Romeo y Julieta Coronas
Box code L-SU-SS-1, 1998.
My son-in-law Rickard and I each smoked one of these tonight. He's by far the better of us to put a name on the flavours but what the hay...I trained him so that has to give me some credit, right?
I've had this box three years and I found it had turned for the better two years ago so I was keen on revisiting them again. Haven't smoked one for at least a year...The Coronas looked a bit dull; dryish, grey-brown wrappers with some veins but appeared to be well constructed otherwise. The pre-light smell was faintly flowery, with some hints of honey.
After cutting them both cigars had a very open draw, almost too good. Not much flavours, mostly hints of cellar and, very weakly, raisins. This could go anywhere, they are certainly not giving up their secrets this early.
First draws were very dry, woody and peppery all over the place. A couple of draws later they calmed down and developed sweeter woody flavours.
The first third the Coronas smoked well, and gave off plentiful amounts of smoke. Just medium bodied this far. We felt some weak mushroom flavours but the flavours were compressed into the mid range of the register, woody, no heavy earthy flavours at all, some faint hints of raisins in the background of the finish. Somewhat metallic. The ash is black, looks really weird. There was a flatness, a lack of depth in the flavours. That is something I've increasingly come to associate with vintage cigars, and frankly, it's the reason I don't like most of them.
The second third the flavours became more rounded, but still flatly metallic, dry acidic wood. More pepper in the nose again and some sweet hints, but all woody still. A touch-up was required for me but otherwise perfect burn until now. Woody finish, metallic taste gone. At this point both cigars were tunneling slightly. Acidic, saliva-generating smoke at this point. The sweet hints were finally named - preserved pears!
The last third was a slow slope down Tannic Lane. More fullbodied, certainly, but simultaneously loosing the pepper and becoming more tannic. We put them aside early since nothing much was happening in a good way.
I'd say that these cigars were well past their prime, but maybe that is just my preference speaking. I know lots of cigar smokers like the ethereal character of vintage smokes, but for my part there comes a point were I find they have lost so much of their early flavour spectrum that I just don't enjoy them much. These had passed that peak for me!
we give them 80 points being in a good mood tonight!
Kjell and Rickard
