C IM Screenname - GreenPlastiColin