Ramon Allones Specially Selected Cigar - Cabinet of 50

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

An excellent cigar. Plenty of power but I would suggest accessible to all but the faintest heart. My last one had an erratic burn which was hopefully a one off but it didn't spoil the enjoyment of this top quality cigar. I pick up something vaguely perfumy but in a good tobacco way. I would buy a box for the humidor. Recommended!

So far these have been the most consistent cigar i've smoked (although the last one was a little lively). They burn really well, smell amazing, and produce plenty of lovely thick smoke. The flavour has a lovely earthy roundness to it, with that lovely hint of chocolate you can get with cubans. I'm going to experiment with more RA's but i'm thinking i might always make sure a handfull of these reliable sticks are sat in my humidor.

I treated myself to the Ramon Allones Sampler - I have smoked cigars before, although would certainly not consider myself a connisseur. I was banished to the garden by the missus, although it was a thoroughly pleasant evening. A large glass of Tobermory came with me, as did a couple of candles stuffed into some beer bottles by way of illumination. I now thoroughly understand the joys of sitting by oneself and unwinding with a cigar. I now feel as though I have had a massage or a long hot bath; thoroughly relaxed. The cigar itself lit perfectly (I was a little apprehensive as I have torched the side of a cigar before) and drew brilliantly. The burn was more or less even, although I can probably contribute the slight uneven-ness to the breeze. The cigar was perfectly rescuable after leaving while I went back into the house to get a top-up midway through; a few puffs and it was buisness as usual. I cannot wait to try the other two from the sampler, and I will certainly add this cigar onto my favourates list. It tasted great right down to the point where I felt the warm glow on my fingers and ran out of tipple (luckily both occuring symultaneously). A lovely experience and one I will certainly be indulging in again. Expecially as this is such an inexpensive smoke (I daren't say cheap, it would be an injustice). Highly recommended.