Cigar Review: RyJ by Romeo y Julieta

Vitola: Bully Grande
Size: 5” x 54 ring gauge
Price $8.75
Purchased from Silo Cigars

Background

I don’t remember a time that I really liked the Romeo y Julieta line of cigars from Altadis. Surely in my early days of smoking, I tried some…as I tried all the big brands I had heard of before I became a cigar enthusiast…Cohiba, Montecristo, Hoyo de Monterrey. All those brands that had Cuban counterparts but the name was about all they shared. Most of these cigars (all owned by Altadis and General Cigar) are known for being “mass-market, commodity” cigars. They have great consistency from year to year. They continuously sell very well. But they aren’t exactly setting the enthusiast world on fire year after year.

The bottom line that I see is this: most of the folks who stick with Romeos , Montes, Hoyos, and even Macanudos do so because of habit. That’s the cigar they smoke…they smoke several a week…and they don’t want to change. That means good sales for now…but those customers will eventually quit smoking…either by choice or because they get old and take the big dirt nap. I think General and Altadis have seen the same writing on the wall, because they have taken steps to overhaul their lines in different ways. While General has introduced some daring new lines like Foundry and tried to breathe new life into others like Macanudo with the Cru Royale, Altadis has been going through seemingly their entire catalog, re-vamping and re-thinking. The old blends aren’t going away, at least not for now, but H. Upmann was joined by “Legacy,” San Luis Rey now has “SLR2,” and Trinidad has the “Paradox.” Some lines are up to their second addition: Montecristo saw the “MONTE” join “EPIC” and now Romeo y Juliet sees “ROMEO” joined by “RyJ.” And this one caught my interest.

First the change in Montecristo, signaled by EPIC made me pay a little better attention to what Altadis is working on. While “Romeo” really just struck me as a fuller-bodied version of the old Romeo y Julieta line from the Dominican Republic, this new RyJ is a Nicaraguan puro, something new for the line and maybe even for Altadis (I’m sure someone out there could confirm this…has Altadis ever done a Nica puro before this?).

This is what Altadis had to say about this cigar on their website:

There is a thousand-year-old land where magic exists. A land where multiple microclimates and diverse soil types yield some of the finest, most cherished tobacco varieties in the world. A land where the RyJ by Romeo y Julieta is born.

Handmade 100% with these sought-after Nicaraguan tobaccos, RyJ is intense and strongly-spiced. Specially crafted with a Corojo Jalapa wrapper, a double binder of tobaccos from Jalapa and Esteli, and a filler blend of vintage 2010 Nicaraguan leaves, the RyJ offers unparalleled aroma, complex flavor and deep and rich nuances. Experience the magic of Nicaragua. Experience the RyJ.

The fillers are further designated as being from Jalapa, Estelí, and La Mia. Initially they released it in 3 sizes, retailing between $8 and $9. I picked one up at Silo Cigars on a recent trip to Knoxville; this review is based on my first experience with this blend.

Prelight

I heard a couple people gripe about the way some classic brands are re-marketed with the new blends. The marketing on ROMEO was an attempt to employee an edgier, new look, as was Paradox. For RyJ, it seems they decided to keep the look and feel closer to the classics. The bands are white with dark red ink and gold foil, along with the slightest bit of black ink in a couple places and light embossing. Not ostentatious or over the top, and not far off in overall feel from the the Reserva Real or 1875. The wrapper had a beautifully oily sheen to it and a tinge of blush in the light brown mottled coloration. The aroma from the wrapper was pungent and barnyardy…a strong aroma that I don’t normally associate with a lot of Altadis smokes. The foot had more barnyard along with black pepper and sweet raisin aromas. After clipping the head, I got a very good draw and a cold flavor that mixed earth and dried fruit with just a bit of pepper.

Flavor

Firing up the RyJ, I immediately got note of strong coffee, cedar, and earth, with a slightly pepper finish. The retrohale was very nutty, with a little more pepper spice. Overall, while I detected pepper on both palate and nose, neither was very strong, especially considering this was a Nicaraguan puro. Soon I started to pick up some subtler sweet flavors, a bit of fruitiness in the background. It was a good component and reminded me in some ways of the Davidoff Nicaragua with its subtle flavors.

As I cruised into the second third, I picked up on some citrus flavor, refining the fruit sweetness. The pepper diminished on both nose and palate, but there was still cedar and earth on the palate, along with a touch of hay.

In the last third I got more of the same with an resurgence of the pepper spice.

Construction

Build quality on the RyJ was solid…good draw (if a bit snug at times), very even burn line, rock-hard ash.

Value

A Nicaraguan puro with that doesn’t emphasize strength and has some subtlety and nuance to it? For less than $9? Yeah, that’s worth it!

Conclusions

I said that the RyJ reminded me in some ways of the Davidoff Nicaragua and I stick with that assessment. Both of their regular lines are Dominican-based cigars made for people who gravitate toward milder smokes; both of their Nicaraguan puros are medium-bodied, full-flavored cigars with a lot of nuance, highlighting Nicaraguan leaf that is more about subtlety than power. The Dominican Romeo y Julietas are not as refined an experience as their Davidoff counterparts and the same holds true with the Nicaraguan sticks. I would say this cigar would be perfect for some who would enjoy the Davidoff Nicaragua, but can’t afford to spend double the money for them. Another great surprise from Altadis.

By-The-Numbers

Prelight: 2/2
Construction: 2/2
Flavor: 4/5
Value: 1/1
Total: 9/10