Cigars.ie

The Lonsdales of Christmas, Day 14 - Romeo y Julieta Cazadores

Romeo y Julieta is one of Habanos most famous brands, holding steadily the 2nd position in the market share in the last decade, after Montecristo. Although the brand was created in the 1850’s, it wasn’t until 1873 that it was officially registered. Romeo y Julieta became popular before the revolution with their figurado shaped cigars, and their reputation kept growing after the revolution, to reach today’s status of being the brand with the most vitolas in regular production (22).

Today we will be smoking the second lonsdale in recent production by Romeo y Julieta; the Cazadore. While still in regular production, the Cazadore was considered by many to be the strongest Cuban cigar in the market. Presented in boxes of 25, in a bundle wrapped in aluminium foil, the Cazadore has huge aging potential. Although discontinued in 2008, it is still widely available, and the cigar I will be smoking today was made in 2002. A heavy meal was recommended to me before smoking this cigar and after following this advice I am ready to see what the Cazadore has in store for me.

Appearance 13 /15

The Cazadore is a well made cigar, with an attractive coffee brown and rustic wrapper. The triple cap is flat and perfectly applied and the bunch is solid, which is a worry, and consistent. Strong aromas of wood and coffee are present on the foot of the cigar and the prelight draw is tight; more worries!

Flavour & Body 19 / 25

From the first draw, strong flavours of black pepper are tickling my tongue. While still spicy, the cigar has a woody and slightly bitter taste, trying to make its way through the dominant black pepper. The body is medium to full, with a long finish. Although the flavours manage to surface through a very tight draw, I am not confident that this will last for long. The second third is more complex, with the spiciness now settling down. Flavours of earth and cloves appear, joining the blend, in good balance and depth. The bad draw affects the burn, stops the flavours from evolving and the cigar needs to be relit often. Despite my efforts, on the last third there was almost no flavours. I couldn’t get any draw or keep the cigar lit, so I ended up tossing the last third. It’s a pity as I was looking forward to this cigar and it showed some potential in the first half.

Draw & Burn 15 /25

The cigar starts with a very tight draw; despite that, it manages to produce some smoke, but this keeps the flavours muted. I want to see what this cigar has to offer, so I decided to “cheat” and assist it, by sticking a long toothpick through several times to make it draw better. Although it didn’t do wonders, the draw is a little better now; but not the burn. The cigar keeps going out and eventually in the last third I have to put it down.

Overall 25 / 35

One problem that thin gauge cigars have is that they could be too packed, and I have learned that the hard way smoking these lonsdales. This Romeo y Julieta Cazadore was like a broomstick! This cigar is renowned for its strength and flavours, and it showed some promise on the first third. But in the back end the cigar was unsmokeable. Every two draws I had to relight and the flavours were quickly covered by one of charcoal. A total score of 72 is a little unfair and I am sure that most of the Cazadores out there are better than this; I was just unlucky with it. I am not having much luck with some of the Lonsdales in the past week, so I might try something nice tomorrow!

TOTAL 72 /100