Blind Review: Romeo y Julieta Reserva Real Nicaragua

Altadis USA boasts an enormous array of brands, with many lines within each. In fact, the company overseas so many cigar lines that it can be a challenge for each cigar to stand out among the rest. To make the Romeo y Julieta Reserva Real Nicaragua released earlier this year, Rafael Nodal enlisted the talents of master blender/grower AJ Fernandez to create a Nicaraguan puro using tobaccos from AJ’s farm.  

These two men have crafted many wonderful cigars that have received numerous accolades in the industry. Having smoked this blind I was not surprised to find out that they were at the helm. The quality was evident.

Blend Specifics

• Cigar Reviewed: Romeo y Julieta Reserva Real Nicaragua
• Wrapper: Nicaraguan Habano
• Binder: Nicaraguan
• Filler: Nicaraguan
• Size 6″ × 54 (toro)

Appearance and Construction

The Romeo y Julieta Reserva Real Nicaragua toro is covered in an oily wrapper with some accented veins. When I squeeze the cigar, I feel a little give, but there aren’t any soft spots and the filler tobaccos seem sufficient to the touch. The foot smelled of leather and slight barnyard notes.

Flavor & Smoking Characteristics

The cap on the Romeo y Julieta Reserva Real Nicaragua clips perfectly. The cold draw is loose, airy and has a some must to the taste. Using a cigar taper I gently toast the stick and the first puffs deliver salt and cedar. The Reserva Real Nicaragua has a medium body to start and with a retrohale raisin and oak waft through the sinuses. The smoke intensifies, with rich tobacco notes that become sweet with cinnamon toast on the finish. The body at this point is medium and the burn line is a bit crooked.

Thankfully by midway the burn line has corrected itself. Almond and spice become the dominated flavors, with secondary cashew and oak notes. I take another retrohale and find a sweeter touch as well as raisinated flavors. Construction wise, the ash is white and flaky, falling off in small pieces as I taking draws from the cigar. From oak to cedar, the wood notes on the Romeo y Julieta Reserva Real Nicaragua come on strong as the cigar progresses.

As I reach the last third of the cigar, leather and spice intertwine with a drying sensation on the mouthfeel. The body continues to be in a solid medium range, never reaching anything fuller. The woodiness in the Romeo y Julieta Reserva Real Nicaragua is really oaky, like the smell of fresh cut wood. What began as raisinated flavors are now more dark plum along with spice finishing with leather.

The final puffs of the Reserva Real Nicaragua deliver a vanilla sweetness that ends with hay and freshly tanned leather.  

Conclusion

The Romeo y Julieta Reserva Real Nicaragua is another fine example of the talents of AJ Fernandez and Rafael Nodal. The tobaccos are well processed and offer lots of wood, toast and sweetness while maintaining a steady medium bodied profile. The nuttiness that developed along with raisins and spice added to the balance of the cigar. This would be a great midday smoke when perhaps your palate is fresher to appreciate the flavors as well as build your way up to a fuller cigar later on.

With a catalog as large as Altadis USA has, it’s nice to see a smoke that stands out in its quality and profile. I would recommend picking up a few as they’d be a pleasant addition to the novice and aficionado alike.

Final Rating: 89