In 2011, Habanos S.A. released their normal trio of Edición Limitadas consisting of special cigars from Cohiba, Hoyo de Monterrey and Ramón Allones. The program, which was introduced in 2000, releases special vitolas of three different cigars that are not part of the portfolio for the respective brands. Since 2004, Habanos has limited the releases to three and since 2007 all the tobacco used has been aged for at least two years. For 2011, the three releases were:

• Cohiba 1966 Edición Limitada 2011
• Hoyo de Monterrey Short Hoyo Pirámides Edición Limitada 2011
• Ramón Allones Allones Extra Edición Limitada 2011

As is often the case with many Habanos release, there were a few delays, but as of now all three have been released. The press release from Habanos reads:

EDICIÓN LIMITADA 2011 ALLONES EXTRA OF RAMÓN ALLONES.

• Habanos S.A. presents the third Edición Limitada 2011. Ramón Allones is the brand selected for this occasion.
• The arrival of this Edición Limitada to all points of sale worldwide is expected in the coming days.

September 23, 2011 — The Ediciones Limitadas- Limited Editions- of Habanos* are highly appreciated and awaited by the aficionados worldwide every year. They are characterized by vitolas that do not appear in the usual range of the brand portfolio, and which are distinguished by a careful selection of their leaves – wrapper, filler and binder- which have been aged for a period of at least 2 years. The dark wrapper dressing these Habanos coming from the top leaves of the Tapado – shade grown black Cuban tobacco plant- is another characteristic that identifies them.

The Ediciones Limitadas are made with the finest tobacco leaves coming from Vuelta Abajo*, Cuba.

Allones Extra is the vitola selected in 2011 within Ramon Allones:

• Allones Extra (44 ring gauge x 143 mm in the length). This is the first time that Ramón Allones has an Edición Limitada. It is a brand characterized by its flavour that makes of this brand one of the preferred by smokers who seek intense flavours and exquisite aromas.
• Allones Extra existed until the end of the 70´s of the 20th century in the normal range of the brand and is now produced in this 2011 Limited Edition.  This Edición Limitada is characterized as well by the incorporation of a historic ring that existed in the past centuries in Ramón Allones, one of the oldest Habanos brands, which was created in 1837, and makes of this limited Edition an exclusive and limited collectible item.

All Habanos of this Edición Limitada 2011 were made “Totalmente a Mano  “ Tripa Larga-Long Filler Totally by Hand in Cuba by expert rollers, using tobacco leaves carefully cultivated and selected.

This vitola will start to be available in all markets worldwide in the next days.

• Brand: Ramón Allones
• Commercial Name: Allones Extra
• Factory Name: Franciscos
• Measures: 44 ring gauge (17, 46 mm) x 143 mm in the length
• Presentation: Labelled Box of 25 units

* (D.O.P) Denominaciones de Origen Protegidas. Protected Denominations of Origin

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And the particulars.

• Cigar Reviewed: Ramón Allones Allones Extra Edición Limitada 2011
• Country of Origin: Cuba
• Factory: Francisco Pérez German
• Wrapper: Cuba
• Binder: Cuba
• Filler: Cuba
• Size: 5 5/8 Inches
• Ring Gauge: 44
• Vitola: Fransiscos
• MSRP: $12.00 (Boxes of 25, $300.00)
• Release Date: September 2011
• Number of Cigars Released: n/a
• Number of Cigars Smoked for Review: 2

The wrapper of the Allones Extra is a bit frail, although still quite attractive. Something that is not captured so well in the photographs is the triple cap, which really stands out. The roll itself appears to be a bit tight, which is somewhat concerning, although it seems that the past two-three years of Habanos production has produced solid cigars. Aroma off the wrapper of the Ramón Allones is medium-full with leather and bits of cedars. Cold draw is a bit stronger with a sweet twang dominating hickory, a generic sweetness and a bit of a floral note. It begins the first third with a dominating twang over cedar, although eventually earth and hickory join the mixture. The Allones Extra is definitely a bit young, but the flavors are still rather Cuba. Pretty quickly in the first third the core becomes earth with grass and cedar underneath and a pepper that becomes much more noticeable on the finish. Smoke production is generally above average, but definitely inconsistent. Into the second third and it’s becoming quite obvious that despite the overall relatively full nature of the flavor profile, the Ramón Allones still is rather frail when it comes to the flavors themselves. The underlying sweetness definitely infuses itself into the profile, although the cedar, earth and grass are still dominating. While the pepper begins to show itself more consistently, there are some complexities that begin to come through including a bit of a welcomed floral note. Strength is medium, body is medium-full. As the final third approaches, the smoke production noticeably begins to trail off. In addition, the burn rate definitely picks up, something that began happening in the second third. There’s not a whole lot to say on the flavor side of things: a generic coffee adds itself, the grass begins to go and the flavors predictably begin to show their youth. While there’s a definite change, I definitely could see it coming.

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Final Notes:

• Absolutely love the bands. I loved them when I saw the press release, I loved them in person. Great job on the presentation side of things.
• The construction overall was above average, although it’s definitely finicky.
• There’s an ongoing discussion in the BOTL.org forum (you need to register/login to view) about how non-Cuban these taste, I definitely don’t see it. To me, these are a fuller version of a lot of Cuba’s more recent releases, particularly of the smaller cigars, but these definitely don’t taste Nicaraguan to me.
• While I do think they are young, some part of me has reservations to make the these will age awesome statement. I’m just concerned by the aforementioned delicacy.
• The ash of the Allones Extra is signature Cuba in my opinion: bit uneven, dark and wavy.
• This is not a cigar that I think would pair well with any other than water. Definitely seems like it would be overwhelmed by heavy alcohol.
• Final smoking time was one hour 15 minutes.

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The Bottom Line: I like the Allones Extra and while it was not a holy grail-like experience, the reasonable price and decent availability are a bit refreshing, particularly when you compare these to the Cohiba 1966 counterpart. The Allones Extra is a good cigar, a bit young and a bit inconsistent at times, but a cigar that can be enjoyed now and will likely be a lot better in a year. For me, when contemplating a purchase on these, I’d look at them more as a regular production cigar, particularly with the price point, than a special release from Habanos. When you do that, picking the Allones Extra is not difficult.

Final Score: 90