Earlier this year, Altidas introduced a new Nicaraguan puro known as the Romeo y Julieta Real Nicaragua. It was officially showcased at TPE 2020 in January and started shipping in March. This is the third time Altidas has created a Nicaraguan puro for Romeo y Julieta. The other two were Romeo y Julieta 1875 Nicaragua and Romeo 505 Nicaragua.
The Romeo y Julieta Real Nicaragua is a collaboration between A.J. Fernandez and Rafael Nodal and it is the fourth collaboration between the two masters. The other three blends were the Montecristo Nicaragua, Trinidad Espiritu and H. Upmann 175 Anniversary. This time, the blend uses tobaccos grown on entirely on Fernandez’s farms in Nicaragua.
Nodal spoke about his relation with Fernandez:
“A.J. Fernandez and I have worked on this blend for over a year and a half. It is more complex and fuller in body than the original Romeo y Julieta Reserva Real made in Dominican Republic, but not too strong.”
The blend is described as:
- Wrapper – Nicaragua
- Binder – Nicaragua
- Filler – Nicaragua
The Romeo y Julieta Reserva Real Nicaragua is expressed in four vitolas and are packaged in 25-count boxes except for the Magnum which come in a 20-count box:
- Toro (6 x 54) MSRP $9.03
- Robusto (5 x 50) MSRP $8.77
- Churchill (7 x 50) MSRP $9.30
- Magnum (6 x 60) MSRP $9.96
The Romeo y Julieta Reserva Real Nicaragua is handcrafted at Tabacalera A.J. Fernandez Cigars de Nicaragua in Estelí, Nicaragua.
For this review, I sampled two Romeo y Julieta Reserva Real Nicaragua which I purchased at my local B & M – Executive Cigar Shop & Lounge, Melbourne Florida.
Pre-Light Examination
The Romeo y Julieta Reserva Real Nicaragua is a stunningly beautiful cigar with a smooth medium brown wrapper that is light on veins and has a fine sheen. It is finished with a double cap and has a solid feel from head to foot.
A single blue, gold, and white band adorns the cigar, with the Romeo y Julieta logo centered in the top along with the golden phrase Reserva Real below and Nicaragua printed in white. The band looks real nice on the brown background of the leaf.
As I ran the Romeo y Julieta Reserva Real Nicaragua along the nose, I picked up a sweet curing barn aroma along the barrel and a cracker note of the foot.
I sliced the cap straight across the shoulder, and proceeded to take in some cold draws. The draw was spot on with restriction and offered earthy and pepper notes with a light salty butter note in the background.
So let’s see what the Romeo y Julieta Reserva Real Nicaragua has to offer. I used my triple flame torch to warm and the journey started. Follow along as I burn this one to ash.
Cigar Review Notes
- Slightly harsh start
- Light fruit and butter notes add to the mix
- Medium grey ash forms on a slightly wavy and thick char line
- Hint of floral
- Natural sweetness starts to show near the end of first third
- Mild cinnamon spice and light cocoa powder
- Ash fell at end of first third revealing a decent burn cone
- Cedar notes join in midway
- Delightful maple syrup aroma wafts off the foot
- Flavors blend well through the final third with just an added touch of wood and sweeter spice
- Medium Strength
- Total Smoking time was 1 hour and 40 minutes to the nub
Overall, the Romeo y Julieta Reserva Real Nicaragua was an excellent cigar that after a short lived harsh start, offered a well balanced array of flavors and aromas from foot to nub. Construction was solid with just a mild wave in the first half followed with a fairly crisp burn after. I would say this is box worthy and I rate this a solid 93.
Point Deductions: (-1) Slightly Harsh to Start; (-1)Mild Wave in first half; (-1) Medium Grey Ash
Bonus Points: (+1) Positive Experience with Multiple Samples; (+1) Box Worthy
