Interview And Review MRN Vintage Bolivar Especiales
27 Jan
Just out and posted by Salih Dalay at Dalay Cigars video channel, the interview and cigar review we conducted some time ago over a 80’s vintage Bolivar Especiales from MRN’s personal collection, smoking in Spain, my storage and smoking habits and Cuba travel ….
Thanks Salih, Michael and especially Viktor for the nice job, it was fun as always !
Nino
Nino,
What a great video!
Always enjoy your posts and insight.
Best,
Mike
Dear Nino,
Thanks for sharing the video.
Let me say that the first thing that struck me was your voice. Despite having followed your blog since 2007, I’ve just realized that I’ve never heard your voice (obviously). And also I was surprised that you don’t have a Spanish or German accent but a very nice and clear pronunciation.
Secondly I was very pleased to find out more about your tastes, preferences, travels and experiences. I’ve found many similarities in your approach and I also agree on many of the things you said in the video.
I really appreciated the video, being not only a video analysis of a ultra rare smoke, but rather a nice chat among aficionados, covering different issues.
That box of Bolivar looked amazing and I was very impressed by the corrosion of the anilla by the oils released by the cigar.
No need to, but MRN confirmed to be a real true gentleman. Only two boxes remaining? Wow!
As you mentioned in the video, I also prefer cigars with some years on their back, although I don’t have too much experience in smoking cigars with 20 or more years. Generally 5 years is also a good standard for me. As an example right now I’m smoking a flawless and rich Bolivar Belicoso Fino dated 2010.
I’ve been living and working for six months in Cuba and I think as well that cigars do not taste better in Cuba than anywhere else. But I do agree that there’s something different in Cuba: a sense of relaxation, smocking in a cigar-naturally oriented environment (like Spain, as you correctly point out), the weather, the cubans (people) etc.
All this makes very easy to smoke an amount of cigars which in another place would appear at least odd. I remember assisting to the last days of the Festival del Habano in 2007 and the “spring” Encuentro Amigo de Partagas. On both occasions I smoked an incredible amount of cigars every day.
For example I remember that during the last day of the Evento Amigos de Partagas I had something like two dinners (one official at the Hotel Sevilla and one at la casa particular of Matteo from Canada).
I remember smoking the new Cohiba Maduros, a Piramide de la China, Salomon by Cueto, among others. And the weird thing was that, the following morning by waking up, the first thing that I felt like was smoking a cigar and I lighted a robusto.
Also another issue that provoked a smile on me, was the capacity of drinking and absorbing alcohol in Cuba, or in the Caribbean region.
In 2013 I worked for 4 months in the Dominican Republic, where I had the luck to re-find an old friend of mine.
Well every night, for four months, we had dinner together, smoked a cigar or two and washed down a bottle of rum per night. I guess that again the weather, the humidity, the atmosphere, the capacity to sweat out all alcohol, were the key elements that allowed me to wake up the next day fresh as a morning rose and going to work 🙂
I also liked your description of the Spanish culture around smoking cigars (and the terrible storage conditions there).
Cafe, copa y puro is like a holy trinity for me. Having lived for more than 6 years in Madrid I have plenty of memories enjoying big meals followed by a smoke, or morning reading of El Pais sitting in a terraza and smoking a morning cigar like Por Larranaga Petit Coronas or Shorts Partagas.
I think we have also similar tastes in cigars and vitolas, and try to avoid new tendencies of bigger and bigger and shorter and shorter cigars.
For example I’m not a huge fan of Cohiba, but I must admit that Lancero is a league apart.
I love Coronas (almost disappeared from el vitolario de Habanos), Lonsdale, Dalias, Coronas Gordas and Hermosos N.4. As Robustos I love RASS and Juan Lopez. I love also the slim ones, particularly those from La Gloria Cubana, which I found as an underestimated and not well known brand. And then of course all the family of figurados and double figurados, which have a special charm on me.
I’m not too familiar in smoking cigars while drinking rose wine. You intrigued me on that. Personally talking about spirits and concluding a nice dinner/evening with a single malt, I love to have a MacAllan or even a less famous, but fantastic in price and taste, Talisker.
Also the interviewer appears as a nice and relaxed person, who enjoy his work, who has great knowledge of the cigar world and who belongs to that part of cigar smokers who do not feel the need to boast by smoking anillas rather than cigars. That kind of personality that I have always associated with you or Rafael Bernardo, just to name a couple of fellow down-to-earth cigar smokers with huge experience and knowledge.
All the best Nino and who knows when and where we will finally meet in person.
Hasta luego
El Pedro
Dear Pedro,
thank you VERY much for the detailed and expert comments, much appreciated and coming from you truly respected.
I can only agree with all your responses and comments as we share the mutual love for cigars and the culture of smoking them be it in Cuba or here in Europe.
I do hope you share a cigar with us here at the pharmacy and get to appreciate the Roseschorle I mention, I am sure you’d like the refreshment it provides.
Best regards y un fuerte Abrazo de
Nino
Nino, thank you for posting this excellent interview and review of the extremely
rare Bolivar. I remember dreaming of that Bolivar Especiales when I first read about it in MRN’s book when it was released. That Mr. MRN gave you one of two known boxes to share and review is just fantastic generosity.
It was a pleasure to get to know more about you Nino and learn from your huge knowledge and many stories. I enjoyed every minute of the video and hope you will do another one later! I have to applaud your English as well, more perfect than most Englishman I have heard. Thank you again!
The people have spoken!!!!
Great post as always!!!