Romeo y Julieta Wide Churchill

Overall Score

1 review for Romeo y Julieta Wide Churchill

  1. E* H*** D* L** D*****

    Romeo y Julieta Wide Churchill

    Origin : CubaRomeo y Julieta
    Format : Wide Churchill / Montesco (Robusto)
    Size : 5.1 (130 mm) x 55
    Release : 2010
    Box code : RAE JUN15
    Hand-Made
    Price : $283 for a box of 25

    Recently I had the opportunity to finally sample a branded cigar that is readily available in my market, but typically supplied from different countries in Central America (editor’s note: non-Cuban Romeo y Julietas, some of them are reviewed here). Typically these smokes have been dry, grainy and more akin to puffing on a pile of sawdust than a true fine quality cigar. I am happy to say that the Cuban Romeo y Julieta rose to the occasion and has offered a stout cigar with plenty of taste that should satisfy most any avid Cubano lover and beginner alike. It is a nice smoke at an economical price for a Cuban.

    Appearance : [rating:3.5/5]
    Packed in a moderately brown wrapper, the Wide Churchill gives you the impression that you are about to enjoy a stout cigar, and the product does deliver on that promise. Were this cigar graded on appearances, it would be an upper tier cigar in my book. However, there are some issues with this smoke. Spines were sparse and small and no signs of oiling or blooming.

    Romeo y Julieta Wide Churchills - Box

    Construction : [rating:3/5]
    I found a number of construction problems. The burn was not consistent and most of the cigars I smoked had major burn issues requiring corrections, some successful—some not. Draw was effortless, but the wrapper separated on just about every cigar at the point of clipping. Canoeing and gopher holing was almost a constant, with all cigars having some sort of an issue.

    Flavor : [rating:3.5/5]
    Taste is where this cigar redeems itself. Effortless lighting yields billowing columns of smoke with woody and oftentimes fruity and even melon-like notes. Taste was a very pleasant surprise, with these notes carrying themselves throughout all thirds of the cigar. Aging of this cigar could only amplify what is an already strong flavor package.

    Value : [rating:4/5]
    Simply put, this is a great cigar for the price paid. It gives something to just about everyone at EXTREMELY reasonable cost. A great value for what you pay for.

    Overall Rating : [rating:3.5/5]
    Though not what I would consider a top-tier smoke, this Romeo y Julieta definitely piques my interest in looking to see just what other goodies this company has from Cuban origin. If their more restricted releases can pack the power and taste this cigar did, they might just have something to offer the aficionado in all of us.

    Enjoy!!!

    Helpful?
    0 1
    • M*** R

      I’ve never had a Cuban RyJ under 10 years old that didn’t taste like trying to drain a tar pit through a straw. The fact that people are happy to pay more for these than for an excellent Edmundo or Upmann No 2 simply beggars belief.

    • E* H*** D* L** D*****

      @John Bruce— Good question!!!

      It’s $11.32 a stick for no other reason than I cannot directly import them here; and were it not for having them come here to the States by way of Europe the cost would be much less. I have to look at things through the eyes of an international audience, who may or may not have those layers of expense tacked on to the normal price for the goods. You can easily look at $40US per leg of the shipping trip, and if you take the shipping away, the box is more along the lines of $210US, which is very reasonable even if one did have to deal with construction issues.

      It’s kind of like the Bolivar Pederoso’s I reviewed earlier in the year. You get one honkin’ fat stogie but not paying a honkin’ fat price for it.

      Be that as it may, even with all the issues the Cuban version of the RYJ WC’s are light years better than the non Cubano RJC’s you can get here in the States. I would cough up the cash for the Cuban, whilst using the available in the US version as nothing more than glorified corn cob toilet paper.

    • J****

      That’s an interesting review. I have about eight left of a box of 25 bought roughly 2 years ago. Noticing the production date of yours, something bad has happened to these. I’ve had nary a burn issue with my box (now about 3 years post production).

      One of my favorites in my box. My notes on flavor would be more traditional with lots of coffee and earthy, cocoa notes. It’s as if we’re smoking two completely different sticks.

      These are not “every day” smokes at this price point (on my budget) but I do agree they are a good value. Maybe there’s been a changing of the guard where these are rolled and it’s a new crop of rollers that’s causing construction issues?

    • J*** B****

      I’m a bit new at this; so, let me get this straight. $11.32 per stick for a 3 star on construction (i love dealing with “major burn issues, …wrapper separation, …canoeing, …gopher holing and tunneling”), and about 3 1/3 stars on each of appearance, flavor and overall rating. How does all of these irksome issues make this a “great value … at EXTREMELY reasonable cost”?

    • B**** K

      This matches my experience – lots of very good flavor, but frequent burn issues. Virtually every one required some burn correction.

    • B** E

      A great cigar for those new to cigar smoking who are not certain of where their tastes run on the flavour spectrum. But I have always found RyJs too mild to enjoy. They lack the intensity of a full flavoured cigar like, Partagas.

    • J******

      I gave up on this brand years ago. Mild + no flavor = quite lame. Glad you enjoyed these though.

    • C****** H*

      RyJ is “meh” for me…

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Cigar Region Cuba
Filler Cuban
Wrapper Cuba
Binder Cuba
Length 5 1/8
Ring Gauge 55
Vitola Montesco
Construction Hand Made