Romeo y Julieta Reserve Maduro Toro Review

[Skyler1534]

After reading many reviews and thinking, "I could do that." I finally decided to take the time to write one. As a natural writer, it comes as second-nature and since I haven't really worked on any writing projects for quite a while now, I figured this would let me use some skills I left behind. Let me know what you all think!

-Skyler

Living Up to the Look

For my first formal review, I am very pleased that I chose a RyJ Reserve Maduro from my humidor. From the first look at the cigar shop, this cigar would draw the attention of any cigar smoker. Its beautifully designed black band with silver lettering and smooth maduro wrapper just taunts you to try it.

After first trying the Belicoso when the brand originally emerged, I was satisfied, but did not take note of all of its attributes. This time, with my trusty legal pad by my side and pen in hand, I marked each note of change.

From the moment I removed the cellophane, I was impressed. The appearance is beautiful. Some slight external flaws could be noted, but overall, it was free of overwhelming bulges or veins. I could tell this was a well-constructed cigar before it was lit.

After using my handy cigar punch, I toasted the foot over my Colibri torch and it lit like a match. The first thing I took note of upon putting the cigar to my lips was the prevalent maduro flavor. After first puff, I judged this as a medium-bodied cigar with a respectable amount of smoke produced. The original flavor smacked of sweet chocolate. An earthy flavor and a subtle spice could also be noted under the surface. A nice grey-white ash was produced and stayed well for about an inch and a half.

After the first third of this six-inch cigar, the flavor shifted. It became spicier and less sweet. The burn was nice, although it did need to be corrected after the first ash. As I reached down to the halfway mark, an earthy-spicy combination emerged. The flavors combined very nicely.

With one-third left, the flavor again shifted and dropped down into a pleasant earthy tone with hints of chocolate. After second ash, it performed well and burned evenly. Good down to the last puff, it capped off with a smooth, earthy finish. This left me with a pleasant, non-overbearing aftertaste.

I would say this cigar would be enjoyable to smokers of all seasons, from the beginners to those who have smoked more cigars than they can count. One problem I noted was a slightly tight draw. This may be correctable by clipping it rather than using a punch. In addition, it was a little too sweet to start out with, but it settled itself nicely.

Would I recommend this to my customers?

Definitely. This cigar is good for all occasions and can be enjoyed whether you are looking for the subtle flavor changes or just smoking it while busy with other things. It would make a great addition to an Introduction to Maduros Sampler and would fit nicely with most mix-and-match selections. With a suggested retail of $6.00 and a TCS price ranging from $5.00-5.50, it is also well worth the price.

Overall Grade- B+

[SilvrBck]

Last night I had the pleasure of enjoying this cigar while partaking in a friendly game of poker with my sucker friends who, apparently, like to lose their money. Ahem, I digress. I bought this cigar about 4 months ago after hearing mixed reviews and since it was a relatively new release I thought I'd give it a try. Like Skyler said, this cigar looks good and inviting on the tobacconist's shelf. The wrapper was a nice dark brown but not as dark as other maduros out there. I could feel soft spots in the cigar and wondered if I would encounter burn problems. Also, a few large veins bulged out from the binder and could be felt through the wrapper. Prelight draw: tight, very tight. I found this odd as the cigar itself felt rather loose. Lit it up. The first notes I got were definitely chocolatey and typical maduro flavor. That quickly subsided and earthier flavors began to emerge. The ash was strikingly white against the dark brown wrapper and it held tight for over 2 inches. Then, the flavor turned slightly sour, the cigar became soft, and the draw didn't improve. It had some moderate burn problems as it raced up the sides where there were soft spots. I let it die with 2 inches left, I was done.
Overall I was fairly dissapointed with this cigar. Decent construction, really tight draw, dissapointing flavor. Nice looks aren't going to make me buy this one again. There are better cigars out there for this price range ($8.50 in California) IMHO.
SB

[Ryan]

I fined i've found both pats and slvrbacks experiences. I have had amazingly good RyJ maduros, AND i have had bad ones. I find when you buy singles you must really inspect them... search for soft spots and varying color changes in wrapper, if you find know you have a good cigar usually... Thats the only problem with the RyJ maduros they can be inconsistent, BUT I find its good more often than not.


$.02
Ryan

[relaxnsmoke]

Timely post, my Boss told me today he's bringing in the 6 by 52 RyJ Maduro Belicoso, he bought in a 5 pack last month. I will give you his opinion of this cigar tomorrow. I haven't tried a RyJ Maduro yet so I'm curious how they will fare by his standard. His current favorite Cigars are Padrons and RyJ Vintage Vs.

Hey! Has anyone tried the new RyJ Reals? I didn't even know they were for sale. I guess they are RyJs entry into the stronger cigar market, with a CT. Shade Ecuadorian Wrapper and mixed Country Blends. The size selection looks cool.

I'm afraid to check out most RyJs 'cept the Vintages because I too, found them inconsistant. Here is a photo of the new reals...

[relaxnsmoke]

Here is what the Bossman said about the RyJ Maduro, which by the way was a Curchill, 7 by 50.

He loved it!
Gives it a 8.5 out of 10
He is going to buy a box (always a good indicator of really liking a cigar) so I will have a few in a week or two!

Now all I did was smell this cigar.

If we had a Forum with the heading of something like "Cigars I Sniffed", I'd write a Sniffing Critique, I may go to that LOLH afterall, and just sniff cigars. Yep. Just relaxnsniff.