Gift Review - Romeo y Julieta No. 1 Tubo

An occasional feature here on The Cohiba Club blog is a review of a cigar received as a gift. This current subject is a Romeo y Julieta No. 1 Tubo 'Cremas' Petit Corona, given to me by club member Tom, back in January of this year.

With it's tube design recently overhauled by Habanos, S.A. (no doubt a marketing attempt to make it a more appealing package) I was very hopeful and intrigued about what this little gem (5 1/2 x 40) might be like.

Following Cigar Aficionado's 4-part rating system (Appearance & Construction, Flavor, Smoking Characteristics, and Overall Impression) I sat down to rate this cigar while enjoying a glass of Scotch.

With a bumpy exterior, it appeared pretty rustic, though still seemingly well put together. The roll quality felt fine and the pre-light draw confirmed that it wouldn't give me any trouble there. Ultimately, it burned great, so I couldn't find much wrong with the construction except for the rough outward appearance.

Sadly, however, this little cigar produced smoke that was quite thin. The ash fell on me twice, not that I held it that long, and it's color was somewhat dark grey.

Flavors consisted of a floral character with a nice sweetness for the first half, mild and enjoyable. The second half was a different story. I began to notice that coming on rather quickly was an acrid, metallic, bitter flavor that I just couldn't get past and ended up putting it down after only having about two-thirds of it.

Unfortunately, what started out as a nice cigar simply 'turned' way to quickly. Perhaps the next one will provide a better experience. After adding up the scoring, my rating for the Romeo y Julieta No. 1 Tubo is 81.

Here's the points breakdown:

I. Appearance & Construction: 12 pts (80% of the points possible)

II. Flavor: 19 pts (76% of the points possible)

III. Smoking Characteristics: 23 pts (92% of the points possible)

IV. Overall Impression: 30 pts (77% of the points possible)