Review: Ramón Allones Phoenicio (ER Libano 2008)
Oh, I can hear you now, “another Edición Regional review; what is the point?” Well, I know there are what seems like a thousand REs (and LEs as well) coming out of Cuba these days, and while I am right there with you on the seemingly overwhelming numbers, there ARE a few gems in the multitude, and the RA Phoenicio is one of them.
A little background, for those of you who don’t know: the “Ramón Allones Phoenicio Edición Regional Exclusivo Líbano” (the AWESOME SOUNDING official name), is one of the REs released to the market for 2008, which means they actually got to the market closer to 2009. Originally only 6,000 boxes of 30 cigars each were supposed to be sold in Beirut’s duty-free shops (the only place you could buy them on the market), but the cigar’s huge popularity prompted the trader to release a secondary production run of 3,000 boxes of 15 cigars. Phoenicia Trading is the exclusive Habanos distributor for the Middle East, parts of Europe and most of continental Africa. The Phoenicio (cigar) is made at the former Partagás factory, now known as Fernando Perez German, in Havana.
With that out of the way, lets get to the important part, shall we?
- Cigar Reviewed: Ramón Allones Phoenicio (Edición Regional Líbano 2008)
- Country of Origin: Cuba
- Factory: Fernando Perez German
- Wrapper: Cuba
- Binder: Cuba
- Filler: Cuba
- Size: 6 1/2 Inches
- Ring Gauge: 54
- Vitola: Sublime
- MSRP: $20.00
- Number of Cigars Released: 6,000 Boxes of 30 Cigars & 3,000 Boxes of 15 Cigars (225,000 Total Cigars)
First off, this is a BIG cigar! The Sublime size always has been a big vitola to me (it is a size first made for the Cohiba brand in 2004 and then again for Montecristo last year), and whenever I put one in my mouth, I think, “this is almost (but not quite) too big to smoke.”
The Wrapper is a nice golden/reddish brown, and it is a very firm stick, with very little give when squeezed. The smell coming from it was a nice barnyard-ish scent with a little bit of hay, which is to be expected from a Cuban.
It lights up fairly easily for such a large ring gauge, and the first hint of flavor that I got was a nice mellow sweetness that is present in almost all Cuban cigars. There was a little bit of spice as well but not overly much, and it added a nice contrast to the sweetness. The flavors stayed pretty consistent in the first third of the cigar, but at about the middle point of the third (I guess that would be the 2nd of the 6th? LOL!), I detected a faint taste of what I wrote down as cucumber. It did not last long, but was VERY noticeable for about 8 puffs.
In the second third, the pepper and spice picked up, but again, not enough to be a distraction by any means. The aforementioned sweetness morphed into more of a cedar flavor, with coffee undertones that were very enjoyable.
The last third is where this stick really shines. The pepper and spice all but disappear and what was left was a wonderful creamy honey taste that really made me sit up and take notice. It really was quite nice, and it is fairly unusual for a cigar to totally change flavors so drastically at the end, especially to something so creamy.
Final Notes:
- As I said, this is a fairly large cigar, both in RG and in length, and I was VERY impressed at the flavors that were present, especially since a lot of the larger RG cigars tend to have less.
- This stick is not a pepper bomb by any means, in fact, it is a fairly mild to medium cigar, but EXTREMELY well balanced for such a young production. I can’t wait to try one in about a year after resting, to see how the flavors meld.
- There was very little nicotine kick.
- The burn was razor sharp the whole stick, and the draw was great.
- Final Smoking time was 1 hour and 43 minutes.
The Bottom Line: If you can get a hold of one of these, I would do it. While the general consensus is that most of the REs and ELs out of Cuba are over-hyped and overpriced, a consensus I agree with, for the most part, this is one of those sticks that bucks the trend. And as good as they are now, they will only get better with age.
Final Score: 93
Great smoke.....I picked this up while in Dubai back in 2009 and it's been in humidor for close to 2 years. Lit it up last night...and WOW...
And you're right...love the sweetness (what you called honey).....absolutely fabulous.
I am going back to Dubai in September and will look for the latest ER's...and hopefully I can still find some of these.
Cheers.
Hi,
Do you know anybody whom I can buy a empty box of Ramon Allones Phoenicios. I bought a case but was shipped to me the cigars, rings and box separately because had to go through the USA but I never received the box. I will pay $100.00 for the box with all the papers inside and everything else came with of course except the cigars.
I live in Cayman Islands and we have La Casa del habano but they cannot get me one because was for the Lebanon only.
Regards and have a good smoke.
Sergio Serrano
Saw these at the Dubai Airport Duty Free....absolutely bummed that I did not pick up the box....but only had 10 mins to get to gate. Spent 5 mins perusing the Cigar Shop and then had 5 mins to run to gate.....AAARRGGHH>>
Gonna Plan another trip to Dubai just to pick these up! Who wants one!
When I read this review I was overjoyed because I just recently received my 'Phoenicios' box.
I can't wait to light this beauty up!
Carlos
these (like most of the cigars you review) are now on the find list. thanks again for letting me in on this little secret!
Can't wait to smoke this one!!!
please email me asap and let me know were i can buy these please make sure i looked all over and cant find them thanks my email is ericstevens_910@hotmail.com
The word "Habana" makes my mouth water (I kid you not).
I wish we could our hands on these in America...
nice review make me want to smoke the one that I have been saving for what I am not sure lol
Great post...and I absolutely agree.
I was able to get a hold of a few sticks while on business travel in the Middle East. Strangely found these in Dubai as the local dealer was able to procure a few boxes. A total beauty to smoke and has to rank up there with the Montecristo Sublime as my smokes of the year.
Ramon Allones Specially Selected has been a mainstay in my humidor and I've always been a big fan of this label. This is where it outshines the more well known brands.
Lastly...this is the best RE for the year. I tried the 2 for Asia (Bolivar and Por Larranaga) the 1 for Canada (Bolivar), and 1 for the Emirates (Punch Robusto). The Punch Robusto probably ranks 2nd best RE that I have tried this year.
Cheers...love the site!@
Pics are tight! Great review Brooks!
Sounds like a great smoke. We need to get together and smoke some time.
I need to try and find one of these!! I really like the band work on this one!
I keep on hear from people that this is an amazing cigar, I'm glad you are able to acquire them brooks, maybe one day I'll be able to get a few, right now they are above my budget.
It sort of sounds interesting. I don't know if it is $20 interesting though.
Yum. This sounds really. good. Have not had a cuban in a while.
A man can dream...
That looks awesome! I would love to try one!
How do non-Cuban Ramon Allones compare? I am alway tempted to buy them but haven't found anyone to ask the quality of. Any help would be apprieciated. Thanks
Nice post... too bad I'll likely never get to try one
I would love to be able to get my hands on a box each of the regionals from all the Cuban companies just to see what the differences really are. I bet each box would age very differently also.
Bear
Sounds like another great ISOM that I'll probably never see in my life. At least with those awesome pics...I can dream.
Awesome review brooks! I have smoked a couple of these and i have been so pleased with them. My only complaint is that i only have 5 left!
Great review; and if the ocassion arises I will get a couple!
Sweet review.
awesome review !
Nice review! Wish I could get my hands on one. The official name of the release does sound awesome like you said!
Very cool. This is the review I've been waiting for :) I've had a chance to try 2 so far...first one BLEW ME AWAY! 2nd one was awesome, but not like the first, and was from a different box. Phenomenal pics as always, Brooks!
I have some friends in Lebanon... will try to get some.
Nice review!
Thanks for the review. Glad to hear that this particular RE was a good one. I doubt I'll ever have this one, but it's nice to know that some of these special cigars are worth the money. I might have to give a chance to some others in the future.
I only have one, and have not smoked it...It will be smoked at a very special occasion...who knows when that will be....
Sounds Like a Winner! I've never had a limited edition habano but i'm definitely gonna try to get my hands on a few
I have one more of my two... the first was not up to par w/ the review and I have hilarious pictures to prove it (but I digress). One more at home, so I will have to give it another go...
Thanks for the great review! I know I'll never get to have one of these but it's nice to see some of the "limited" are great cigars.
I am unlikely to ever try one myself, but it i nice to be able to read this and smoke one vicariously through you. RA is probably my favorite Cuban Marca. Thanks for sharing this with us Brooks.
-Matt
Great review! I've smoked 2 of these so far and absolutely loved them. Like you, I was a bit hesitant about the large size; however, the flavor and body of this cigar is absolutely fantastic. Honestly, it is always tough for me to dedicate 2 hours to a cigar, but, with this one, I have absolutely no problems.
i swear, if cigar retailers just stole your pics and posted them, they'd sell hundreds more cigars. fantistic pics as always
The Phoenicios is a georgous stick. You are not the only one with very high marks for it. I would love to get ahold of some of these. Time will tell!