Vintage Review: Romeo Y Julieta Fabulosos No 1

[Puros Y Vino]

Vintage Review: Romeo y Julietta Fabulosos No 1

Vitals

RG: 47

Length : 190 (7.5")

Vitola: Double Corona

Year: Early 1960's

Pre Light Observations

Slightly mottled wrapper. Foot has some interesting colored tobacco swirls. Slight pinch to the foot springs back nicely. A good sign.

Aged earthy, tobacco aroma. Fruity spice aroma. Smooth cold draw after a punch.

1st Third

Easy to light with match. First puff is musty but that goes away quick. Initial flavours are saltiness. The draw is very good. Toasty tobacco. Oily feel on the finish. I don't get that often. Nice white ash. Cocoa. Tannic notes. Slight bitterness on finish. Cocoa. Not a lot of smoke coming off this beauty. Dry nut. Toasty Tobacco. Oily. Tangy. Anise. Bitter finish. Dry nuts. Nutmeg. Toasty. Toasty. Cocoa. Nice oily leather hit. Same. Anise finish though. Tangy tobacco. 1 1/4" ash is solid white. Slight sweetness. Ash breaks and lands on my bare foot. More toasty tobacco

2nd Third

Toasty tobacco. Meaty taste. Full, rich flavours developing. Slight sweetness again. Smooth nutmeg draw. Slight pepper on finish. Picking up in strength. Some bittersweet notes. Leather. Pepper. Tannic finish. A few more puffs of the same. Cocoa returns. Nutmeg follows. Nice rich leather draw. Same next few draws. Very enjoyable. More of that oily finish. Leather with a hint of salt. Long ash forms again. More saltiness. Nice hit of sweetness. More leather. Pepper returns. This cigar certainly has some life left! Tapped ash to avoid issues. Rich leather draws. Pepper finish. Nice complex, anise and leather draw. Very rich. Nutmeg. Floral hit. Peppery tobacco. Long finish. Getting stronger in flavour but no nicotine buzz. Strong anise flavour. Seriously rich tobacco. Meaty draw again. Pepper buildup in the back of the throat ends this third

3rd Third

A quick swig of soda water to clean the palate. Rich,oily floral notes kick things off. A bit more nutmeg follows. Toasty tobacco. Leather. Smoke increases. Another floral draw. Same. Followed by leather. Palate cleanse. Anise. Feeling a slight buzz. Makes me wonder about the strength of the old tobacco crops. This cigar was born of the revolution and still has that same fight. A nice floral and sweet hit ensues. Nutmeg and pepper. Anise. More long white ash. Anise followed by a beany flavour. Toasty tobacco. Nutmeg. Tapped ash close to band. Toasty tobacco. Nutmeg. Anise. Beans again. More buzz. Slightly bitter draw. Toasty. Getting to the end. Tangy with pepper finish. Anise. Leather and anise trade off on the next few puffs. Bean. Rich tobacco. Nubbing this one for sure. Final puffs are hot and toasty. Done.

Score: 93

Experience: 100

Final notes.

I managed to pull out a bit of the filler at the end. The leaf is moist and pliable. This cigar was certainly stored well over the decades.

I've been fortunate to smoke some great aged cigars in 2013. This was an excellent start to 2014. The Fabulosos No 1 wasn't as ethereal as the 1970's Sir Winston or as eye opening as the 1943 W M Penn Clear Havana in terms of unique flavours, but it certainly was no slouch. This was a lucky find. These cigars sat in a old cabinet humidor in the tobacconists walk in amongst some other vintage beauties such as Dunhill Monte 4's (sadly, not for sale: private collection). According to MRN's book. They are very hard to find. Fortunately, this particular B&M was owned by a serious cigar aficianado. He even owned a "Dinner of the Century" torpedo box and has the photo of himself with Fidel Castro to proved it on the wall. It's too bad the original RyJ box was nowhere to be found. This cigar was an excellent smoking experience overall. I'm glad it wasn't a dud.

[Scdalak]

Well done Frank, great you got to experience this rare gem... I hope to pick up a box soon.....

[mk05]

Nothing quite like a vintage RyJ. Glad you enjoyed.