Since 1901 the name of Bolivar has been proudly stamped on some of the finest Cuban Cigars available. Named for the great liberator of South America and known among aficionados for being among the fullest-bodied blends, it is well thought of throughout the cigar community. In 1969 the Royal Corona was announced and has been the signature robusto of the brand ever since.
Like its brothers in the robusto family the Royal Corona measures 50 ring gauge by 4 7/8 inches. The enjoyment will last around 45 minutes and the strength of the flavours is such that it is best suited to the evening, after a hearty meal and paired with an equally flavourful beverage, like an aged port or a peated whisky.
The Bolivar Royal Corona Cuban Cigar is a popular robusto-sized smoke.
Construction: 8/10
- The wrapper of this cigar was a golden-brown colorado-claro tone with the slightest of grains and no veins or blemishes. The fill was ample, and the cigar had a firmness to the touch which was uniform along the body.
Draw: 8/10
- Upon lighting the cigar that ample fill gave a bit of resistance to the draw. The cigar was by no means plugged, but for the initial third the smoke had something of a trepidation to emerge. This did not impair my enjoyment too much, thankfully, and had corrected itself after around 1cm of smoking.
Combustion: 10/10
- While the smoke may have struggled slightly to escape at the outset, the combustion was faultless; each of the three layers burned in unison for the duration of the cigar, no need to touch-up or relight and a straight burn the entire time.
Ash: 4/5
- A pale grey colour and keen to grip the end of the cigar, the ash kept the smoke cool and rolled off gently around every inch or so.
The ash held well to the foot of the cigar.
Smoke: 4/5
- After the initial period where the smoke had to be coaxed from the stick it began to flow as one expects of a fine Habano, filling the air with aromas.
Flavour: 23/25
- An impressive depth of flavour from beginning to end. A very subtle hint of sweetness at times, but overall a hearty and intense smoking experience.
Overall: 32/35
- This cigar was a pungent and powerful reminder of how great a full-bodied and large ring gauge cigar can be. The strength was the perfect digestif after a spicy meal and, while the draw issues at the beginning did give me some concern, by the end I had all but forgotten as I enjoyed the moment of evening meditation.
The Royal Corona rounded off a delicious meal perfectly.
Final Score: 89/100
There is good reason the Bolivar Royal Corona has been consistently enjoyed by cigar lovers around the world for over 50 years. It began with notes of toasted bread coating the palette with warmth and intensity, with just the slightest touch of white pepper as an aftertaste. This pepper faded as we entered the middle third of the cigar – as the smoke from this particular example really began to flow fully – and was replaced by cedar, nutmeg and even an occasional touch of well-roasted honey which reminded me of a Speyside whisky. The final third saw the intensity build to a final crescendo and bring deep, dark-roasted coffee notes to the fore – a fitting end to a wonderful cigar.