Reviews
Date Added: Tuesday 07 June, 2016
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 c
Date Added: Tuesday 07 June, 2016
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 heart
Date Added: Tuesday 07 June, 2016
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 im
Date Added: Tuesday 07 June, 2016
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
Date Added: Tuesday 07 June, 2016
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 mou
Date Added: Tuesday 07 June, 2016
It’s early evening, and my cigar of choice is the Rafael Gonzalez Perlas – at 4 inches in length and 42 ring gauge, it promises to be a 30-40 minute smoke, and my hopes are high for this little fella, based on other reviews. So, time to settle down in the smoking salon (i.e. garage), pop Dark Side of The Moon onto the stereo and settle back with the Rafa and a nice glass of rum.
The Rafa’s wrapper speaks to me – flawless and rich – I can hardly wait to get stuck into this gem of a cigar. The initial aroma is subtle and enticing. The pre-light draw is not the easiest I’ve had, but not bad by any means, and it hints at coffee and hay.
The cigar lights easily and evenly, and that first breath is a delight – almost immediately I get coffee and creaminess that herald a light and tranquil smoke. The draw is a little on the heavy side, but it certainly won’t cause any brain damage, and I’m getting plenty of smoke.
The taste of the Rafa is developing nicely – it’s rounding out and drifting from a light to a medium bodied smoke, and I’m getting a lovely bitter chocolate flavour. The
