Eight years ago, a much younger Skip Martin and Mike Morales started a little cigar company based out of Austin, TX. Both men were not new to the cigar business but their collective minds launched RoMa Craft Tobac Company. Now, almost a decade later, the once ultra-ultra-boutique cigar company is still considered boutique, with production limited and controlled through the company’s own factory Fabrica de Tobacco NicaSueno factory in Esteli, Nicaragua.
The cigar that started the whole partnership back in 2012, was the Intemperance. Even before the the FDA deeming regulations, Skip and Mike were making a statement with their new brand. They were going all in and today they are still thriving.
The RoMa Craft Intemperance actually comes in two blends now. The BA XXI (Brazilian Arapiraca) and the EC XVIII (Ecuadorian Connecticut). Today I offer a review on the RoMa Craft Intemperance BA XXI specifically the “Breach of the Peace” vitlola.
The Intemperance BA XXI blend is described as:
- Wrapper – Brazilian Arapiraca
- Binder – Indonesia
- Filler – Nicaragua and Dominican
It is expressed in five vitolas and come packaged in 24-count boxes, except for the Intrigue which are packed in a 30-count box:
- Avarice (4.50 × 52) MSRP $7.60
- Ambition (5.5 × 54) MSRP $8.40
- Breach of the Peace (5 × 56) MSRP $8.55
- Envy (5 × 50) MSRP $7.85
- Intrigue (4 × 46) MSRP $6.55
Pricing above is based off of the JRCigars.com website which offers 10% plus off MSRP.
For this review, I sampled the RoMa Craft Intemperance BA XXI Breach of the Peace which I purchased for this review.
Pre-Light Examination
The Intemperance BA XXI Breach of the Peace is a medium to dark brown cigar that has a slight reddish clay tinge. It has some light marbling and just a few noticeable veins. The barrel is firm to the touch. Running my finger along the barrel I noted a few bumps. A double cap and an unfinished foot completes the presentation.
As with all RoMa Craft cigars, the band is simple. In the case of the Intemperance, it is the simplest of all the line, using a thin white and black band with “Intemperance Cigars” printed on it. When you think of the cost of cigars, you have to factor in the cost of the band and in the case of RoMa Craft they keep that to a minimum.
Running the Intemperance BA XXI Breach of the Peace along the nose, I picked up a light curing barn aroma along the barrel while the foot exuded notes of butter and fruit.
I used my double blade Xikar cutter to slice the cap, right across the shoulder, and proceeded with a few cold puffs that were spot on with restriction and delivered notes of fruit and pepper. A few more cold puffs and I detected a light butter note also.
I used my double flame torch to warm the foot and draw in the first puffs of peppery smoke. Now that I got the journey started, follow along as I burn this one to ash.
Cigar Review
- Early pepper notes open the nose
- Light grey ash forms on a medium wavy char line
- Saltiness and a hint of cocoa entice the palate as the pepper recedes
- Slight off burn developed that eventually needed a touch up
- Woody notes join the mix
- Touch of cream enters
- Mild spice build towards the midway point
- Ash is growing and staying strong
- Dry fruit nuances add to the pleasure
- Burns hot to touch moving into final third
- Spice increases down to the finish
- Extreme long and flaky ash
- Medium-Full in strength
- Total Smoking Time was 1 hour and 25 Minutes
Overall, the RoMa Craft Intemperance BA XXI Breach of the Peace was a fine smoke that offered a decent array of flavors and transitions through the journey. It did have a a couple of off-burns that required touch-ups, but amazingly, the ash never fell from those touch ups and stayed strong down to the final third. These are certainly worth picking up a fiver of and I rate this a 90.
Point Deductions: (-1) Off Burn; (-2) Multiple Touch-ups; (-1) Flaky ash; (-1) Burns hot to the Touch
Bonus Points: (+1) Extreme Ash
