First Sip of Cuban Rum

[PR Rum Time]

I get to try Havana Club Rum’s tonight! A fellow poster on a cigar bulletin board is in town and wants to get together with a few of us for a smoke and some HC rum. He told me he has two different kinds, I’m guessing the 7 and the 15? I’ll post tomorrow and let you know what I thought about them.

David

[PR Rum Time]

The rum was Ron Varadero 5 y/o. I have to admit, it was a little anti-climactic. I was excited because of the “Cuban Mystique” but really wasn’t that impressed with the rum. My friend gave me the bottle which is still about ¾ full; it’s a nice souvenir but not a standout rum by any means. Any thoughts or info about Ron Varadero?

David

[Jason Perlow]

Varadero is an okay rum. The best Cuban rum ever produced was Matusalem Anejo Superior, and its no longer made anymore. I have a few bottles of it left that I am drinking very sparingly. Apparently the distillery was shut down for renovations in November of 2000, and they moved operations to another distillery and renamed the rum Santiago de Cuba, but from what I have heard elsewhere and from people who have been to Cuba recently and have sampled some, it does not taste the same at all. For the most part, most Cuban rums are a pale shadow of what they were 5 or 10 years ago.

Havana Club Anejo Reserva is my current favorite. The 7 is a bit too harsh for my taste.

[Ed Hamilton]

I'll second the comments on Varadero rum. I've only drunk a couple of bottles of this rum but was consistently unimpressed.

[El Ron de Cuba]

Yeah, I'm with you guys...

When I went to Cuba a year ago, my teacher told me to pass on the HC and go with Varadero 7 anos (which used to be $5.75 a bottle.) Ever since then, I've wished that I had brought back another bottle of HC7. I think I actually gave the Varadero away at a party...lol

I'll second the comments on Varadero rum. I've only drunk a couple of bottles of this rum but was consistently unimpressed.

←

[Bolivar Petit Corona]

I like Varadero. :yum:

[SWISS_CHEF]

We get all of the Havana Clubs here in Switzerland. Its good, but if I could drink anything I would drink Barbancourt 5 star (8 year) which we don't get here.

Edit: Yes we do...I just did a search! YES YES YES!

Edited May 14, 2005 by SWISS_CHEF (log)

[Rene]

The best Cuban Rum I ever drank was an aged Montecristo. It was in a white triangle ceramic bottle with the Montecristo labels on it.

I bought this bottle in the Netherlands. They only had 1 bottle and I bought it.

When I was in Cuba years later, I saw the bottle in the Rum museum in Santiago. They told me it is not produced any more. I was lucky to have taste that great Rum.

Havana Club is nice, but for me it is more promoting than quality. It is simply not my taste.

[Markus Lewalski]

Rene,

I assume you are talking about the 25 yo Ron Edmundo Dantes?

How is it compared to other old Cuban rums (HC 15 or Santiago de Cuba Extra Anejo) or other rums in the same category?

I'm also thinking of buying this rum but at +/-200 EUR I hesitate a bit.

IMHO the very old Cuban rums (like many other rums >20 yo) are very smooth but they loose their typical character.

One exception is the 25 yo El Dorado which is the best rum I have ever tried so far.

Bye Markus

[Rene]

It was the Edmundo Dantes.

There was a lot of wood in the flavour. It was smooth, but there was enough taste to make this a wonderfull sipping Rum. There were 15 of us sipping it, so we finished it the same evening.

I don't mind if a Rum looses it's typical caracter. It's the result in my glas at that moment that counts.

I am not a big Cuba Rum fan, so when Dantes looses it's caracter, it might get intersting for me, and it did.

I love to sip my smooth Rum, and If I could get a bottle of Dantes, I would buy it. OK, 200,= Euro is a lot of money (I bought is cheaper, but a long time ago). But if you sip it slowly (alone, not with 15 other idiots) it takes you a long time to finish this one.

BTW, where did you see this bottle for sale??

[Markus Lewalski]

I saw it here

http://www.zigarren-krueger.de/oxid.php/si...Edmundo-Dantes/

here

http://www.cigarworld.de/shopdata/shop.php...rtikel=70005601

(altough both shops belong to the same owner)

here

http://www.fub-weine.de/product_info.php/products_id/9349

or here

http://www.zigarren-herzog.com/cgi-bin/he_...l?DB=Spirituose

Maybe there are even more shops. Just google a bit...

Markus

[Rene]

Thanks,

I don't smoke, but the Rum version of Edmundo Dantes is always a joy.