BrooksW Posted October 21, 2009 Posted October 21, 2009 I recently purchased a 4 pack of Romeo y Julieta Perfectos from 1968(ish) to see what they would smoke like over 40 years after they were rolled... Now, there is not a bunch of historic info on these specific cigars...According to various websites, these were released pre-1960s (nobody knows an exact year, apparently) and were discontinued in 2003. These cigars were made with all Cuban Tobacco (unlike Clear Havanas, some of which will be reviewed soon) from the Pinar del Rio region of Cuba... A Machine-made cigar (as most were back then), the price of each stick was approximately $.25 (or 100 for $25)...which was quite a bit, considering that most cigars cost between $.05 and $.10 each or so...Here is a price list from a cigar store named Park & Tilford which details some of the most popular imported brands of sticks and their prices...the Romeo y Julieta Perfectos price can be found about 3/4 of the way down the page on the left hand side...(image credit Gotham Cigar Museum): Enough chitchat, let's get down to business, shall we? * Country of Origin: Cuba * Wrapper: Cuba * Binder: Cuba * Filler: Cuba * Size: 5 Inches * Ring Gauge: 44 * Shape: Petit Perfecto * Est. Price: Varies Wildly * Date Produced: 1968 The first thing I noticed when I picked up this cigar was the wrapper...while obviously well made, age seems to have turned the silky wrapper (or at least I assume it was silky at one point) into a material almost like parchment: dry (albeit not fragile) and a bit rough...The color is a light brown, and while the cigar is quite bumpy in places, I am impressed that the it has held together as long as it has without any major issues (although perhaps I should not be, considering the source)...The cigar itself is quite spongy when squeezed, and the wrapper does have much of a smell at all besides a VERY light cinnamon scent... (As an aside, I have also been a bit surprised at how small most of the cigars from this age (and older) are...they look almost more like cigarettes then cigars (but I DO love the perfecto shape of this one ... After cutting it, I took a few predraws, and the only thing I noticed was a VERY old musty tobacco flavor...not unpleasant at all, but if someone gave you this cigar blind, you would know immediately it was an aged stick... After lighting it, I got a little bit of spice in the first few puffs, along with notes of woodsy cedar and that (very) aged tobacco flavor again... The cigar turned totally mild in the second third, with any and all spice departing for parts unknown...there was still that aged tobacco flavor and some cedar, but I also picked up some floral notes as well, albeit faint... The last third held a bit of a surprise...honestly, I was expecting it to continue as it had for the first 2 thirds, but out of the blue, I tasted what I can only describe as peppermint oil (if you have ever tasted any, you will know what I am talking about)...NOT sweet peppermint, but like the taste (and tartness) of peppermint without the sweetness that is usually associated with it...the woodsy and tobacco flavors were still there, but the peppermint note stuck around until the end...The stick did get hot at the end, but I was able to get close to the nub... Some Final Notes: * The draw was great for the entire stick, but the burn was VERY up and down...I had to relight 5 times total... * After reading various reviews of other older sticks, I was prepared for a mild cigar, and I was not disappointed...other then the first few puffs, there was little to no pepper or spice for the entire smoke... * This cigar produced an astounding amount of smoke for something so old and so small... * The final smoking time was 1 hour and 10 minutes... The Bottom Line: While it was VERY cool to be smoking a 40 year old stick, the flavors and burn were really nothing to write home about...As I said earlier, anyone who picked up this stick and started smoking it would know it was an aged cigar...Not a waste of time or money by any means, but I am hoping that my next Vintage stick is better ~brooks
Buch0 Posted October 22, 2009 Posted October 22, 2009 Very interesting and thourough review, top job Brooks! I have yet to smoke such a vintage cigar, but reviews like this keep me interested in trying one someday.. I always get the feeling that this type of smoke would produce such a flavour as if one were to get some old books from the back of a library and flick through the pages, catching the aroma that protrudes and then smoking it. Quite an experience I would imagine. The band is also a stunning piece of work..
hoyopr Posted October 22, 2009 Posted October 22, 2009 Great review and excellent photos as well, thanks.
Kangaroo495 Posted October 22, 2009 Posted October 22, 2009 Thanks mate, very cool! Did anyone else notice the H.Upmann "Oro de Cuba" for $160? They seem to be the most expensive (though it seems the price is for 100 cigars). Wonder what they would be like...
thechenman Posted October 22, 2009 Posted October 22, 2009 Thank you for that astounding review of a 40yo vintage RyJ. Don't read those to often. While the cigar appears to be past its prime...the experience in and of itself I'm sure was amazing.
Rogers72 Posted October 22, 2009 Posted October 22, 2009 Great review Brooks! I have looked at your blog often after reading some of your reviews on other sites and you are as good at photography as you are at reviewing cigars. Your lighting and razor thin depth of focus make for some STUNNING photos!
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