Romeo y Julieta

150th Anniversary

One look at the lineup for this cigar isn’t enough, as both the names involved, and the tobacco sourced are sure to cause a double-take. Says Rafael Nodal, the vice president of product capability for Altadis and, himself, a cigarmaker who needs no introduction in an interview with Cigar Aficionado: “We sourced tobaccos from our close partners specifically for this project. The wrapper is an Ecuadorian Sumatra grown and fermented by A.J. Fernandez. The binder, a San Andrés, comes from our partners, the Turrent family. For the fillers, we used Peruvian and Honduran tobacco grown by our partners, the Plasencia family. And the Dominican filler tobacco was grown by our long-term partners José Mendez & Co.” Harvesting tobacco from so many intimate partners creates a symphonic blend given that every single corner of the cigar has been touched with capable hands. Fernandez, who supplies the wrapper, oversees two of the largest cigar factories in Nicaragua, producing more than 100,000 hand rolled cigars every day. A generational talent in the industry, Fernandez has mastered the perfect time to pick his tobacco leaves, aging them naturally and gently in order to draw out the most flavor. He has been behind more than a dozen Cigar Aficionado top 25 selections over the years and has been called upon to revisit some of the best-selling cigars of all time, to lend his unique expertise. The Plascencia family is another group of cigarmaking icons. For more than a century, they have supplied tobacco to some of the highest-rated cigars in the world. A hallmark of quality, the Plascencia logo attached to any project lends an instant note of credibility. The Ecuadorian Sumatra wrapper creates a vehicle for a truly flavorful cigar, with floral notes, hints of cinnamon and earth, while the combination of filler tobacco creates a blend of creaminess, woodsy flavors and an interplay of coffee and a gentle kind of heat brought on by the inclusion of Peruvian leaf. Olivia Saad, Senior Brand Manager for Romeo y Julieta said in a press release: “In 19th-century Cuba, the brand’s founders read Romeo and Juliet aloud to factory workers, drawing inspiration from its timeless romance to name the brand. These cigars were quite literally Crafted by Love, a tradition that continues to shape everything we do today.” The Romeo Y Julieta 150 is offered in three different sizes. The first, called Bully, is a 5x50. Next is the Balconet, which is a 6x54 Toro. And finally, the Crescendo, which is a 7x50 Churchill. There are also 3-count tins available containing the Balconet. To match the moment, the production factory for this cigar, Tabacalera de Garcia, brought in a specially trained team of master rollers and employed a brand new, innovative rolling technique befitting of the special cigar. Or, as Nodal put it in a press release: “This anniversary demands a cigar as exceptional as our legacy.” The look of this cigar is chocolate brown with a beautiful, understated cream wrapper that features gold letter writing. With the words Medallas De Oro. Meaning Gold Medal in Spanish, this offering certainly looks and tastes like one. Cigars.com offers the entire line of the Romeo Y Julieta 150th Anniversary cigar, as well as an extensive inventory of all Romeo y Julieta cigars to fill your humidor. Enjoy not only the newest iteration of this legacy but all the highlights from its past.