One of the best new Cuban cigars released on the market this year is the Ramon Allones Sur, last year’s regional edition cigar for Lebanon from Phoenicia, owners of the best duty-free cigar shop in the world (Beirut Aiport) as well as distributors for Cuban cigars in Lebanon, Cyprus, Greece and others. The Sur is 52-ring gauge by 140 centimeters long, the same size as the Cohiba Genios Maduro 5. It’s named after a famous historic city in the south of Lebanon. What strikes you first is the aroma of the cigar before lit. It has a classic Partagas factory stink with lots of decadent earth, meat, spice, cedar, and tobacco. After burning the cigar for about 10 to 15 minutes, it has a cool draw and shows so much richness and power at the same time – spicy, smoked nut and earth aromas and flavors. It’s creamy textured with a stone, dried cedar undertone. This reminds me of the great Habanos of the early 1990s. Will be even better at the end of 2016, but I can’t stop smoking them.
Price: 15 US$ per stick