Cigar Review: RyJ By Romeo y Julieta
What can only be termed as a cigar renaissance, RyJ by Romeo y Julieta is one of the latest cigars released by Altadis that breathes new energy into one of their most established brands. Following the success of the MONTE by Montecristo, the company decided to extend their renaissance to the widely popular brand of Romeo y Julieta. The RyJ features all Nicaraguan tobacco from various regions of the country including Estelí and Jalapa. This cigar is a unique blend of Jalapa Corojo wrapper tobacco with a double binder of Nicaraguan Jalapa and Estelí tobaccos with a triple filler tobacco mix from Jalapa, Estelí and La Mia. On its face, RyJ is a feast for the eyes taking advantage of a flawless wrapper, which is further highlighted by the head and foot bands of the cigar; both of which have a white background with gold and red accents. The name of the cigar ‘RyJ’ is displayed in gold embossed cursive font. Once the cap of the cigar is removed, my draw test was highlighted by an effortless draw and a subtle note of grass and barnyard.
1/3: Upon lighting RyJ, my senses were greeted by a whirlwind of smoke and mild notes of earth with a semi-sweet hint of graham cracker and just a touch of cocoa. This was surprising to me, as I was expecting a more pronounced note of pepper spice in the beginning considering the cigar consists solely of rich earthy Nicaraguan tobacco. The burn started off a little uneven in the beginning, but was easily corrected with a quick touch up from a lighter. Further into the first third of the cigar, there was a slight build up in spice with notes of pepper and earth becoming noticeable on the retrohale. Up to this point, the RyJ was definitely in the medium bodied, medium flavor range.
2/3: With the solid ash rolling into the second third, I noticed a definite pepper note in forefront of the cigar’s profile while the graham cracker note of the first third moved gracefully into the background. The retrohale of the second third consisted of earth and cedar notes with a mild cocoa finish. By the end of the second third, cedar and cocoa notes, which were first found in the retrohale, were also found in the dominate profile of the cigar helping to balance the pepper aspect. The strength and flavor of the second third were both teetering on the medium-full range.
3/3: The last third of RyJ by Romeo Y Julieta continued with the same notes and flavors of the preceding third. Overall, RyJ was pleasant cigar that proved to be a bit of a surprise for me. I have grown accustomed to Nicaraguan cigars opening with strong spice notes that level off as the cigar is smoked. RyJ was an exception to my assumption, starting off with more delicate notes and then progressing to fuller bodied notes of pepper and earth. Look for RyJ in 3 sizes in 20 count boxes online at emersonscigars.com as well as your favorite Hampton Roads Emerson’s Cigars location.
