Believe it or not, Alex, this cigar is a powerhouse of strength.

Just to clarify, when I say ’strength’ I am referring to the heavy ‘richness’ of body you get, literally, from the smoke. For example, the Partagas Serie D No. 4 Robusto has a definite strength to it’s body. That is, it is a ‘rich’ and heavy smoke–especially when it is young.

After the first month in a box, Cuban cigars begin to lose a tiny bit of their ‘umph’ or ‘kick’. Of course with other cigars that aren’t Cuban, this may happen a bit quicker*. This is why we age cigars; as the cigar matures, the harshness of the tobacco flavours lessen in intensity and thus gives way to a milder, more pleasurable taste (smoking) experience.

A term such as ‘taste’ can, and most often, refers to characteristics of flavour our tongue perceives, like ‘nutty’, ‘peaty’, ‘woody’, ‘earthy’, ‘peppery’, etc.

Next time, try this: smoke a Belicoso Fino from a box which is less than a month old. That way the cigar will be fresh or ‘young’ and will have a ‘kick’ to it. Believe me, it has more bite than other Cuban puros of the same vitola**.

Of course, if you let this same cigar age, it becomes mellow and the strength of the body inevitably diminishes-alas! But, the good news is, that the taste/flavour begins to develop as the cigar quietly ages. An example of this would be a box of El Rey del Mundo, Choix Supremes. I have read many reviews suggesting that minimum aging for this cigar in a humidor BEFORE smoking is from two to three years! And, in some instances a higher aging time of up to five years is suggested!. “They” say, when that time is up, the flavours in the cigar are way different from what you experienced when the box was young! A mellow nutty taste with hints of sweetness appears. It’s really weird but pleasing.***

Oddly enough, I have no idea what the taste/flavour of the Bolivar Belicos Finos would be, seeing as I always enjoy smoking this cigar young. That’s a fine project for a future date–thanks for the idea, Alex!

So, if you ever get the chance, please try the Bolivar Belicoso Fino again, under the condition I just mentioned. It will be different.

*A superb example of this is a ten count box of La Flor Dominicana, Double Ligero by Litto Gomez. This torpedo has a peppery, jack hammer kick that will literaly burn your tongue; however, eight to ten months later, eighty to ninety percent of the peppery flavour has diminished! The moral of the story for this particular example is: SMOKE IT ALL when the box is still fresh and young!

**The term vitola refers to the size and shape of a cigar. Examples of different vitolas would be Robustos, Coronas, and Piramides.

*** http://www.cigars-review.org/El-Rey-del-Mundo-Choix-Supreme.htm [Usually, a cigar reaches a superb level of maturity, in terms of body and taste, after three years (and up to five) in your humidor. "They" also say that ten years is about the limit because by then, the cigar will have lost too much of it's character. Storing a cigar forever doesn't enhance it's characteristics of strength (body) and flavour (taste) year after year. These traits do eventually does peter out in most non-Cuban cigar brands...well, that's what "they" say. Personally, I've never had a cigar in my humidor for ten years because I only been smoking for about four.]