UK, we have a brand new Cuban cigar to try out! It’s the Bolivar Regentes Limited Edition 2021 cigar.
It’s being distributed by Hunters & Frankau (via Habanos S.A.), the U.K.’s official distributor of Cuban cigars, to our local cigar merchants up and down the country.
It was first announced a couple of years back at the virtual Habanos World Days, which appeared to replace the annual Habanos Festival in Cuba, which had been cancelled earlier in 2021 due to COVID-19. It’s becoming common for these Cuban cigars to reach UK shores quite a few years after they were announced – this has had a three-year wait!
A couple of days before the launch of this cigar, the online UK cigar community were quite surprised at the cost of the cigar at retail – for one stick, it was £45, and a box of 25 retailing at approx £1,200. Previously, the Por Larranaga 47 was approx £75 at retail. Although, for some reading this £45 a stick will make your eyes water! Rightly so, they’re bleeding pricey compared to New World / Non-Cuban cigars.
The details
Length: 5 1/8″
Ring Gauge: 52
Strength: Full
Vitola: Discretos
Smoking Time: 45 Minutes
According to the press release:
“The famous Bolívar band, featuring a portrait of the 19th Century Venezuelan revolutionary Simon Bolívar, also world widely known as “The Liberator” and a crucial protagonist in the history of South America, is one of the most instantly recognisable of all Havana brands. It was founded at the dawn of the 20th Century in 1902, some 70 years after the great man’s death, and first registered for sale in Great Britain where Bolívar had been a popular figure.
The much-anticipated Bolivar Regentes is the 2021 Habanos Limited Edition and measures 5 1/8” (130mm) x 52 ring gauge. The vitola is known as a Discretos in the world-famous cigar factories of Cuba and are presented in special production sliding lid boxes containing 25 cigars.
The Bolivar Regentes shares its dimensions with the Partagás Maduros No.1 and delivers voluminous rounded smoke to the palate which is balanced with intense layered flavours and rich aromas. A signature for this powerful Habanos brand!
All the tobacco for the Bolivar Regentes has been aged for a minimum of two years which from 2007 was a standard introduced to all leaves destined to become an Edición Limitada Habano.
Although this is perhaps not a cigar for the novice, the characteristics make it one of the most sought-after marques among more experienced cigar smokers and for collectors looking to round the robust, rich aromas even further by laying them down to age.”
Interestingly fact, according to the Cuban Cigar Website, Habanos S.A. introduced the Limited Edition (Edición Limitada) Series in 2000, and there have been approximately 69 releases since then; none were released in 2002 or 2022. This series comprises cigar vitolas that are not in current production.
The launch
On February 7th, 2024, Hunters & Frankau launched the cigar at an event in London’s fabulous Bosidale‘s restaurant and cigar terrace in Canary Wharf, London.
Looking at the guests in attendance from social media posts, it looks like Hunters & Frankau invited their many clients to this event, first and foremost, the folk that sell these cigars to us in their shops, lounges and terraces. I spotted many faces in attendance, including folk from Alfred Dunhill, Astoria Cigars, Barbers Tobacconist, Cigars Unlimited, Davidoff of London and No 6 Cavendish.
The public could also attend, but this came at a cost – £275 – which included cocktails, a three-course dinner accompanied by a live Cuban band, four Havana cigars including a Bolívar Petit Coronas and three of the new Bolivar Regentes, Hine Cigar Reserve XO cognac and Bollinger champagne.
During the evening there was an announcement from Jemma Freeman of Hunters & Frankau.
Habanos S.A. also released an official launch video posted online at the same time as the launch party.
Another noteworthy spotting from folks in attendance social media posts was the great centrepiece on display; this looked like an ice sculpture of a hand holding a Bolivar cigar – an excellent work of art! If anyone has more details, please drop them in the comments.
So, what did people think of the actual cigar?
I’ve heard mixed reactions, the majority saying, ‘this will taste better when it’s been ‘aged’ a little’ – I’ve heard these comments before – is this a polite way of saying it was not a banger?
Asking around online, for many cigar connoisseurs buying and smoking Cuban cigars, it appears typical to let them rest in their boxes for at least a few years before enjoying them.
There’s a lot of talk of new Cuban cigars since 2021 being much better fresh. Limitadas use tobacco aged at least two years. But they still need to rest after being rolled. Cuban cigars are famously ‘rushed out the door’. So many improve with age. One of the complaints about Cuban cigars – is why they are not ready to smoke right out of the box when newly available. Why should we, the punters, age them? Because, on the whole, they do change/improve a lot – not always guaranteed for the better.
I’ve heard others mention that these have already been ‘aged’ in the warehouses of H&F, where they have been stored.
Regardless, these appear to have sold well so far – selling out at most online places.
My experience
I would have loved to attend, but it was out of my price range this time around! The next best thing was to purchase a single stick online. I looked around and noticed very quickly that when a cigar is about to be launched, it gets snapped up very quickly. Havana House had a preorder link where you could preorder your cigar, and the venue would send it out a few days after the release date – this sounded perfect!
I put in my order, and lo and behold, my cigar arrived a couple of days later.
Upon opening the packaging from Havana House, I was surprised at how small the cigar was. I had expected it to be a little bigger.
I’m aware that Bolivar is typically quite a full-bodied cigar to smoke (I do love a full-bodied cigar). From previous experience, when I smoked the Bolivar Belicosos Finos – I didn’t rate it too highly – and from what I recall, it didn’t feel as full-bodied as some of the other cigars I was smoking around that time (mainly New World/Non-Cuban cigars). I’ve not had many Bolivars; my go-to Cubans are currently Quai D’Orsay (specifically No54) (a much milder smoke), H Upmann (specifically the Magnum 54) and Partagas (specifically Serie E No. 2). I’ve also recently experienced a couple of plugged Cuban cigars of late. I’m expecting to be disappointed by this somehow – is that a bad mindset to have before I smoke a cigar that costs £45? 😬
Before smoking the cigar, I quickly squeezed it, and it felt pretty dry and firm; I’m not sure if that has to do with how I stored the cigar in my humidor – but I’ve only had it a couple of days – so I’m a bit surprised. My humidor is at 67% humidity.
Upon cutting the cap (straight cut) and ligthing my cigar, I got toasty, earthy and woody flavour notes, which later become sweet with some cocoa elements. The cigar noticeably had an excellent ash construction, showing how well-packed these cigars are when made in Cuba. It was a great start!
During the second third, the whole thing changed. I started getting a bitter taste, quite alkaline like in my cigar, which wasn’t very pleasant and a bit of a surprise for a Cuban cigar. Not sure if that was due to how I lit my cigar?
In the final third, things started to improve. The flavours do change throughout the cigar.
Whilst first impressions were great! I didn’t enjoy the bitterness I experienced midway through the cigar. This cigar also didn’t feel particularly memorable, unlike a cigar like the Montecristo Wide Edmundo. I’m not sure I would return to this cigar moving forward, which confirms that Bolivar isn’t one of my favourite Cuban cigars – following this and the Belicosos Finos cigar I tried. I prefer other Cuban cigar brands like Partagas, Quai D Orsay and H Upmann over this. However it wasn’t a bad cigar.
My rating: 7 out of 10
You can watch me attempt a video review of this as I smoked it – I’m not usually one for doing this in front of the camera – but it felt like a special occasion so why not document it.
If you get to smoke it, let me know how you find it in the comments!
If you’re interested in attending some other cigar venues’ own launch night events to celebrate the release of this cigar, check out:
Mitchell Wine (near Sheffield, UK) – 28th February 2024
Surrey Cigars (near Guildford, Surrey, UK) – 1st March 2024
Havana House (near Windsor, Berkshire, UK) – 15th March 2024
If you liked this review, check out my other cigar reviews at Cigar Reviews A-Z.
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