Romeo y Julieta Reserva Real Nicaragua and Bellas Artes Maduro Cigars

I mentioned that I picked up some new-to-me cigars recently, and one of those was the Romeo y Julieta Reserva Real Nicaragua in the 6″ x 54 toro size. I can’t say as I’ve really taken to a great many Romeo y Julieta cigars, although I do recall enjoying the Reserva Real line the most. I have enjoyed a few of the newer RoMEo blends, although none were particularly mind-blowing for me. As with many cigars in the Altadis portfolio, it seems that the ones I’m drawn to are the ones that come out of the A.J. Fernandez partnership. There are some exceptions in the Montecristo line, but the only H. Upmanns I really like are the A.J variety, and this new Romeo y Julieta Reserva Real, blended by Rafael Nodal and Abdel Fernandez really hit my palate right. This is a Nicaraguan puro, made with tobaccos grown on A.J. Fernandez farms. It’s a beautiful looking cigar, milk chocolate colored wrapper, perfect draw and a solid ash. It was a pleasure to smoke. It kind of has a bready, sweet flavor, with some spice. It’s reminiscent of the Reserva Real, with a Nicaraguan spin, and I like it a lot. It’s a $9 cigar, and it wasn’t that long ago that I’d bristle at spending that much on a cigar, now I do it without much thought. Weird, huh?

Yesterday I had the occasion to visit one of the several local CigarCigars stores, this time the one in Downingtown, PA. Beer fans will know that name as the home of Victory Brewery. It’s the town I lived in when CigarCraig.com launched in 2009. Anyway, my friend Kevin,  who had been the manager of that store, was celebrating his retirement, passing the reins to Tom, and they were having a little celebration. I stopped to pay my respects. They also had an A.J. Fernandez event, ironically, so I bought so more AJF cigars. I finally, after many years, met Art Toll, who is one of the owners of the CigarCigars empire, and we had a nice chat, I even got some inside info. More on that as it develops. We’ve “known” one another for many years, but hadn’t met in person. This is not uncommon in the virtual world, I “know” people for 20 years that I haven’t met yet. Anyway, one of the cigars I picked up was the Bellas Artes Maduro in the Short Churchill size. Saka’s Short Churchill is a Robusto or Hermoso sized cigar, where this one is a 6″ x 48 thin toro, or fat lonsdale. Maybe it’s a long, fat gorona gorda, heck, I don’t know what it is, Saka has a 6″ x 48 in the Umbagog line he calls a Corona Gorda. It’s a good size whatever you call it and this one was delicious. Brazilian Matafina wrapper over a San Andrés binder with Nicaraguan fillers. This is my kind of cigar, deep, rich chocolate flavors, with some pepper. Delicious cigar. Of course I’ll miss hanging out with Kevin at the shop, and I’m sure he’ll have a wonderful retirement travelling the country. 

Have you ever lit a cigar and struggled to get smoke, but when you blow through it smoke billow though it like a california wildfire? That pisses me off. That’s all for today, until the next time, 

CigarCraig