H.Upmann Sir Winston vs Romeo y Julieta Churchills

[Odessa]

Ladies and gentlemen,

I hope you are well. Would you please share your H.Upmann Sir Winston vs Romeo y Julieta Churchills experience?

Thank you.

[Bri Fi]

Are you asking which is better? 

[NSXCIGAR]

The SW is simply on a different level. I suppose the RyJ Churchill could be considered the flagship model of the marca as well (and might currently be the best RyJ model) but I don't think you'll get many folks to dispute that the SW is just using better raw materials and is bringing more to the table. It's a special cigar, and always has been.

The best illustration of this is how many people chose the SW to be the their choice of any CC under $1,000 in the recent poll.

[99call]

To me a key difference is that with any R&J cigar you sort of have to be a fan of the blend. To me it's quite exotic and unusual with a lot of sort of middleastern sweet and savoury flavours going on. 

With the Winnies: 

A, the blend is a great deal more accessible to a wider range of smokers i.e who doesn't creamy shortbread, coffee? etc

B, the Winnie has an added opulence which is quite rare in the cigar world.   Certain cigars just give off a viscous, hanging heavy in the air, rich smoke. 

with both cigars you have good consistency, but critically the Churchills are consistently 92 point cigars,   whereas Winnies are consistently 94 and up.

It will all boil down to which blend you prefer Upmann or R&J

 

[BrightonCorgi]

If you lucky enough to get a 20+ year old RJ Churchill tubo, that will hang with the SW. 

A more apt comp would be the Upmann Monarch to the RJ Churchill and I'd take the Monarch (if I could still find them).

[BrightonCorgi]

This shouldn't be a disparaging thread on the RJ Churchill which a great cigar.  Had a down period about a decade ago, but since then is back to its former glory.

[Silverstix]

Agreed as other have stated - the Sir Winston is in a different class than the RyJ Churchills.  I find the RyJ is a very pleasant cigar and is easy to smoke, whereas the Sir Winston demands your attention as you savor every draw because it's just that good.

[CaptainQuintero]

  Like everything it comes down to the quality of the box in front of you. Air Winstons are made on a staggered production so there are less around. You would presume that this is because they wait for the right quality to be there before they decide to start rolling. If I was a betting man I wouldn't be quite so assured. If you're buying from a trusted seller then I wouldn't worry about it on either side.

  SWs you're into the sweet spiced shortcake and milky coffee

  RyJ you're into the Turkish delight, perfume/aromatic and darker coffees, hints of Jammu fruits.

  If you get good boxes they can both be stunning, as always it will go down to your personal tastes, but if someone is a fan of cigars I can't imagine them to be disappointed with either

[moneyneversleeps]

I don’t recall seeing any Sir Winnies on 24:24 for the past 3-4 months that I have been on the forum.  Are they difficult to find?

[Tstew75]

6 minutes ago, moneyneversleeps said:

I don’t recall seeing any Sir Winnies on 24:24 for the past 3-4 months that I have been on the forum.  Are they difficult to find?

Fairly elusive, they only seem to be rolled 1/2x a year. Always grab when you can.

[Kaptain Karl]

Has any of the 2020 Sir Winnie stock came out yet? 

[Kitchen]

Sir Winston is a different level.  However I am finding the Tacos to be on par and just as great.  

[Chibearsv]

You're right in my wheel house with this question.  I am a huge fan of both the Sir Winston and the RyJ Churchill.  Aside from size, they are very different in taste, quality of construction, and strength.  Sir Winston is an elegant cigar with lots of gentle flavors and has more consistency in its quality of construction.  A young RyJ Churchill, although generally very good, can be a bit of a brute; with stronger flavors and a strong nicotine buzz; they also tend to have more issues with construction but when they are on, they are really good.  They both age wonderfully and both definitely have a place in my humidors at all times.  If you've never had either and are looking for the lowest risk option, Sir Winston is probably the way to go.  However, I'd highly recommend trying them both because they are quite different.

[cigaraholic]

I love them both! In the past I probably smoked 10 RJ Churchill’s for ever 1 HUSW because fruity tobacco is my favorite. But after the leaf change in the very late 90’s I think medium bodied brands we’re more adaptable to the change. Cherry bombs became Turkish delight but vanilla cream wafers are still vanilla cream wafers. Full bodied brands lost the intensity of the past. These days for me it’s 10 to 1 the other way.

[NSXCIGAR]

6 hours ago, CaptainQuintero said:

Air Winstons

I think Michael Jordan prefers Lusitanias...

[NSXCIGAR]

8 hours ago, BrightonCorgi said:

If you lucky enough to get a 20+ year old RJ Churchill tubo, that will hang with the SW. 

I agree, the RyJ Churchill used to be great and was certainly considered on par with the SW, but that would have certainly been prior to about 1997. Also, the Churchill seemed to be the first CC to experience widespread draw problems. I recall that personally as I was always trying them as they had such a great reputation and found almost every one had a tight draw in the late 90s. 

In my opinion, the RyJ Churchill (as well as most other RyJs) had been on the skids since at least 2000 and really didn't begin to recover until 13-14. I think the same could be said about Punch as a brand. The 2000s were not a good decade for either brand. 

And the Churchill used to be a bold, powerful cigar. Today, I think it wins on balance and nuance, whereas the SW is much more full and up front as it has always been. 

[bassistheplace]

I've tried both for the first time in the last 12 months. And i will say my palate is not as refined as many who post reviews here. That being said, both are really excellent cigars. The RyJ has a stronger classic flavor. The SW is elegant and more refined. I'm fortunate to have a nice supply of both, but the SW is special occasion only...

[dominattorney]

You'd really like to say the RJ is better, or even as good. Trust me, I know. I do this with Cohiba all the time. Unfortunately, with respect to the SW, it really is that much better. 

[Jimmy_jack]

Winstons are simply the best cigar I've ever had. Top of the game. RyJ are nice, SW are the pinnacle.

[CaptainQuintero]

4 hours ago, cigaraholic said:

I love them both! In the past I probably smoked 10 RJ Churchill’s for ever 1 HUSW because fruity tobacco is my favorite. But after the leaf change in the very late 90’s I think medium bodied brands we’re more adaptable to the change. Cherry bombs became Turkish delight but vanilla cream wafers are still vanilla cream wafers. Full bodied brands lost the intensity of the past. These days for me it’s 10 to 1 the other way.

 To me RyJ seems one of the most affected by the strain change. Old examples have a much more intense richness, almost syrup like thickness of flavours. The cazadorez seems to have the most of this left when they have had a long long sleep but they tend towards the more vegetal/herbal side of RyJ to my tastes

[DeskSmkr]

The SW box has a neat latch and a laquered? cosmetic finish. Both are excellent, in my opinion, the Sw a bit moreso, but i would prefer to have both. The RyJ is really nice and more accessible. Part of SW allure includes exclusivity solely because of limited supply.
 

Agree with flavor profile differences already stated, except for savory - I dont remeber Sw being savory to me, though I  acknowledge anyone who says sw can be savory, we are after all describing our own memory and experiences, and anyway my sample size is likely smaller.

[Chibearsv]

18 hours ago, Kaptain Karl said:

Has any of the 2020 Sir Winnie stock came out yet? 

I haven't seen them anywhere all year.

[mprach024]

Buy both.  Winnies are classier, but I always enjoyed both, both are in my humidor and are replaced as I get low.  Their spot is earned.  

[NSXCIGAR]

23 hours ago, CaptainQuintero said:

 To me RyJ seems one of the most affected by the strain change. Old examples have a much more intense richness, almost syrup like thickness of flavours. The cazadorez seems to have the most of this left when they have had a long long sleep but they tend towards the more vegetal/herbal side of RyJ to my tastes

I think RyJ, Punch, Partagas and Boli took equally huge hits from the late 90s onward. But RyJ IMO has had the longest recovery and along with Boli, the farthest fall from grace. Anyone who smoked RyJ Ex 4 in the 90s could tell you how far RyJ has fallen. It's incredible to think smoking a cigar would be like eating a bowl of tropical fruits, but that was the old Ex 4. Now the best we can get is some cherry or light rosewater.

[Fugu]

Don’t know when you guys had your last Churchills, but I suggest, grab a 2016 tubo - smoke - report back...