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Tonight’s smoke was going to be something I had in my singles collection, most likely given to me 6-7 years ago by a good friend. I always thought it was a Partagas, until for the first time today I realized it’s a Romeo y Julieta by looking more closely at the band. Now, I don’t smoke many R&Js – in fact, most I don’t even like. Secondly, I had to go to CCW to find this cigar is called Romeo y Julieta Exhibición No.2. I am not a cigar history buff so the little knowledge I could find before lighting it up told me that the actual launch of the LE program was in 2000, and this being the first Double Corona Limited Edition that came out, making it… well, special. Given the situation today with just a few DCs left in regular production, and the insanely insatiable demand for anything of this size, I knew I had to cherish this cigar if I smoked it. Or sell it. A quick look on BR told me… sell it you fool! On the other hand, what better time than tonight to enjoy something special and appreciate life. Life is truly short. This cigar truly isn’t short. Let’s get to it. I must say that visually this is a stunning cigar. I don’t have better photos, but I can only say that if it was a piece of wood, it would be lacquered red cherry wood. Looking at the specs, the factory name is Prominentes, more commonly known as a Double Corona. It’s a mammoth of a cigar at 49 x 194mm (7⅝″) and the wrapper was aged 2 years when released, so it is more or less 24 years old now. The wrapper itself is almost tender to the touch, moist and still oily. There is not much aroma at cold, maybe a hint of sweet spices. Given it is aged, I carefully cut it and get a sudden feeling that this might be a very good cigar but I can foresee some construction issues. It looks too tightly packed. I take a long, deep draw and… it is not easy. Sigh. I gently move my fingers across this massive cigar and massage it a bit where I find it more tightly packed, all potential obstructions are in the top 1/3. The massage helps a bit and so I decide to light it up. From the first moments in when I start to smoke it, I can instantly taste numerous flavors. Some are easy to distinguish – trademark R&J cherry, sweetness, earthy, rich, black pepper with touch of dark chocolate. For sure, it’s over medium bodied. That richness. Other flavors are there too but I cannot distinguish them right now. About 30 minutes in, I am shocked over how powerful and rich it is, while being so refined and balanced. It’s an explosion of flavors - massive clouds of white smoke with incredible aromas of dark musk fill the air. A myriad of other flavors starts to come in, clove, woodiness, salt, sweetness, and I don’t understand how it can be so smooth with everything going on at the same time. Then I start to get toasted coffee as well. I realize that it is a full flavored and full bodied beast, a rare thing in my experience. There’s no sign that this cigar is going to slow down, it just goes on and on like the live poker tournament I am watching on YouTube and I try to puff on at a slow pace to match the tempo of some hands. Maybe one puff per minute is all I need. An hour goes by. Two. 2 hours and 30 minutes later, I decide it is not yet time to say goodbye. Some sparkling water cleans the palate, nothing else tonight. Got to watch the calories for the fat bastard weigh-in this weekend. I start to feel like I have been in the presence of greatness. Someone has really put together a brilliant, brilliant blend for the ages. The balance of the cigar is second to none. It is truly a unique experience. Pure class in all aspects. I smoke it as far down as I can go, but I could easily have smoked it for another hour. I am not even joking. The burn has needed a few touch-ups – no biggie. It is still incredible with all that cherry, sweetness, dark chocolate and coffee playing in perfect harmony. Did I already mention that I don’t even like Romeo & Julieta’s flavors normally? Or maybe I do. I don’t even know anymore because I have a massive nicotine buzz. To summarize this experience, I was not expecting that but am extremely grateful for this cigar. I send a thank you message to my friend who gifted me this cigar. It certainly belongs on my Top 5-list of all cigars I have ever had. With that in mind, I will rate this cigar as close to perfection as it gets. I have no hesitation giving it a 97 and won’t even deduct points for the draw issues. You can call me crazy but I think this cigar will be even better with another 5-20 years, and reach a 98 by then. The other day I read on a 24:24 post that there are a handful of cigars that just punch you in the face in terms of flavor. Well, today I got sucker-punched in the face. What a cigar.

All, I hope I can have your attention though this is my first post. I am new to CCs and have been trying to collect this past month. Can the veterans of the EL program take a look at the following pictures? The question I have are for the Partagas Piramides 2000 EL. Is this the way the secondary band naturally ages with normal wear and tear? http://imgur.com/a/P3iJP I also feel that the EL band is slightly raised and that makes me believe it is possible of its counterfeit. The seller is an avid collector himself and highly respected in the community that I joined and his source is even more regarded and respected. However this case reminds me of the other stories on this forum about the Swiss retailer that failed to catch the fake and that this cigar in particular has many high quality fakes (with some tasting even more amazing than the original). I felt compelled to hope that a very seasoned user here can tell me via the smudging of the band and/or the embossed letters, that it is certainly genuine or fake. To me personally the letters seem embossed, I can close my eyes and feel slight raised grooves etc. I know that the 2000 band was flat completely. Hoping the ink smudge can determine its legitimacy as well. Thank you for having a read and looking forward to this community!