Foundry Tobacco Company Bolivar Cigar Review

As part of the General Cigar; the new Bolivar and Ramon Allones are being marketed as part of Foundry Tobacco Company which is headed up by Michael Giannini. I received samples from Victoria McKee of General Cigar last week and the Bolivar piqued my interest enough to do a full review…

According to the press release, “It starts with an optical lesson in history. Right on the box. Bolivar cigars are named for Simon Bolivar. The legendary liberator who led wars of independence in South America. The brand began in Cuba in the 1900s. Its classic taste reimagined by Foundry Tobacco Company. The new cigar is a bold tribute. Worthy of its pedigree. Tobaccos spanning six countries. Conventions broken with visos and ligeros. Its time has come.”

Cigar Review: Bolivar
Size: 550 (5 x 50)
Wrapper: Havana Connecticut Maduro
Binder: Proprietary Ecuador Sumatra
Filler: Honduran single farm, Nicaraguan Esteli Ligero, Proprietary Nicaraguan Ligero
Strength: Medium
Source: General Cigar Company

The Look (4/10): First let me say that I would never pick this cigar up if I saw it in the store. Simply put the band is one of the worst I have ever seen. It looks like it was made in Microsoft Paint by someone in Kindergarten. Simply put, it is horrible. As for the cigar itself, it does get points for perfectly executed pigtail cap and a nice covered foot. The cigar is well rolled, but the wrapper shows signs of being “dyed” and it feels light in the hand. 

The Notes (33/35): The cold draw of the FTC Bolivar has notes of warm chocolate with a slight hint of barnyard like notes. The aroma of the wrapper is primarily barnyard while the foot mimics that which is expected given that the foot of the cigar is covered.

Once the cigar is lit the initial burst of flavor reminds me of Rice Krispies cereal before giving way to elements of spice and wood. As the cigar progresses notes of chocolate become dominant with a hint of earth while the aroma of the cigar is woody. Through the nose there is some spice along with hints of earth.

In the second third of the cigar the chocolate notes remain with fruity undertones. As we move past the halfway point the sweetness of chocolate has faded away and the cigar begins to take on notes off coffee and the wood remains on the aroma of the cigar.

The last third of the cigar continues with notes of coffee and wood, though the wood had a dampness to it. The finish of the cigar was leather and through the nose only the slightest amount of spice remained.

The Burn (33/35): The closed foot of the Bolivar makes it easy to light and also very easy to start off with a bad burn so make sure to properly toast this through. Once lit the cigar had a thing combustion line, with a medium gray ash that held well with minimal flake. The draw of the cigar was fluid and it remained lit from first puff until last puff.

The Finish (18/20): Talk about looks being deceiving; I enjoyed this cigar a lot but the appearance of it is something I can’t get past. Call me elitist if you want; and perhaps I am. But I just couldn’t bring myself to smoking this in a lounge let alone buying it. The price point is right for this cigar; but that doesn’t mean it should look cheap. I plan to smoke one again but I’ll be pulling the band off so I don’t look like I am smoking something from the budget bin.

Score: 88
Price: $6.49

Bullet Points

• The first time I saw the new bands for the Bolivar and Ramon Allones I thought they were test blend bands. It shocked me that General Cigar would put something out that looks cheap, amateurish and doesn’t embrace the Bolivar tradition.
• Let’s face while you can’t smoke the band, nor can you judge a book by its cover would you choose to talk to the ugly girl at the bar over the one that is gorgeous?
• The cigar is available in three sizes 550, 652 and 660.
• I smoked only one cigar today, and this was it.
• I paired the cigar with water.
• Smoking time was 1 hour 50 minutes.

EDIT: A representative reached out to me today to inform me that the cigars will be getting new bands; and once they are finalized they would be sent to The Cigar Authority.