Romeo y Juilieta - Short Churchills 2017-no box code available (SMRW3/4)

[The Squiggler]

Slot Machine Review Weekend!

Romeo y Julieta - Short Churchills (50 x 124mm); from 2017, no box code available

(*edit: whoops! just for clarification, I realize a 'Short Churchill' is a Robusto and not a Churchill... I think I read the wrong contest description and wrote up the wrong review... oh well ?)

For this week's review I decided to pull a stick from my singles humidor.  Received in a 5-pack trade in early 2018, this is the first of these I have tried.  Robustos are not generally my favorite as the vitola is a bit large in RG to suit me, but I do occasionally stumble across one that manages to knock my socks off so I attempt to go into the experience with an open mind. 

The porch is currently in the process of being refinished and I've just wrapped up the pressure-washing step, so it's nicer back here than it's been in a while.  The weather this week has also been idyllic, and I wonder if it hasn't been biasing my cigar scores in favor of the positive... worse crimes have been committed, but if by the end of this review you find me drinking the robusto koolaid, just remember... it's probably the spring fever ?.

With a simple straight cut the draw is nice and open--a bit too open to call 'perfect', but well within the realm of acceptability.  At cold, flavors of hay, honey and stonefruit are present, hinting at the gentle elegance the marca is sometimes capable of delivering.  First light reveals flavors of light leather and barnyard.  Smoke production is a bit light but what I'm getting is creamy in texture with a touch of milky sweetness.  There is a hint of bitter astringency, but it is quite subdued and seems to fade quickly.  The burn is nice and sharp (if a little crooked); Body is medium; Strength is on the low side of medium.

Into the second third, the milk and leather flavors are now accompanied by hints of dried stonefruit (apricot and cherry, perhaps) adding a pleasant sweet-and-sour element to the profile.  There is a touch of white pepper on the retrohale--just assertive enough to nicely round out the profile--and despite my general qualms with the vitola, this is shaping up to be a pretty nice smoke.  She needs a touch-up here and there but nothing major; Body is holding steady at med; Strength remains med-low.

The sweetness seems to drop off a bit in the second half as a touch of floral minerality emerges.  There is a pleasant spiciness on the lips reminiscing of mild chiles.  Light leather has remained prominent throughout, but there is no bitterness remaining.  The mineral quality seems to ramp up quite a bit toward the end as the leather quality seems to become more meaty (reminding me a bit of a strange beef stew with salt and pepper).  These flavor changes, while interesting, seem to accompany the buildup of hot oils in the nub as it approaches the 1.5 inch mark, and I decide to toss it shortly thereafter. 

Overall impressions: this was a pleasant surprise.  While I was far from blown away, the experience offered a diverse array of flavors while remaining smooth and balanced.  That said, I must lodge the same complaint regarding this cigar as I would with many other in the 50+ RG cigars: the flavors seemed just ever-so-slightly more diluted than they would in a thinner cigar with the same basic recipe.  Regardless, this was a very enjoyable smoke, and while I probably won't reach for another of these for a while, I definitely wouldn't hesitate to recommend one to a robusto-loving friend or family member.  87/100.