Romeo Y Julieta House of Capulet cigar review

When reviewing a new cigar  product you must be aware of your subjective bias. The marketing from the manufacturer will  try to sway your opinion .  Your friends who may be familiar with a particular cigar will chime in with their thoughts. Your own previous experiences will enter into your overall opinion  of what the cigar should taste like. As long you are aware of these factors and let your readership know, I think you are on a solid ground.

Romeo Y Julieta House of Capulet Robusto
Strength:  Medium
Shape : Robusto
Size: 5 X 54
Wrapper Color: Natural
Wrapper Origin: Eucadorian
Wrapper Leaf: Connecticut

This cigar was made for Famous Cigars by Romeo Y Julieta and it is an exclusive blend.

This is a very good looking cigar with a band and paper wrapper that is very arty and cool. Whoever in marketing put this together really did a bang up job with it. It was so impressive that I did not want to take the wrapper off. The cigar had a light brown hue and was smooth to the touch. Firm construction without any obvious blemishes. The roll was outstanding.

For more information on this blend, please click on the above description for a direct link to Famous Cigars.

Would rate this 4 out of 5.

The initial light and cut were made by Xikar products.  The smoothness of this blend was evident was the start with a hint of flavor of nuts and cocoa. This combo flavor stayed throughout the first third of the cigar.  While it was described as medium thought it was mild with perhaps some medium overtones. The  cigar at this stage was very smooth and truly enjoyed it.
At this juncture rating was still 4 out of 5.

The ash was light grey in color and was still attached to the cigar.  A slight burn flaw now appeared but did not create a problem. Eventually the ash did flake off nearing the 2/3 mark of the smoke. Continued to enjoy and reminded myself , a milder blend can be just as pleasurable as a more full bodied smoke.

The last third of the cigar had a bit of of a burn issue but in reality was not a factor. Perhaps it distracted from the overall look of the smoke but did not cause any other flavor or construction issue. The smoke stayed smooth and fun to smoke.

My final thoughts and impressions.

This is quite the find and the price point was very reasonable too. Sometimes we think of what the cigar costs and that might give us unreasonable expectations of the blend.  When it hits on both accounts it is a winner.

As a recap, the overall impression is very positive and for those who enjoy a lighter smoke , it might be in your cigar interests to pick up a box from Famous Smoke. I would certainly smoke it again but as milder cigars are not my regular profile, would have a 5 pack in my humidor when the lighter smoking moment hit me. 

4 out of 5 is a pretty good smoke indeed.

I received this cigar from Famous Smoke gratis for this review. As always this does sway my judgment of my opinion of the cigar.

Keep smoking 

Wishful thinking for a cigar maven

 If you enjoy a stash of Cuban beauties here there are

Keep smoking

Hold it tight or loose.

One of my cigar crew sent me this poster on how you hold your cigar. You can read into it if you want.

Keep smoking

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Mostly hits the mark

I imagine crafting a radio show is very similar to crafting a cigar.  Different pieces need to fit in order to make it all work. The finished product could be a big hit or more realistically , not everything is to your subjective  liking. The 90 rated cigar are a small minority but that does not mean you can't enjoy the other cigars of the world.

I was introduced to the @CigarGuysRadioShow through Twitter.  Finally cleared some time and listened to one full show and several excerpts from 4 others. The show is broadcast live from Atlanta on AM 920 every Sunday from 11 AM to 1 pm EST.   The show is also available on podcast which is the way I listened.

The two affable hosts are Gary "Doc" Laden and Alan " The Cigar Savant". Both gentleman have a easy going way about them and they know their cigar lore. Topics range from interviews from those in the business, reviews of cigars, call in from listeners and quirky subjects about cigars. 

On one show the listeners were asked to name three cigars they would bring with them if they were stuck on a deserted island. Fun topic with interesting takes of what listeners would bring. 

On another show  the question was what are good quality cigars which run under $6?

The overall show is very appealing with a reasonable mix of cigar insiders, cigar lifestyle folks and cigar smokers. Sometimes the interviews runs a bit long, the products may not be of interest to you but overall the show moves. Of course if you don't like what you hear, you can always turn the show off. I don't think that is necessary as there are than enough items in the world of cigars to talk about.

The show is well produced, very professional and if you like cigars you will truly enjoy the show and the hosts.

Their tag line , " Smooth Draws" could be likened to a cigar with a pleasant Connecticut wrapper. Not overpowering on your palate but will get will keep you interested for the duration. 

Give the show a listen, put it in your humidor for a leisurely couple of hours.

Keep  smoking. 

 

Was it worth the wait?

I have been storing an El Rico Habano  Churchill in my humidor for over 5 years. It's not as I waiting for a special reason to smoke it. Basically I just never got around to doing it. So today happens to be the day and here is the review. 

El Rico Habano 7 x 54 with an Ecuadorian wrapper, Nicaragua binder and filler. Used an Xikar cutter and smoked in Los Angeles. 

Impressive dark wrapper with an oily feel and sheen. Construction solid, firm texture with a few veins which did not distract from the appearance. If looks tell the story the cigar appears to be a powerful smoke.

Somewhat uneven initial burn, had hints of cocoa and nuts. Flavor was a it muddled with no clear distinction where this was going to go. After 30 minutes I was surprised the smoke was pretty mild almost bland. My expectation it was going to be a kick in the pants blend.

Ash was light grey and was sustained well without any burn issues . Steady, slow draw and remained this integrity throughout the 1.5 hours of smoking time.

My overall thoughts were of a good quality cigar, decent enough and can be has for a reasonable price point Milder  than I thought it was going to be but more in the medium range. It was not a waste of time but was hoping for a stronger blend. Perhaps being in my humidor for 5 plus years took off some of the edge. I would buy several again but in different shapes to see what would happen. 

My rating would be:  appearance and construction 4 out of 5,  flavor: 3.5 out of 5,smoking characteristics: 3.5 out of 5 and overall 3.8 out of 5. 

A good cigar but not top tier.

Keep smoking. 

It's tough to light a cigar without accessories - Xikar products

There are many methods that are used to light up your beloved stogie. Just to name a few we have cutters of all types, lighters of infinite variety. 

Some of the cigar brethren prefer matches, cheap Bics or even using their teeth to get the smoke started. Through the years my lighter and cigar cutter collection have approached an astronomical number. The brands and types of lighters and cutters  are too numerous to list.

For the last several years my product line has focused on Xikar , a line based in Kansas City. Many of my friends also use their accessories from lighters  to cutters. I have not tried their cigars

Here is my take on them. They have products they fit the budgets for all price points. You can go on the "cheap" for a very serviceable lighter or cutter.  For those who like to burn a little more cash, they have higher end products that will suit your fancy.

Without going into detail on each product, here is the overall impression of what my history is.

The good: nice design with strong flame control of the lighters. The cutters have a great sharp cutting edge with clean cutting. They are good looking and do what they are designed to do. 

Now the not so good: I have had structural failures on most of their products. I do not abuse my lighters or cutters. I keep them in the original packaging and they have the protective covers that are available for each device. I am not sure if the problems are due to manufacturing defects or the stress points need to re enforced . For example , the red wood cutter has had the wood fallen off that I needed to super glue it back on so it would stay.

The Stratosphere lighter top clip which keeps its secure has broken off in the same spot each time it has been replaced with a new lighter.

Xikar has a great repair or replacement policy which is 100 percent guaranteed . They honor their commitment so I give the company kudos for their integrity. 

So this leaves me somewhat confused. I like their products and the backing of what they make.I don't know why they do not last very long. 

As a comparison I owned a DuPont max lighter which lasted without fail for ten years. The cost of that lighter was $150 so I received a good bang for the buck. 

My rating for my experiences with Xikar looks light this

For design 4 out of 5, price point 4 out of 5, for manufacturers guarantee 5 out of 5, for structural integrity 2 out of 5.

I am hoping this number can be pushed up.

Smoke well.

We can't always get what we want

I was gifted a Guillermo Leon corona by a cigar buddy of mine who said he was impressed by this blend. After several weeks in my humidor , I gave it a whirl at my abode. Here are the particulars on this blend.

Country of origin: Domincan Republic

Size: 5.5 x 42

Wrapper: Ecuador habano

Binder: Cameron, Dominican Corojo

Filler: Peru, Dominican Republic, Brazil and Nicaragua 

Attractive color, some slight veins showing, no major flaws evident, good looking, solid throughout, no soft spots Rating : 4 out of 5

Lite the smoke with a Xixar lighter and used a Xixar cutter. Was bitter during the first few puffs with a peppery start, not particularly pleasant . It eventually mellowed out with a nutty presence which I liked. However, the burn became uneven. Possibly the way it was lite but don't think so. Let's move on and see where it goes.

The cigar continued it's uneven burn which was very distracting to the enjoyment of the smoke. I became more concerned about the construction than the flavor.

 

Here are two views of the poor burn and construction, not very appealing .

As the cigar dwindled to the nub, I wanted to end this experience. The result for me was a somewhat middling taste profile with a large construction issue. A bad smoking experience at the abode.

The final look . 

So the tab is a 2 out of 5, which hardly rates a second try. I was told this stick goes for about $8 a single, this is what I read in several publications. A no go in my book. Mandi my dog would give it a one paw rating.

Yours in cigars,

Franklin

new connection

Now  a member of socialcigar.com. 

A site for like minded cigar friends with comments, reviews and other good stuff. Check it out and don't forget about my blog insights and thoughts too.

Cigar Friendly

An expensive resort to be sure but the Terranea Resort in Rancho Palos Verdes is a cigar friendly resort which has a very large outdoor patio where you can smoke if you are so inclined.
The views are wonderful and the Patio Bar has a small selection of cigars if you need to grab one. I advise that you bring your own smokes, grab your favorite beverage from the bar and take it all in.  Drinks also are on the high side but you need to live it up once in awhile.
Service is great, the conversation with guests flows very easily. The guests are from all over the US. In fact, I met 3 people from Somerville , Ma. who noticed I was wearing a Boston Red Sox hat and commented on it.
Find out they know the old neighborhoods I lived in.
Take a look at some of the views from the Patio vantage point.

Happy Fourth to all

Light up your favorite for USA's holiday