Romeo y Julieta Cazadores - RUP MAY 20 (VVRW#3)

[saltbox]

First experience with the vitola. Rested at 62RH for just under 4 months, about 10 months of box age. I pulled this one from the box early on and rested it in a separate bag where I keep a handful of cigars from newly arrived boxes with a couple Boveda packs to, in theory, acclimatize them faster with a higher ratio of Boveda to material, since there are fewer cigars and no box material to acclimatize in addition to the cigars themselves. Hopefully this helped particularly with the Cazadores, since the foil packaging could, in theory, slow down the acclimatization process that a whole box would go through in a humidor/tupperdor.

First third: opens with straight rich, smooth tobacco. It feels odd to say, but while I've had occasional tobacco notes from various cigars, this is the first time where it really tasted like I was smoking tobacco. The first half inch was all tobacco and reminded me of the phase in college when I was rolling my own cigarettes. It tasted like I remember those bags of Bali Shag smelling. After almost an inch, some other notes of sweet creaminess and cedar start coming in, and eventually some nice cherry notes start coming through.

Middle third: Spiced cherries and sweet cream with cedar leather and earthy tobacco in the background. Some nice coffee notes appear halfway but disappear again. The creaminess fades a bit to the background, leaving some bright spiced cherries. Towards the end, the cedar becomes more tannic.

Last third: Tobacco takes the lead again, with a nice creamy tobacco through to the end of the cigar. Construction was great throughout, with the ash continuing to hold on securely in chunks larger than I typically allow.

Overall: I think I can see why the Cazador flavor profile is a bit divisive. Unlike the other RyJ I've had, which have been much creamier and sweeter, the Cazador, at least at this point, is heavily driven by rich tobacco notes. I gambled on these and picked up two boxes, both RUP MAY 20, to guarantee I would have enough to age some for the long haul and be able to continue to sample them over time, so I'm curious to see how these evolve. 89/100

 

Side note: I'm heading into the home stretch of SF apartment life and we get ready to move into our newly purchased home. I'll certainly miss the view.

 

[Ginseng]

5 hours ago, philipl said:

I can see why the Cazador flavor profile is a bit divisive. Unlike the other RyJ I've had, which have been much creamier and sweeter, the Cazador, at least at this point, is heavily driven by rich tobacco notes.

Thank you for the review! This is exactly why I go for the Caz in a big way. There's no getting fancy with this stick or having to worry about tasting all sorts of complicated, delicate things. If you want tobacco, pure Cuban tobacco, the Cazadores is about as reliable as it gets.

[Chibearsv]

I've only had 2 Cazadores so far and have really enjoyed them.  Nice review

[KCCubano]

Havent bought a box in years but based on your review I may pull the trigger again just to laydown for a few years before crack it open 

[smbauerllc]

Nice review.
I have had a number of them in the past year or so and have really enjoyed them. Very tasty and cheap for the size in my opinion.

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[Puros Y Vino]

Great review.  These are very unique to the marca. Wiser and more experienced cigar smokers have told me that this cigar is a very old school blend from the Pre-Revolution days. They are excellent smokes for the $. I've gone deep on these as they age extremely well.  For those lamenting the loss of "long & skinnies"  grab these while you can.

[EnigmatiC]

Bought a box blind that is currently en route. We'll see. Thanks for the review!

[Kaptain Karl]

Great review man!!

Are you sticking in the city or moving elsewhere? 

[saltbox]

36 minutes ago, Kaptain Karl said:

Great review man!!

Are you sticking in the city or moving elsewhere? 

San Carlos! Not too far from the city, but we're ready for that suburban life. First things first, time to get a big dog.

[Kaptain Karl]

6 minutes ago, philipl said:

San Carlos! Not too far from the city, but we're ready for that suburban life. First things first, time to get a big dog.

That’s awesome man! I have a bunch of buddies who finally moved outa the city this year as well. It’s so nice having a little extra space! 

[jbosma]

Was on the fence with a box purchase of these.   Snapped up a box after reading your review.  Thanks!

[Rhinoww]

Love these sticks. Great review.