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Cigar Review: Ramon Allones 550

2 Mar 2016

 

Ramon-Allones-box

This reblended and redone line from General Cigar now sports a dark, gritty Ecuadorian Sumatra wrapper that’s unfinished at the foot, twisted into a pigtail at the cap, and an inviting target for bargain hunters.

Ramon-AllonesEager to breath new life into what had seemingly become almost a catalogue afterthought, General turned Ramon Allones over to its Foundry Tobacco Co., which functions as something of a cigar skunkworks under Michael Giannini, who serves as the company’s creative director and director of innovations.

While the cigar might not live up to the advance billing—“the world’s best tobaccos mixed with the forbidden fruit”—it more than holds its own among low-priced smokes.

Sure, no one’s going to mistake the Ramon Allones for a complex boutique blend or a high-end stick. But if you’re looking for a medium-strength smoke that can serve as a yard-gar, golf companion, or handout to your brother-in-law, this is one to consider. Even an occasional cigar smoker will appreciate the thick volume of smoke.

Remember, this robusto (5 x 50, $6.49) can be found online for under $4 a stick in a box of 20. Considering that you get General’s consistency and construction quality, it’s almost certainly a better buy than many no-name bundle cigars, even if they’re half the price.

I wasn’t at last summer’s IPCPR where the Ramon Allones debuted, along with a redone Bolivar line. General sent me a five-pack that I smoked for this review. (Of note, General Cigar says the bands on these samples, which appeared at the IPCPR show, are not exactly what you will find at retailers.)

The Ramon Allones starts dark and meaty with a fairly strong finish, befitting its Nicaraguan filler. At several points, a bitterness emerged and walked up to the edge of overpowering but didn’t cross the line.

A StogieGuys.com three-stogie rating signifies that a cigar is “pretty respectable,” and I think that’s an apt label for the new Ramon Allones. It’s well worth considering if you’re looking for a smoke that can fill a few different roles in your humidor. The Ramon Allones 550 earns three stogies out of five.

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

–George E

photo credit: Stogie Guys / General Cigar

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