Rafael Gonzalez Lonsdales
The Introduction
I am pursuing my learning and approach on vintage Cuban cigars. A world that obviously eluded my attention in the past years…but not anymore! Being very passionate about wines and spirits, it was only a question of time before my love for Cubans would push me into another learning curve. This being said, I feel like a whole new world just opened up to me and my palate. Hopefully, my tastings will convince some aficionados to pursue the same journey.
This week, Antonio steered me towards an old classic from Rafael Gonzalez…a Lonsdales dating back from July 2000. A vitola size of 42 RING X 165 MM.
The beginning
A great start right off the lighting of the cigar. Complex flavors are felt right away, well balanced and all in harmony. Looking forward to see the evolution and changes the cigar will take. Flavors notes are a mixture of nutty, aged tobacco and leather. A few spicy notes are starting to show up and the taste after blowing out your smoke leaves a delicious nutty, woody and tobacco note that lingers on the palate. The draw is tight, as you would expect from a vintage cigar, but smokes really nicely.
The middle
Getting towards the middle, flavors are slightly concentrating. Getting a lot of chocolate cacao notes mixed with nice espresso coffee tones. Almost feels like a full body tiramisu! The Lonsdales is also starting to show a few candied fruit and herbaceous notes to it…This is really an enjoyable smoke; the only downer is that the cigar has the tendency to go out faster.
The end
Every good thing has to end at some point! Flavors have evolved getting towards the end and the cigar has slightly gained in strength as well. Spices are a bit more present on the mouthfeel nonetheless staying mellow and very balanced. Cacao powder, nutty, “rancio”, dried/candied fruits still showing up on the mouthfeel although the chocolate notes are getting more and more present. The draw has also loosened up and the cigar is very enjoyable all the way threw the end.
The conclusion
All I can say is that if you are an aged cigar fan, you definitely need to try a Rafael Gonzalez Lonsdales with some age to it. The flavor notes and body profile it presented were delicious from the beginning to the end. Like I mentioned earlier, the only negative thing I could say is that it had the tendency to go out faster than what I am used too. Besides that, you need to enjoy this cigar on a quiet hot summer evening while indulging on a nostalgic novel. A perfect way to escape our day to day routine for an hour or two!
Cheers,
Simon-Pierre Bailly-Vallée
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