Romeo y Julieta Cazadores

This was an exciting smoke for me. It was the first Cuban cigar I have smoked since getting into cigars (I did have a Trinidad Coloniales in Canada a few years back, but that was my first premium cigar, and I couldn’t really give you tasting notes). The Romeo y Julieta Cazadores has a reputation of being extremely strong (“the strongest cigar from Cuba”), though with almost two years of age on it, I wasn’t sure how potent it would be.

Statistics

CotM: September 2012







Chosen by: misterbastahrd

misterbastahrd





Shape: Parejo







Size: 6″3/8 x 43







Country of Origin: Cuba







Wrapper: Cuban







Binder: Cuban







Filler: Cuban







Color: Colorado







Strength: Full







Price Paid: Trade



Trade





Smoke Date: August 1, 2013

August 1, 2013





Box Date: September 2011

Accessories Used

Cuban Crafters Perfect Cutter (Silver & Carbon Fiber), Bugatti B-2002 lighter with “pyramid” double-flame torch, Handmade English walnut ashtray made by wedgewoodrings.

Pairing

Ti Kuan Yin loose leaf oolong tea served in a large glass mug. The tea is nutty, honeyed, and floral. The floral notes were completely overshadowed by the smoke’s perfume, but the nuttiness stood out. The honeyed notes contributed to the already overwhelming sweetness of the Cazadores.

Appearance/Nose

The cigar looked pretty good! The wrapper was reddish brown with a host of dark brown speckles. It was silky-smooth to the touch. with a bit of tooth. There was a single large vein running down the side of the stick. The band was very “classic”. In general, I find that the Cuban marcas’ bands don’t compete with the fanciness of NC bands (aside from Cohiba and maybe Trinidad), favoring rather an old-world charm. The nose was amazing. I smelled caramel, tea, hay, and red pepper–and very potent scents for an unlit cigar!

Construction

Construction was quite solid. There were no soft or hard spots. The caps were a little crooked. The burn wobbled a bit, and went out twice. The ash tended to fall every inch or so. Not too bad for a smaller ring gauge smoke. It was flaky and chunky and gray.

Cold Draw

A (very tight) cold draw revealed more hay and spices.

Smoking

First third

The first puff was a good indicator–this was going to be a strong cigar. Very full-flavored here, despite the fact that it had a tight draw still. There were notes of nuts, earth, caramel, coffee, red pepper, and nutmeg. The finish was very savory, with a strong impression of sweet caramel, tea, and nuttiness.

The retrohale was overwhelmingly spicy: black and red pepper. In the first inch, smoke production was pretty low, and if I let the stick sit for more than 30 seconds without puffing, it tried to go out. Despite the need for babysitting, the stick burned evenly and slowly.

After the first inch or so, the draw opened up a bit and the stick was less prone to going out. Smoke production bumped up to medium. The spiciness of the first inch mellowed out, leaving a sweet, complex floral, coffee, and caramel taste that lingered from one puff to the next. It was almost too sweet. About an inch and a half in, I was already feeling the strength of this stick. What a nicotine bomb!

Towards the end of the first third, a strong, perfumey rose scent presented itself among the other flavors. The caramel and coffee subsided in its wake. Just when I thought no more babysitting was needed, the stick suddenly went out on me and needed a complete re-light. The ash fell off early immediately following this.

Second third

The beginning of the second third did not signal any new changed. The flavors remained a combination of rosey perfume, sweet spice, earth, and tea. The cloying sweetness remained, and perhaps even intensified a bit. It’s a bit like sucking on a sugar cane, and washing it down with coca cola.

Strong coffee notes appeared in the retrohale. The nicotine in this stick was really kicking my ass by only the halfway point. The flavors mellowed a bit more, melding together. The pepper, sweetness, rose, and coffee were all still there, but no single element overwhelmed the others. A couple of small touch ups were needed to deal with lopsided burn.

Final third

There were no more changes in the final third. The coffee, honey, rose, spice, and other flavors remained intact.

One more re-light was needed in this section. This stick just did not want to burn! The reputation of strength is well founded. By the end, I was feeling ridiculously relaxed and a bit woozy. Is it nap time yet?

Notes

Draw: Medium-tight

Medium-tight





Body: Very Full

Very Full





Primary Flavors: Sweet honey, coffee, red pepper, caramel

Sweet honey, coffee, red pepper, caramel





Smoke Output: Medium

Medium





Smoke Time: 1 hour,35 minutes

Overall

This was a supremely flavorful cigar, though it had some issues with the burn. (I’m told that Cubans should be stored at lower humidity, and I’ve been keeping this one at about 65% for a month, and I let it dry out further for a couple hours before smoking, so humidity might not be the issue.) Still, it went out completely twice, and required several touch ups. The strength was intense, and the sweetness was so strong it was cloying. I enjoyed this stick, and would smoke it again if another wandered into my possession, but I probably would not go out of my way to obtain another.

Rating