Romeo y Julieta Viejo 'E' Epicure

The legendary Romeo y Julieta brand is a favorite among premium cigar fans. They consistently produce sticks that live up to their Cuban heritage, and their latest, the Viejo, is no exception. Panelists say it may be their best ever. Thick and smooth, with an oily sheen and triple cap, it’s gorgeous. Its super-smooth, thick, slightly toothy maduro wrapper is grown in the famed San Andres Valley of Mexico. Inside, this smoke features a Criollo ’98 binder and a bevy of Dominican, Nicaraguan, and Honduran fillers. Look for an effortless draw and a bright, white ash. This beauty pumps out voluminous clouds of smoke. We found the flavor of this medium-bodied cigar mellow and smooth throughout and highly consistent, with hints of caramel and a faint, sweet woody note. An Old Fashioned would suit Romeo y Julieta perfectly.

Honduras has been a tobacco growing and cigar manufacturing area for hundreds of years, but it was the Communist revolution in Cuba that really put Honduras on the map. In the 1960s, many Cuban cigar makers fled their homeland and arrived in Honduras to re-establish their way of life. The immigrants took advantage of the climate, soil, and geography, which were well-suited to tobacco growing, and began producing high quality cigars. The center of the Honduran cigar industry is the city of Danli and the nearby Jamastran Valley. The majority of the world’s pure Corojo tobacco is grown here, now that Cuba has stopped production of this iconic, spicy, and rich variety in favor of Corojo hybrids. Other important areas of Honduran cigar production include the Talanga Valley, Copan, and Trojes.