Binder: Cuba

Wrapper: Cuba

Tobacco:  Cuba

Length: 5 1/8

Ring Gauge: 42

As a dedicated cigar smoker, I always find an extra thrill when traveling out of United States. Getting authentic Cuban cigars in the states is very difficult as there are millions of counterfeits crossing our borders every year. During a recent trip to the Dominican Republic I was able to come across some real deal Bolivars.

Named after Simon Bolivar who freed much of South America from the Spanish, Bolivars are very sought after Cubans that are infamously known for their rich flavor and full bodied strength.

Priced at 12.00 American dollars, I picked up some Tubo No. 2’s. Needless to say I was very excited to fire one of these up. When buying any cigar that is placed in a tube like this, you will be paying a little extra for this casing as they age better in the tube and are less likely to get damaged.

Upfront this is a great looking Petit Corona. First off it was covered in bloom/plume. It is a fine white powder or dust which forms on cigars when oils exude from the tobacco as a result of aging. The scent was spicy and made me sneeze right away after taking a sniff.

Since this is a smaller size I went with a punch cut. Upon toasting the foot I immediately got a strong touch of cream. The flavor wasn’t tasty though which was a bit of a let down. The strength was right in the high medium to me. The draw was great and I got a nice amount of smoke with each puff.

Ten to fifteen minutes into this cigar, the unbalanced creamy buttery taste is still present with an undertone of some light spice. What I will say that this Tubo No. 2 is burning well for such a small cigar. The ash is a dark grey but held on strong even through some big winds while I was by the beach.

As I got to the final third, this cigar mellowed down a bit and was a little more enjoyable. This is a strong cigar but I didn’t find it to be in a full bodied zone.

Overall this was an average smoke. The only aspect that really wowed during my time with Bolivar Tubo No. 2 was its great construction. For a double-digit priced stick I was expecting way more complexity and balance. A lesson learned about the cigar world’s forbidden fruit, Cubans don’t always live up to the great hype.