Bolivar Petit Belicosos EL 09

This short belicoso shaped Bolivar was one of the three Edicion Limitadas for 2009, along with the

H. Upmann Magnum 48 and RyJ Duke.  The wrapper is a dark, almost maduro color with a lumpy, leathery feel and some veins.  Bolivars tend to be hit or miss for me, so we'll see how this stick smokes a year after its release.

First Third

-Strong wood, spice, cedar, and some leather explode in the first few puffs
-Thick clouds of smoke and a nice draw, on the loose side
-Definitely a fuller bodied cigar, though not a beast
-Construction is good minus a slightly crooked burn

Second Third

-Flavors haven't changed too much, but the spice is less pronounced

-Needed a bit of relight to keep the burn straight, great draw and ash held to over an inch

-A nice sweetness in the background, going well with a Becks Dark

Third Third

-Leather, wood and even a nice tangy flavor take the lead in this third

-D/A/B are all spot on, nice sturdy ash too

-Has a dark, full-bodied finish

-Slightly harsh towards the nub

Score: 89
Definitely a good smoke, but not yet in its prime- give this another few years and it will be a gem

Guillermo Leon Signature Corona

**Its freezing out, so I would like to use my hands as little as possible for this review (and probably many more over the winter months), so I'm going to try a short, quickie review version that I hope will still give you a taste for the stick while keeping my hands warmer!

This is a fairly new smoke to the market, released at this year's IPCPR by Guillermo Leon and La Aurora.  I'm smoking the Corona size, gifted to me by Steve over at SmokingStogie after I won a drawing.  Lets see how this stick burns!

First Third
-Starts off with a medium body and light smoke
-Leathery, wood, and nutty flavors
-Getting some coffee and sweetness in the background
-Construction is good

Second Third
-Similar flavors as the first third, though a bit less defined
-Enjoying the nutty and leathery notes
-D/A/B still on target
-Picking up a bit in body, still only medium+ though

Third Third
-Getting more wood and some spice in this third
-Construction is great, just left it for 10 min and still burning!
-Definitely nub-worthy
-Tiny bit of harshness at the end, my only gripe

Score: 90
-Go try one, great stick that is very well priced