Ramon Allones Specially Selected Cigar - Box of 25

I always make sure I have these in the humidor. I have no problem justifying the price on these.

Excellent construction and my v-cut produced a perfect draw. The first third exhibits a mild peppery taste combined with roasted coffee and cocoa. As the second third starts it’s almost like the cocoa develops into a dark chocolate taste and the cigar becomes less dry and sweeter. Notes of peanut butter and cinnamon start emerging and provide quite a contrast to the first third. The final third sees the nut theme develop with almond and peanut prevalent. This is excellent for the price and the quality, burn and draw were all first class. I will return...

OMG!!! I bought this after tempting myself to consider taking Masters of Havana Cigars over on the Hunters & Frankau website. After wondering for what seemed like an age, i couldnt find any where that you could apply or sign up to a course. A bit frustrated I wandered through the section staring those who had already taken it (the list was short). What stood out as odd was the number of those who in their bio recommended this cigar as one of their personal favourites. ok.... let see what the fuss is about. yes..yes.. we can all get a dodgy cuban where the draw sucks or its a touch uneven, it doesnt mean to write off the whole brand. I lucked out on this one. The draw was slightly easy (my fav), the initial smoke was creamy and light cocoa. As I carried on the flavours didnt change much but they did intensify, coffee notes and a savoury sweetness. As I got close to the end a quicker draw pulled out some of the chilli pepper spice, but a slower draw revealed a gentler side. Stupidly good from start to finish. i now have to buy more to lay down and see if 2 to 5 years does anything interesting to it. later found out it was no.2 in 2015 CA top 25 (if you care about such things). Glad I bought 2 when I took a punt. Now if youll excuse me, I need go sniff the surviving R.A.S.S. still sat in my humidor.

Not the best construction, it had a pretty tight draw which needed a draw tool, and the burn was a bit uneven but taste was good, with rich flavours of dark brown sugar and gingerbread.

When it comes down to it, it’s the skill of the roller that really counts. The cigars in factory are graded for hue and shade and presented to the sorter. We all want consistency of colour when we buy a box of 25 or 50, do we not ? Problem is, not all rollers have adequate training and some are somewhat lacking in skill. So, the consumer, that’s you, ends up with an inferior product. Having smoked many cigars over the recent months, I can conclude that a lot, and I mean a lot of cigars coming out of Cuba at the moment are inferior products. Poor construction often means a poor or inadequate draw. You might as well throw your money in a bin. Draw, to me, is everything. The culprits, at the moment seem to me to be Partagas, Montecristo and dare I say it, Cohiba. I have recently been wading through my stash of Ramon Allones specially selected and have found that the consistency and construction to be flawless. If you want a cigar that gives bang for buck, buy these. Don’t waste your money on the overpriced and overrated alternatives. Just finished one. Draw.....9 Construction....9 Flavour...... 9 Overall satisfaction.....10 That’s about it for now.