Month: November 2020

The Romeo y Julieta Reserva Real Robusto is a fantastic premium value cigar with a high-quality Ecuadorian Connecticut Shade wrapper. This is a cigar you could smoke every day after work to unwind.

The Romeo y Julieta Reserva Real is made in the Dominican Republic by Altadis USA in Tabacalera de Garcia, one of the largest factories in the Dominican. The cigar is your typical parejo robusto (5″x52) with a finely-made cap and an aesthetic band. At a glance, the cigar has an attractive Ecuadorian Connecticut Shade wrapper with a healthy blonde luster. The aroma of the hand-selected Dominican and Nicaraguan filler invites the cigar smoker to partake. The cigar features a Dominican binder leaf and is a handmade long filler cigar.

The Romeo y Julieta Reserva Real Robusto has notes of sandalwood, cedar, nuts, cocoa, and honey. The dry pull is smooth and sweet with a good draw. The tasting notes build in strength throughout the 45-60 minute smoking experience, gaining hints of Indian spices towards the final third of the cigar. The smoke is silky and aromatic with every puff. The intensity and flavor of the Romeo y Julieta Reserva Real are mild to medium.

This is a very good cigar at a very good value, offering a different price option for shade wrapper aficionados in a world where authentic American Connecticut Shade wrapper is increasingly difficult to find or cost prohibitive. The Romeo y Julieta Reserva Real Robusto is consistently a best-seller in brick and mortar cigar lounges. It lives up to its reputation as one of the most popular cigars for its price point and flavor profile, and I would encourage any smoker to verify this claim themselves.

The name Montecristo resonates with cigar smokers worldwide. Their superb quality and flavor have withstood the test of time in an ever-changing industry. The Montecristo Classic Especial No. 1 holds true to this statement.

The quality of the packaging and flavor of the cigar makes for an obvious, affordable buy. The box features the brand logo, along with some new-age flare, holding 20 cigars. The cigar itself features a genuine high-grade Connecticut shade wrapper over Dominican binder and filler tobaccos. The cigar measures 44 x 6 ½ and can be described as a Lonsdale.

The cigars are firm to the touch with a little more give towards the center and foot of the cigar. The Especial No. 1 lights with ease and has good smoke output. The quality of the construction is apparent. The flavor is great right off the bat with hints of molasses, cedar, cream, and nuts. The smoke is thick and fulfilling with a perfect draw. About halfway through the cigar, the flavor shifts to have a little white pepper and grass added to the blend. The strength and flavor were both light to medium. With the smoothness and amount of flavor, this cigar could be enjoyed at any time of the day. The burn time is around one hour fifteen minutes.

This is the perfect cigar to have in your humidor that goes with any occasion and pairing.

The Cuesta-Rey Caravelle is a phenomenal value cigar with a premium presentation.

These panatela cigars are made on J.C. Newman’s iconic antique cigar machines from the 1930’s in Tampa, FL. These are hand operated machines that roll the bunch (filler & binder) while someone lays the wrapper out onto a dye. The dye uses suction to hold the wrapper tight while a blade cuts it to size. After that, it gets rolled onto the bunch. These machines are a treat to look at with nearly 10,000 moving parts. This is an old school box, that features familiar Cuesta-Rey Sally and holds 25 panatelas. Usually cigars in this price point come in a bundle instead of a box. This makes for a beautiful presentation. The cigars measure 6.25 x 34 which is an old school size. Most cigars were close to this size until the 90’s.

The Caravelle is available in three different wrappers: Natural, Extra Claro, and Maduro. All three options have a variety of aged Dominican fillers. The natural is an Ecuador Havana that is light-medium bodied. There are hints of nuts, spice, and a slight sweetness here and there. The Extra Claro Candela wrapper is mild and has a very green flavor. There are hints of sweet grass and earth. The Broadleaf maduro wrapper is medium bodied with hints of pepper, sweet hay, and earth. All three versions of the Cuesta-Rey Caravelle are super smooth with plenty of flavor.

This is a great price point for something made in the good ol’ U.S.A.