Royal Agio Balmoral Anjeo XO Masivo Cigar Review – Family Tradition

According to the Royal Agio Cigars website:

“In 1904 Jacques Wintermans borrowed 200 Dutch guilders from his father to set up a small company. He named the business A.Wintermans & Sons. From 1950 onwards the company was known as Agio Cigars. The village of Duizel in Brabant at the heart of the historic cigar-producing region in De Kempen is where it all started. And Duizel is still the home of our family business to this day.”

I caught up with Boris Wintermans at the 2017 IPCPR and he walked me through his 113 year old,  4th generation, cigar company and the Balmoral Anjeo XO cigar.

The Balmoral Anjeo XO Masivo Cigar

To start off let me say the Balmoral Anjeo XO brand is an amazing looking cigar, whether it be the Masivo vitola I am reviewing or one of the other 7 vtilolas in the lineup. The blend is described as:

• Wrapper – Sungrown Arapiraca – exceptionally aged
• Binder –  Dominican Olor – exceptionally aged
• Filler – Dominican Republic, Nicaragua, Brazil – all exceptionally aged

There are eight vitolas in the Balmoral Anjeo XO:

• Rothschild Masivo – 5 x 55
• Torpedo Mk52 – 6.25 x 52
• Petit Robusto FT –  4.25 x 48
• Gran Toro – 6 x 52
• Corona – 5 7/8 x 42
• Lancero FT – 7 x 40
• Gordito 4 x 58
• Gran Magnifico – 6 x 46-58

Available in 20-count boxes the Balmoral Anjeo XO has an MSRP in the mid $8 to $12 range.

Pre-Light Examination

The Balmoral Anjeo XO from Agio Cigars is a beautiful cigar right out of the box. It has a medium brown wrapper that is smooth to the touch and has a slight oily sheen to it. Something i expect from an “exceptionally aged” leaf.  It is tightly packed and solid from head to foot. It is light on veins and is finished with an expertly applied cap..

There are two bands on this cigar. The primary band that uses a grey,  gold,  and white motif with the gold Balmoral “B”  logo centered in it.  The word Balmoral is written across the top. The secondary footer band declares this as the Anjeo XO Rothchild Masivo. the primary band also has thin ruby-red stripe on the bottom that seems to catch the eye when it is on the shelf.

Running the Balmoral Anjeo XO across the nose, I picked up a light spice aroma along the barrel and notes of cocoa and fruit off the foot.

I chose to slice the cap  with my Xikar double blade cutter and proceeded to give it some extended cold puffs. The draw was perfectly restricted offering a delicious buttery component and touch of sea salt. As I rolled it about a bit longer a pepper note developed.

If the pre-light is any indication, this was going to be a terrific smoking experience. 

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Cigar Review Notes

• Hint of palate warming red pepper hits right off the flame
• Fruit with touch of pepper on the nose
• Light grey ash develops
• Peppery spice aroma
• Sweetness joins the profile along with a nut component
• First third closes with a sprinkle of earth
• Ash is holding tight
• Cedar notes enter close to midway
• Smoke smooths out well midway into the second third
• Citrus grapefruit peel fills out the profile
• Sharp burn line under the solid ash
• Fruity floral aroma fills the room
• Spice finds its way in
• Ash finally falls near the start of the final third
• Perfectly centered and pointed burn cone
• This is where things get fun!!
• Pepper enters replacing the spice
• Cinnamon and Cherry fruit entices the palate
• Finishes with an increased pepper on the tongue and nose
• Cool to the touch from  foot to nub
• Solid medium plus in strength
• Total Smoking Time was one hour and 15 minutes

Overall, the Royal Agio Cigars Balmoral Anjeo XO was an amazing and complex yet balanced smoking experience with a cornucopia of flavors. This is a cigar that lives up the 4 generations and 113 years of the Wintermans family. As Boris noted in the interview, “this is my pride and joy,  my passion!” I could not agree with him more. Next time  you are in your local  brick and mortar see if they carry Balmoral  cigars and take my advice and pick one or two up , you will  not be disappointed. I would like to thank Boris for the samples to review here on Stogie Press and hope to see him again soon.