Cigar Review: Boutique Blends La Bohème Mimi

The most obvious characteristic of this cigar is size. At only 3.5 inches long with a ring gauge of 46, it obviously isn’t very big. Judged by flavor and performance, though, this opera-inspired La Bohème vitola brings down the house.

As a full-blown fan of cigars coming from Rafael Nodal and Hank Bischoff, I always expect good things when I light a cigar from their Boutique Blends. So it was no surprise that I liked La Bohème, even though I was a bit unsure of what to expect from the small Mimi. After all, even Nodal has said he wasn’t too sure about it at first.

But, lighting this up, it was immediately apparent I was smoking something special.

Rich spices and red pepper lead off and continue throughout. As the Mimi progresses, those flavors are joined by cedar and wood, with nutty overtones. And nearer the foot, there’s a warm sweetness that weaves its way in.

Construction, burn, and draw are top-notch. While it’s necessary to smoke such a small cigar slowly, none of mine got hot as the burn approached the head. The ash is nearly porcelain white and hangs on as if it were glued to the foot.

The wrapper is Ecuadorian Habano, with Dominican binder and filler. Its large band is artistically striking, coming from a nineteenth century Cuban brand, according to Nodal.

La Bohème is available in three other sizes, each named after a character in the Puccini opera. So far, Mimi is the only one I’ve seen. It retails for about $6.50, which might seem high considering the size. But with Mimi you’re purchasing 45 minutes to an hour of wonderful smoking. And it would also translate to about $13 for a Churchill.

All in all, La Bohème Mimi is another virtuoso performance for Boutique Blends. I rate it four and a half stogies out of five.

[To read more StogieGuys.com cigar reviews, please click here.]

–George E

photo credit: Stogie Guys