Romeo y Julieta Vintage Lote Review — Romeo y Julieta 1875 Vintage Lote by Altadis U.S.A.

Today, we review the Romeo y Julieta 1875 Vintage Lote. The Vintage Lote is a limited edition cigar that debuted at the 2024 Premium Cigar Association (PCA) Trade Show. The term “lote” translates to “batch” in Spanish. The Vintage Lote is a cigar crafted by the Grupo de Maestros team at Tabacalera de Garcia in the Dominican Republic. The cigar was rolled and then put into a cedar aging room at the factory, where it remained for six years – until it would make its way to market in 2024. The concept behind the Vintage Lote was to pay homage to the Romeo y Julieta 1875. The 1875 is significant because that is the year the Romeo y Julieta brand was founded.

The idea of aging hand-rolled cigars for extended periods is nothing new. Nelson Alfonso of Selected Tobacco is well known for using that process. Rocky Patel Premium Cigars has developed its popular ALR brand based on this concept. We’ve also observed STG utilizing the benefits of extra aging. The use of extra aging is not something new to Altadis and Romeo y Julieta either. There was a limited edition cigar called Romeo y Julieta Reserve Rare 11 Years Old, which, as the name indicates, was a cigar rolled and then put into an aging room for 11 years.

For now, we turn our attention back to the Romeo y Julieta 1875 Vintage Lote and see what this cigar brings to the table.

Romeo y Julieta 1875 Vintage Lote by Altadis U.S.A.

SPECFICATIONS

Blend and Origin

The blend features a Habana 2000 Nicaraguan wrapper over a Broadleaf binder and a combination of Dominican and Pennsylvania fillers. Production comes from the famed Tabacalera de Garcia factory in La Romana, Dominican Republic.

Wrapper: Habana 2000 Nicaragua
Binder: Broadleaf (USA)
Filler: Dominican Piloto Seco, Pennsylvania Double Ligero
Country of Origin: Dominican Republic
Factory: Tabacalera de Garcia

Vitolas Offered

The Vintage Lote came in one size – a 6 3/4 x 48 “Double Corona.” A total of 4,000 ten-count boxes were released.

Appearance (*)

The Vintage Lote’s Habano 2000 wrapper had a strong rosado tint. Its surface did not have much oil, but some veins were visible. The wrapper seams were minimal.

PERFORMANCE

Pre-Light Draw (*)

Before lighting up the Vintage Lote, a straight cut was used to remove the cap of the cigar. Once the cap was removed, it was on to the pre-light draw phase. The cold draw delivered a combination of sweet cedar, natural tobacco, and earth. The cedar notes were the most dominant of the three. I usually do not like cedar notes, but they seemed to work well with this cigar. Now it was time to light the Vintage Lote and see what the smoking phase would have in store.

Tasting Notes

The Vintage Lote smoke picked up where the pre-light draw left off – notes of sweet cedar, natural tobacco, and earth. In addition, there were notes of black pepper and must. The sweet cedar notes were primary early on, but these gave way to the natural tobacco notes. The cedar settled in the background with the earth, must, and pepper. Meanwhile, there were additional layers of pepper and cedar on the retro-hale.

The second third of the Vintage Lote saw the natural tobacco notes remain grounded in the forefront. During this phase, the pepper notes slowly increased in intensity. Meanwhile, the sweet cedar notes continued to diminish. The earth and must notes remained in the background. By the end of the second third, the cedar was gone on both the tongue and the retro-hale.

The final third of the cigar experience saw the pepper join the natural tobacco in the forefront. In the background, the must and earth notes remained. By this point, the natural tobacco also lost its sweetness, and a slight amount of harshness was present. This is how the Vintage Lote came to a close. The resulting nub was soft to the touch and cool in temperature.

Burn

The Vintage Lote performed exceptionally well in terms of burn. The cigar maintained a straight burn path and line, resulting in silver-gray ash. The ash wasn’t overly firm but also not loose or flaky. The burn rate and temperature also maintained ideal levels.

Draw

The Vintage Lote’s draw also scored nicely. It had a touch of resistance, which is ideal in my book. At the same time, it was a low-maintenance cigar from which to derive flavor.

Strength and Body

Knowing that the Romeo y Julieta brand and the Vintage Lote were aged for six years, I wasn’t expecting much boldness. Surprisingly, this cigar had more “pop” than I expected. It started with medium-bodied flavors before progressing to medium to full in the second half. This was countered by medium strength. In terms of strength versus body, the body maintained the edge from start to finish.

BANDING AND PACKAGING NOTES (*)

The Vintage Lote’s packaging is not overly complicated but works quite well. The primary band is based on the Romeo y Julieta 1875 line but features gold foil and red. A secondary band with a similar color scheme also works quite well. The box features a white top and a wrap-styled bottom.

OVERALL ASSESSMENT

Final Thoughts

I enjoy an extra-aged cigar just as much as any other cigar. However, I don’t have a baseline to compare some of these releases. The Romeo y Julieta 1875 Vintage Lote is one such cigar. I certainly would have liked to have seen how it aged over time.

Ultimately, the Vintage Lote performs exceptionally well in the first third, average in the second third, and more mediocre in the final third. This cigar scores a respectable 88 points, but at $15.00, I would probably recommend trying a sample before purchasing.

Summary

Key Flavors: Natural Tobacco, Sweet Cedar, Earth, Must, Pepper
Burn: Excellent
Draw: Excellent
Complexity: Medium
Strength: Medium
Body: Medium (1st Half), Medium to Full (2nd Half)
Finish: Very Good