Ken gets another paid gig.

[El Presidente]

 

This forum has created a monster. Google search for cigar news and ken pops up everywhere. 

 

 

https://quillandpad.com/2019/02/18/romeo-y-julieta-tacos-edicion-limitada-2018-cigars-an-old-fashioned-smoke-built-for-the-long-haul/

Romeo Y Julieta Tacos Edición Limitada 2018 Cigars: An Old-Fashioned Smoke Built For The Long Haul

 

by Ken Gargett

There is likely not a politician [or watch brand – ed.] on the planet who could not learn a thing or two about spin from the marvelous people in the Champagne district. They are masters at it.

Fabulous people, incredible hospitality, brilliant wines, but their ultimate achievement might be how they handle the media. They’ll swear blind that they’ll respond fully and openly to each and every query, but after you’ve spent time with them it dawns that they’ve usually given nothing away, and more than likely you’ve answered more of their questions than they of yours.

It is an art.

The closest thing I’ve seen to it would be the cigar industry in Cuba. I remember a press conference in Havana that began by the journalists present being told that this was a new era: one of transparency and openness. The host then invited us to ask any question we liked; nothing was off limits.

A hand went up through the thin haze of smoke.

“Could you please tell us how many cigars you will be producing this year?”

A gentleman leaped to his feet and took the microphone, telling us he would be more than happy to answer.

“More than last year, but not as many as next year.” And he sat back down with a look on his face suggesting he was delighted to have done a good job.

This is one of the reasons that there are so many myths and urban legends about cigars and why it can be so hard to find the definitive story behind the swirling fables.

I have long tried to find the full facts and story behind the Limited Edition series (“Edición Limitada”), but everyone I ask has a different version. Of all the many different “special releases,” the Limited Editions have long been my favorites, although there have been a few duds along the road.Romeo y Julieta Tacos Edición Limitada 2018 (photo courtesy www.hitcigars.com)

I raise this as the last of the 2018 Limited Editions has just crossed my path: the Romeo y Julieta Tacos Edición Limitada 2018.

The Cuban Limited Edition series

The concept of the Limited Edition series, which kicked off in 2000, was for a top producer to make a limited cigar not in current production for that house. The early releases, up to 2007, used (tobacco leaf) wrappers aged for two years, giving a much darker color to the cigar. Since 2007 the binder and filler, in addition to the wrapper, are all aged for two years.

The 2000 LEs included Hoyo de Monterrey Particulares, Montecristo Robustos, Partagás Pirámides, and Romeo y Julieta Exhibición No. 2. The 2001 releases included Cohiba Piramides, Hoyo de Monterrey Particulares, Montecristo Double Coronas, Partagás Serie D No. 3, and Romeo y Julieta Robustos.

Since then, there have been three to five releases every year – these days usually just three – with the exception of 2015, which saw only two cigars released. Again, why? Was a third one not up to scratch?

Who knows?

The 2002 is the other exception with no LE cigars released, but plenty of theories as to why. Mine is that Havana had not the least idea just how successful this program would be: the makers were caught unawares, just not ready, and did not have the material to continue.

So the LEs took a break for the year but returned in force in 2003 with some of the finest cigars the program has seen such as the legendary Cohiba Double Coronas. Others included Hoyo de Monterrey Piramide, Partagás Serie D No. 2, and the Romeo y Julieta Hermosos No. 1. The fifth release of that year, the Montecristo C, is definitely the runt of the litter.

It is also worth mentioning that in the early days of this program, these were the great bargains in the world of cigars. Again purely my theory, but I suspect that Havana had not the slightest idea where to pitch these releases and was not keen to have an embarrassing array of unsold LE boxes hibernating on the shelves. So they went low.

I still have a $130 price tag on one of my boxes, the 2003 Hoyo LE Pyramides, from the early days of the program. Things have changed, and LEs are now some of Havana’s most expensive cigars. A box of 25 of these? They’ll vary, but assume at least $625 (and in Australia anywhere between AUD$1,150 and AUD$1,600).

Each LE cigar is double-banded, one of which (other than with the 2000s) identifies the year, while the other is a standard band from that producer. The other two LEs from 2018 aside from the Romeo y Julieta Tacos are the Bolívar Soberanos and H. Upmann Propios.

Recent years have seen overwhelmingly positive reviews for most of the Limited Editions, although to be fair the Tacos has had a very mixed response. Some of the cigar forums have loved them, others have been much more critical.

Romeo y Julieta Tacos Edición Limitada: my thoughts

Interestingly, looking at photos, some examples show the typical very dark wrappers common to the LE series, while others are much lighter. Whether that has impacted in any way might be an interesting question. The cigar made its debut in Madrid in September of 2018 and is working its way throughout the markets.

The dimensions constitute a length of 158 mm (6 ¼ inches old scale) with a ring gauge of 49 mm, making it the longest but not fattest of the 2018 Limited Editions. This specific size dates back to the discontinued Tacos from the 1970s.Romeo y Julieta Tacos Edición Limitada 2018 (photo courtesy www.casabenden.de)

My thoughts are that is it a very fine cigar, though I think that its true glories are yet to be revealed. An old-fashioned smoke, built for the long haul. At the moment, all the components are in place, but it is a long way from wowing. The flavors are slightly woody, a touch of spice, but not really revealing any fruit or richness or even sweetness at this stage.

Well-constructed, but I would say put them away for at least a couple of years. A reasonable level of strength here, but no evolution as one smoked it. No evident complexity as yet. At the moment, a score of around 89, which is a perfectly acceptable score for a young cigar, and certainly not the disaster some would have us believe, but it hardly screams “must have.”

I think time will work wonders here.

One criticism I would level is that I saw no real Romeo y Julieta “DNA,” nor did I see any of those bold, rich notes, the chocolate and plum pudding, that is so often found in good LEs. For me, it should be showing at least a little of one or the other.

So, do you buy these?

There will be collectors keen to ensure that they have them represented in their humidor. Others, with patience, will find a place. But anyone wanting instant gratification should look elsewhere. They are very hard to justify in terms of value.

I certainly enjoyed the one I tried and would happily smoke them any time, but I’m not sure I’d be rushing out to load up. For those who have to allocate their cigar budgets, there is better value in a standard Partagás Lusitania or numerous others.

You may also enjoy:

Partagás Lusitania Cigars: Reliably Top Notch

Partagás Edición Limitada Series No. 1: Worthy Of The Limited Edition Name?

Trinidad La Trova Cuban Cigars: Exceptional In Every Way

Montecristo Línea 1935 Leyenda Cigar: The Closest Thing To The Second Coming?

Car And Watch Spotting In Havana Starring A Cartier Santos Dumont And Beautiful Old-Timer Cars

Believe The Hype: The Cohiba Talismán Limited Edition 2017 Cigars Are Spectacular

Cuba’s Habanos Añejados Program Up In Smoke: No Evolution And No Complexity

[Markspring1978]

I have read many of Ken’s articles on Q&P and have always found them to be excellent. I didn’t realize this is a new development. I thought he had been doing this for some time. I particularly enjoyed the article about shipwrecked champagne, fascinating. 

[selpo]

Nicely done, a good read.

[Ken Gargett]

59 minutes ago, Markspring1978 said:

I have read many of Ken’s articles on Q&P and have always found them to be excellent. I didn’t realize this is a new development. I thought he had been doing this for some time. I particularly enjoyed the article about shipwrecked champagne, fascinating. 

thanks. i have. just takes rob a while to catch up.

this is actually a little older than the current one - https://quillandpad.com/2019/03/11/cohiba-siglo-vi-gran-reserva-cigars-bring-tears-to-a-glass-eye/#comments

i don't do the headlines! 

 

[gweilgi]

I've been following this site for a while now and always did enjoy Ken's musings ....

The only problem is <hint hint nudge nudge> that he does not offer up any suggestions in those reviews as to pairing cigars with wine or spirits.

Oh, and I respectfully disagree with him on his favourite DRC vintage...

?

[Ken Gargett]

1 minute ago, gweilgi said:

I've been following this site for a while now and always did enjoy Ken's musings ....

The only problem is <hint hint nudge nudge> that he does not offer up any suggestions in those reviews as to pairing cigars with wine or spirits.

Oh, and I respectfully disagree with him on his favourite DRC vintage...

?

thanks.

the matching is not the point for that site. that is supposedly the reason for kenfessions on foh. 

i'm embarrassed to say i can't recall specifying a single DRC favourite vintage. there are a number. which did i miss? 

[DaBoot]

Very well written, excellent read, thanks ?!!!

[gweilgi]

2 hours ago, Ken Gargett said:

thanks.

the matching is not the point for that site. that is supposedly the reason for kenfessions on foh. 

True, but a lot of people who read the Quill and Pad reviews won't be FOH members.  What a shame to deprive them of your expertise!  

 

2 hours ago, Ken Gargett said:

i'm embarrassed to say i can't recall specifying a single DRC favourite vintage. there are a number. which did i miss? 

You listed the '69, which I am fully in agreement with.

You omitted the '66, which I personally consider to be the duck's nuts, the bee's knees and any other sort of absurd animal anatomies you'd care to mention.

Full disclosure: I know Aubert de Villaine as well as his mother Pamela, and we get a few bottles through a family friend.  "Allocation" is the single most beautiful word in the French language....

Oh, and I would also nominate de Villaine's Bouzeron Aligote as a bargain of the century.  It's an eminently drinkable daily wine (if you can get it, of course) at an amazing price point from one of Burgundy's pre-eminent vignerons.  

[Chef]

Thanks, @Ken Gargett.  'Nother good write up.  Glad for your steady flow of gigs.  Your account must be bulging. Does this mean you're going to be supplying the cigars for the reviews with @El Presidentefrom now on?

[Ken Gargett]

2 hours ago, gweilgi said:

True, but a lot of people who read the Quill and Pad reviews won't be FOH members.  What a shame to deprive them of your expertise!  

 

You listed the '69, which I am fully in agreement with.

You omitted the '66, which I personally consider to be the duck's nuts, the bee's knees and any other sort of absurd animal anatomies you'd care to mention.

Full disclosure: I know Aubert de Villaine as well as his mother Pamela, and we get a few bottles through a family friend.  "Allocation" is the single most beautiful word in the French language....

Oh, and I would also nominate de Villaine's Bouzeron Aligote as a bargain of the century.  It's an eminently drinkable daily wine (if you can get it, of course) at an amazing price point from one of Burgundy's pre-eminent vignerons.  

i've met aubert a few times - he is a keen fly fisherman (his guide in nz is a mate and told me how they enjoyed a bottle after each day's fishing and some time later, a full case arrived on the doorstep as a thanks). an absolute gentleman.

the aligote might be a bargain but by the time it gets here, it is still seriously expensive, at least the last time i saw it.

i have seen a few of the 66s, nothing for ages, and certainly they are, as one would expect, stunning stuff. not sure i'd have them over 59, 69, 71 or 78. but that is half the fun, i guess. the two greatest i've seen are the 1971 romanee-conti and 29 romanee-conti. mindboggling. and thanks to a great friend, got to see the 78 la tache many, many times. heaven. 

[gweilgi]

1 hour ago, Ken Gargett said:

i've met aubert a few times - he is a keen fly fisherman (his guide in nz is a mate and told me how they enjoyed a bottle after each day's fishing and some time later, a full case arrived on the doorstep as a thanks). an absolute gentleman.

the aligote might be a bargain but by the time it gets here, it is still seriously expensive, at least the last time i saw it.

Mea culpa -- I was thinking in European prices, where I can get a bottle for around AUD22.  In Oz, they are about twice as much, if I am not mistaken.

 

1 hour ago, Ken Gargett said:

i have seen a few of the 66s, nothing for ages, and certainly they are, as one would expect, stunning stuff. not sure i'd have them over 59, 69, 71 or 78. but that is half the fun, i guess. the two greatest i've seen are the 1971 romanee-conti and 29 romanee-conti. mindboggling. and thanks to a great friend, got to see the 78 la tache many, many times. heaven. 

I've had nothing older than the '66, possibly owing to this being my birth year and my father having had the great good forethought to lay several cases by for me to enjoy.  The '69 is also outstanding (same story, but WRT my brother), and the '71 and '78 are utterly tongue-boggling.  I have yet to try any vintages from the new millennium ... mustn't be hasty, right?  Any suggestions as to which one to try first?  

[Ken Gargett]

33 minutes ago, gweilgi said:

Mea culpa -- I was thinking in European prices, where I can get a bottle for around AUD22.  In Oz, they are about twice as much, if I am not mistaken.

 

I've had nothing older than the '66, possibly owing to this being my birth year and my father having had the great good forethought to lay several cases by for me to enjoy.  The '69 is also outstanding (same story, but WRT my brother), and the '71 and '78 are utterly tongue-boggling.  I have yet to try any vintages from the new millennium ... mustn't be hasty, right?  Any suggestions as to which one to try first?  

i suspect closer to three times that price. must see what i can find.

you are a very lucky man to have a few cases of DRC in the cellar, not least with the incredible way burgs have gone up in price of late. 

my thoughts would be drink any DRC you ever get the chance to try. but i guess 00 and 01 would be fine. i struggle with 03 burgs in general but if anyone gets it right, these guys. so many 04s have a green streak, including am couple of the lesser DRCs but the top ones are superb. 05 would be superb but could go for decades. 

[luckme10]

This is a considerable step up from the madlibs articles you usually show us Rob.

[PapaDisco]

Ken? ?  Gainfully employed??   Does this mean he will now be dressing up for the video reviews?? 

[Capt. Corona]

Nice gig....interesting reads...Make sure to wear your sunblock when you're out having fun! ?