Originally discontinued in 1992 Habanos S.A. have now re-released the Bolivar Gold Medal exclusively to La Casa del Habano stores and licensed distributors. The Bolivar Gold Medal traditionally has been one of the most sought after of all Cuban cigars. With its trade mark gold foil wrapper this Cervante has also been one of the most powerful of all Havanas. Originally made in small quantities its quality was also second to none. With a ring gauge of 42 and a length of 165mm the Bolivar Gold Medal is offered in boxes of tens. When discontinued in 1992 it was reported that it wasn’t possible to source the quantity of gold foil required to wrap and finish the Gold Medals. With its reputation etched in the minds of Havana smokers this well loved cigar made a come back in 2005.

5th Avenue, the exclusive distributor of Havana cigars in Germany, had commissioned a re-issue of the famed Bolivar Gold Medal shape. Initially only 1,000 boxes of 10’s were issued but the return of this great cigar was welcomed by all Havana smokers. Partnering this classic vitola for the review is the Red Hill Estate Bimaris 2006 Pinot Noir. The construction of the Bolivar Gold Medal is flawless with all new release cigars also featuring a second La Casa del Habano band. Cigar Aficionado maintain that the current Bolivar Gold Medal offers ‘a notably firm draw’. The prelight draw confirmed this was in-fact the case with the draw perhaps a little too tight for my taste. Once lit though its blend of Vuelta Abajo region tobaccos offered rich, full earthy flavours of cedar and tobacco. For the second third the cedar taste increases with a hint of spiciness noticealble for the last third. The ash, which failed to hold on for long, was an almost vivid, vibrant white in parts.

Predominately cedar and strong tobacco notes without bitterness suggest this release has grand potential and complexity. Generally there was slight disappointment with the firm draw and impact this had on the volume of smoke and in turn the strength and potential power of this cigar. This influenced and reduced the overall score and we rate it 7.5/10. 

Bolivar Gold Medal
Ring gauge: 42, Length: 165mm, Sticks: 10 sticks / box.

To visit our shop and view this item please click on the following link: Bolivar Gold Medal 10s.

This entry was posted on Sunday, October 12th, 2008 at 9:32 pm by David and is filed under Bolivar, Cigar Reviews. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.