Cigar Reviews
Romeo y Julieta House of Capulet, a Famous Smoke Shop Exclusive
Altadis USA extended their Romeo y Julieta portfolio in 2013 with two shop exclusives, House of Capulet and House of Montague. Exclusive to Famous Smoke Shop, the lines are named after the families of the central figures in Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet. Juliet belongs to the House of Capulet.
The Romeo y Julieta House of Capulet is manufactured in Honduras utilizing an Ecuadorian Connecticut wrapper over a Nicaraguan binder and Nicaraguan and Honduran filler tobaccos. five regular production vitolas are available including: Corona Gorda (6 by 46), Robusto (5 by 54), Toro (6 by 52), Churchill (7 by 50), and Magnum (6 by 60). Famous currently has 20-count boxes available from $82.99 for the Robusto to $94.99 for the Magnum.
The Facts
Samples Provided by Famous Smoke Shop
Price: $5.39 per single | $21.99 per 5 pack | $42.99 per 10 pack | $82.99 per box of 20
Vitola: Robusto
Size: 5 by 54
Wrapper: Ecuadorian Connecticut
Binder: Nicaraguan
Filler: Nicaraguan and Honduran
Smoke Time: 1 Hour and 25 Minutes
Pre-light
The Romeo y Julieta House of Capulet robusto wears a light to medium tan wrapper that has a few color imperfections down the cigar and the small veins are easy to see as they are lighter in color than the rest of the leaf. To the touch, the cigar is evenly filled, but I am hesitant to pinch the cigar as the wrapper seems brittle. Removing the cellophane and the large band from the cigar, aromas of cedar, cooking spices, cocoa, although faint, are very welcoming. While the band removed as one, it is actually two separate bands so I decided to slide back on the primary band for the pictures.
Fuller notes are found on the foot with some rich cedar, dried dark fruit, chocolate, and a hint of clove. A double cap brings the cigar to a close. Upon clipping the cap with my Xikar Xi cutter, I find big notes of clove and cinnamon, cedar, chocolate, and a significant spice heat can be felt on my lips.
First Third
The Romeo y Julieta House of Capulet opens up with mouth-full of full flavored smoke with the spice catching me off guard. The introductory profile consists of white pepper, rich woodsy notes, and an earthiness, along with the typical Connecticut shade bitterness. A quarter inch in, the flavors mellow, the pepper shifts down a gear or two allowing a cinnamon and garlic-like spice to make an appearance. The flavors are coming across creamy on the palate. For the most part, the cigar is burning even and a light gray ash is being formed.
Middle Third
The flavors are now medium as I enter the second third of the House of Capulet Robusto. At this point, it is very woodsy, earthy, and the spice has made a return, but matching up well with the other flavors. A faint bitterness is popping in every so often from the wrapper. Through the sinuses, the spice is sharp and the finish is of earth and cocoa. The thick burn has gone back and forth from wavy to even more than a couple of times. A new sweetness has arrived on the scene that I can’t quite pinpoint.
Final Third
Transitioning into the final third, the earth develops to more diesel like and a new toasted bread flavor is on edge with the earth, cedar, and pepper, as the cocoa pushes forward from the finish into the profile. The sweetness that arrived earlier may be just a touch of sugar cane, but it is rounding out the profile nicely and pushing out the bitterness.
Wrap-up
I have been really digging cigars with Ecuadorian Connecticut wrappers over Nicaraguan binder and filler tobaccos. They seem to compliment each other very well. Some great examples of it include the Undercrown Shade and United Cigar Group Garofalo. While the Romeo Y Julieta House of Capulet may not make it to a top 10 list like the aforementioned cigars, I found the cigar to be enjoyable, fairly balanced, and spicy, with noticeable transitions in each third. After opening up on the full end, the cigar quickly settled to a medium-bodied smoke and I never felt any strength from the cigar. Performance was to par with a slightly uneven burn, but no touch-ups were necessary. For the price of the cigar, it won’t break the bank to try one out that is for sure and I think a 5-pack purchase would be my recommendation, but if you are a milder cigar smoker, this may be right up your ally.
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