Cuban-Schmuban!

I have learned from experience not to save a supposedly “special cigar” for a special occasion, for I am usually disappointed. In keeping with that theory I picked an ordinary night at home to try my very first Cuban cigar, a Romeo y Julieta Churchill in a tube. A co-worker brought me one from a vacation in Switzerland. He paid 16 dollars for it and priced the same cigar in the U.K. at $29. In my humble opinion it was certainly not worth the price.

Construction

I left this stick in the humidor for several weeks prior to smoking, just in case it had not been properly stored. Its looks were very impressive. A silver tube with a printed gold band, and the words “Havana, Cuba” prominently displayed in several locations. The tube was cedar lined, although the cedar only extended about half way down the cigar. Upon opening the tube I found a well-constructed, very aromatic cigar. This was a very solid and heavy stick, with a dark wrapper. I would call it E.M.S.(English market selection), but bordering on maduro. There was a plainish gold band reading "Romeo y Julieta Churchill-Habana". The printers in Cuba were obviously having a problem that day, for there were large ink spots all over the band. The construction and consistency felt very good with no apparent soft spots. Cutting this cigar with a v-cutter did not produce the crisp sound that I am used to, but was rather like slicing through chocolate.

How It Smoked

Shortly after lighting this Cuban I could tell there was going to be a problem. The draw was extremely tight. Although there was a huge volume of flavor, there was a very low volume of smoke. I noticed a slight tingle on the tongue and throat. The predominate flavors were cocoa and hickory. The burn was slightly uneven and it produced a very dark gray ash. Hoping that the draw would loosen up eventually, I continued to smoke this cigar for about a half an hour until I just had to give up. I tried on several occasions to continue smoking this cigar, but every time the draw was so tight that I could get little or no smoke out of it. Reluctantly, I had to throw half of it away!

Overall Perception

I am quite familiar with the reputation that this cigar carries. I feel certain that I just got a poor example of this cigar. However, when Cubans are this expensive and this difficult to get, I would expect every example to be perfect. Although the quality of the tobacco was apparently top notch, the extremely poor draw on this stick made it impossible for me to enjoy. I simply cannot recommend this cigar.