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Home > What's New > Connoisseur's Corner, June 2006
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Connoisseur's Corner, June 2006
For only the seventh time, Cigar Aficionado has found a perfect cigar -- a 15-year-old Ramon Allones Gigantes. This exquisite double corona embodies everything that a cigar should have: beauty, impeccable performance and, most importantly, unforgettable flavor. Cigar perfection has been attained by two Dunhills, a Davidoff, two limited-edition releases and one size that's no longer produced, but the Ramon Allones is the only cigar still in production to score a perfect 100. (All have been Cuban.) While not perfect, a Fuente Fuente OpusX with a decade of age showed how well these high-profile Dominican cigars age. It was rated a classic. Three slim Cubans and a Havana robusto scored in the low to mid 90s.
Reprinted from the June 2006 issue of Cigar Aficionado
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Ramon Allones Gigantes (1991)
100 The epitome of what a Cuban double corona used to be. One of the best cigars I've ever smoked. It is a perfect combination of elegance and smooth taste. There are lingering notes of cedar, and rich tobacco. It has an absolutely perfect draw and burn, and the wrapper shows a consistency of color that you look for in a great cigar.
--Marvin R. Shanken
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Fuente Fuente OpusX Reserva D' Chateau (1996)
97 Within seconds of lighting this Churchill, my mouth was flooded with the rich flavors of cedar, coffee and toffee. The cigar was full of black cherry and leather in its youth, but now there is only the undercurrent of power surrounded by thick layers of rich chocolate and touches of sweet cedar.
--David Savona
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Partagas Partagas de Partagas No. 1 (1990)
94 A fantastic lonsdale. This is a rich, full-bodied smoke that starts with a firm draw, but opens up to a smooth texture on the tongue. There are strong notes of sweet leather, with a hint of coffee beans. The brownish-red wrapper has wonderful oily lines. The finish is long and sweet, a reminder of how the heyday of Cuban cigars produced complex flavors that just wouldn't stop.
--Gordon Mott
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Cohiba Lanceros (1988)
92 This was one of the early lanceros that were sold in paper-dressed boxes. Very rare. It was slightly hard to draw, but after it warmed up, it was beautiful. The cigar showed incredibly rich flavors of roasted coffee, cedar, chocolate and meat. Full bodied. It tastes like a cigar 10 years younger. It makes me wonder how strong it was when it was released.
--James Suckling
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Saint Luis Rey Regios (1988)
91 This starts off a little slow, with cedar and light tobacco character and hints of nuts. But halfway down, it takes off with loads of rich tobacco character. A beautiful smoke.
--James Suckling
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Sancho Panza Molinos (1995)
91 This rustic-looking cigar is a medium- to full-bodied smoke. There's a well-defined spiciness in the mouth, with a lingering aftertaste of cedar and earth. The cigar performs magnificently; easy, smooth draw with a uniform white ash and an even burn.
--Gordon Mott
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