Beneath the Band: Romeo y Julieta Churchill

[El Presidente]

This series to explore whether a particular cigar is humidor worthy. Cost these days is an issue for many so let's see if we can highlight some absolute standouts. This should particularly assist those new to the cigar world.  

To be fair, most of the cigars we have featured to date have scored exceptionally well. Surprisingly well! 

Scoring is: 1-3 (Poor)   4-6 (Average to good)   7-10  (very good to excellent)  Use the Poll. 

You are more than free to comment away 

The Romeo y Julieta Churchill is one of the first cigars I ever smoked. It was certainly the first "large format" cigar and perhaps for that reason it has always retained a place close to my heart. I really enjoy the Romeo y Julieta Churchill. I know that it's appreciation is not universal and I can understand that. For me it symbolises the inherent  complexity of Cuban tobacco: medium to light medium in body, cream coffee spine with a cherry/fruit sweet hint. I will always keep Romeo y Julieta Churchill in my humidor. How much does nostalgia play in that personal decision? .....not quite sure 

Have your say! 

 

 Let us know in this thread 

 

[Chibearsv]

This one's tough. When you get a good box they can be amazing. But I've had so many tent pegs it's tough to rate them highly. I'm currently working through a very good box and they are simply one of my favorite cigars, but I can't give them high ranks.

[Ford2112]

When you get a good one it can be an epic smoking experience. Unfortunately that may only be 1 in 100.

[griller]

1 hour ago, Ford2112 said:

When you get a good one it can be an epic smoking experience. Unfortunately that may only be 1 in 100.

Agreed, though my percentage good to plugged is better than 1%. Unfortunately it isn't a whole lot better but if you can inspect before buying I think you can improve your odds a bit of getting a good roll.

When they're on, there's amazing, and aged can bring one to epic status. 

[rcarlson]

Yeah, they're good, and sometimes great. Haven't had construction issues, certainly no more than other CCs, spare the better factory production. They're an infrequent grab -- but only because I don't want to run out.  

[Lucas Buck]

Maybe I’ve had wonderful luck but these have been mostly wonderful for me. Somewhat inconsistent but I’ve had so many good boxes they will always be a must in my humidor. A classic in every sense of the word. 

[Droper69]

They can be the best of all as well as the worst. Out of 3 boxes of 25 tubos I must have had about 1/3 of them clogged…

[Li Bai]

More than 25 years ago, when I was a penniless student, I bought a Churchill to celebrate something, and it was quite an expensive cigar to me at the time. I was really excited to light it up and...it was fully clogged.

Haven't smoked one since so I'll abstain but I'm grateful to this cigar for teaching me about Cuban QC.

[El Presidente]

1 hour ago, Li Bai said:

Haven't smoked one since so I'll abstain but I'm grateful to this cigar for teaching me about Cuban QC.

I shake my head wondering how many potential CC converts simply walked away due to construction issues over the years. 

[westg]

I think these age just beautifully. I still have a few left from a 2014 PSP box and a few more excellent boxes. In my top 3 all time cigars. Gorgeous. 

[Li Bai]

1 hour ago, El Presidente said:

I shake my head wondering how many potential CC converts simply walked away due to construction issues over the years. 

I was thinking about that while writing my post, this particular Churchill is one of the most memorable cigars I've had, but not in a good way unfortunately.

Had it been good I could have very well gone down the rabbit hole 15 years earlier, I would not have missed the Molinos, the Serie A, the Serie du Connaisseur and so many more...C'est la vie!

Still, I'm grateful I did anyway, all the more before 2022 😅

[JohnS]

I will admit I've had bland ones yes (and more so in the distant past - like 7 to 10 years ago or more), but in general, these have been very, very good to me. I consider myself fortunate to have them on hand. I love them.

[BG318]

5 hours ago, El Presidente said:

I shake my head wondering how many potential CC converts simply walked away due to construction issues over the years. 

It's amazing how much the first experience shapes your opinions. I hesitated to respond to this post because I have had about 5 Churchills and they have all been fantastic. Upon reading the reviews I saw that many more experienced smokers spoke about construction issues. I find with all cigars, not just CC's, sometimes you have to throw away your initial impression and try again. I had a long time disdain for PLPC's because the first 5  I had were tent pegs. I kept reading great reviews from many respected members of the forum, and last month I was rewarded with an absolute caramel bomb of a cigar. The construction issues definitely causes people to walk away. I hear it every day.

[joeypots]

i have some that are coming around but on the whole the cigar has been a disappointment. 

[JPark3]

"When they're on, they're amazing" seems to be a common theme among CCs 😂

While I don't have a lengthy experience with the RyJ Churchill, I have yet to have a bad one both in taste and construction. I generally love the RyJ profile as the cherry and floral notes really do it for me. But I also get honeysuckle notes in the Churchill, which hits a soft spot for me since I live in a rural area, so something like that gives me a comforting feeling. I also think that's why I enjoy the Vegueros Tapados like I do, it reminds me of home. Anyway, I still have about 3/4 of a very toothy 2023 tubos box, so I can't wait to see how these sticks evolve over time. As long as I have the finances (and the room) these will be a staple in my humidor.

[Li Bai]

1 hour ago, BG318 said:

The construction issues definitely causes people to walk away.

So true!

Inconsistency is another one, had I judged the Quai d'Orsay 52 by the first 10box I bought I would have missed one of the best CCs currently out there.

It makes me wonder, how many of us (including me ofc) have zero interest in some cigars only because the handful we've smoked were from a bad box? That's why I keep coming back to the D4 and the P2, I even purchased a couple of those d*mn Churchills last year! 

Fwiw, I try to rely less on cigar names or reputation when purchasing sticks and more on my senses (or on the senses of the person who picks it up for me), this way I haven't had a dud in a while 🤞

[BrightonCorgi]

These are like my home team. I am going to support them regardless of their past or current situation. Last decade or so they've been great.

[my happy place]

1 minute ago, Li Bai said:

Inconsistency is another one, had I judged the Quai d'Orsay 52 by the first 10box I bought I would have missed one of the best CCs currently out there.

Me too. I've smoked several QdO Senadores from a box that stained my experience with the marca. I keep hearing how good QdO has been, but can't help but feel like I've been swindled by them.

 

[Redgoldband]

2 hours ago, Li Bai said:

So true!

Inconsistency is another one, had I judged the Quai d'Orsay 52 by the first 10box I bought I would have missed one of the best CCs currently out there.

It makes me wonder, how many of us (including me ofc) have zero interest in some cigars only because the handful we've smoked were from a bad box? That's why I keep coming back to the D4 and the P2, I even purchased a couple of those d*mn Churchills last year! 

Fwiw, I try to rely less on cigar names or reputation when purchasing sticks and more on my senses (or on the senses of the person who picks it up for me), this way I haven't had a dud in a while 🤞

You're right, and with this phenomenon, expectations play a part in it as well. For me, it's RASS and PSP2, two sticks folks rave about. I've only had one good one of each. The rest have been mediocre. I try now to smoke sticks on their own merits: if it's good, great. If not, it's not necessarily indicative of the whole vitola or marca. The next good one from said marca/vitola could be right around the corner. Keeping a sliver of optimism and openness to sticks I'd written off adds to the adventure of this hobby. 

[Boxer31]

Haven’t had many disappointing ones in recent memory. A few singles left before have to break in last box (although it’s a PSP/HQ so it better be good - lol).

[Wookie]

Late 1990s, Espys and Lusis were my favorites. Then they went dead for a while. Last decade they are performing above Espys and maybe better than Lusi for me. Construction has been good 2015-2020. Hope I didn’t just jinx myself.