Assessment Updates will be posted on this web-site to: 1) Assess “pre-review” cigars that were not given a rating or score (typically pre-release cigars); 2) Provide numeric ratings to cigars previously assessed prior to the implementation of the numeric scoring system; 3) Provide a re-assessment and re-score of a previously assessed/score cigars. Today, we assign numeric scores to two cigars from My Father Cigars. First up, we provide a numerical score to the Tatuaje Private Reserve (Tatuaje Black Label) Petit Lancero, a cigar we assessed in 2011. We then provide an assessment rating and score to Altadis’ Romeo by Romeo y Julieta, a cigar we pre-reviewed back at the end of March.
Tatuaje Private Reserve (Tatuaje Black Label) Petit Lancero
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| Tatuaje Private Reserve (Tatuaje Black Label) Petit Lancero |
Tatuaje’s Private Reserve series (better known as the Tatuaje Black Label) has been primarily a cigar that has been used for special events, special promotions (aka the Cigar Rights of America sampler pack), or just limited sales releases. In 2011, a new vitola was rolled out and made available to retailers in a 6 x 38 petit lancero.
The Black Label Petit Lancero is an all Nicaraguan puro. It’s toothy Nicaraguan sun-grown Criollo wrapper helps to give the cigar a very rustic appearance. The flavor profile is a combination of caramel, butterscotch, cedar spice, nut, wood, and pepper. When I first started smoking these last year, I felt there was something intangible missing from this cigar’s flavor profile. Now several months later, the flavors really seem to meld well together and have matured a lot better. The flavors are medium-bodied, and balance very nicely with the cigar’s medium strength.
The construction is impeccable on this cigar. This reflects in a flawless draw and a near perfect burn.
Click here for the original assessment on the Tatuaje Private Reserve (Tatuaje Black Label) Petit Lancero.
Assessment: Nice to Have
Score: 93
Romeo by Romeo y Julieta (Altadis)
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| Romeo by Romeo y Julieta |
Altadis’ Romeo by Romeo y Julieta was getting a lot of buzz even before it was released. The new Romeo marked a change in the Romeo y Julieta offering something outside the brand’s reputation for milder smokers. This blend combined with some contemporary packaging and branding has been put in place to capitalize on younger cigar enthusiasts.
The Romeo uses a Ecuadorian Habano seed wrapper combined with Dominican binder and filler. It is offered in four frontmarks: Piramdes, Robusto, Toro, and Churchill. When I smoked a pre-release of the Romeo Toro, I was more than satisfied with this cigar. While it might be marketed as a contemporary cigar, the Romeo has a very classic flavor profile consisting of natural tobacco sweetness, cedar spice, pepper, cinnamon, and nut. Like the Tatuaje Private Reserve above, the flavors of the Romeo have melded better over time (but at a much more rapid rate). This has especially been true once the cigar has hit retailer shelves
I originally assessed this as more of a medium strength, medium-bodied cigar. Recently, I’ve noticed (at times) both of these attributes have moved into the medium to full range. As for the construction, this cigar has a nice burn and a very good draw.
Click here for the original assessment on the Romeo by Romeo y Julieta.
Assessment: Nice to Have
Score: 91
