Romeo y Julieta Reserve Maduro Lonsdale

I received this as part of a sampler from cigarsinternational.com My usual cigar of choice is an Upmann Cameroon, so you know what taste I prefer. I have to admit that I was pleasantly surprised by the taste of this. I have seen a few less than stellar reviews which makes me believe that I may have received the best of the batch. To each their own i guess. This had a wonderfully smooth draw anda consistantly mild taste from start to finish. The sample I received was a corona, not my fave, so I will place an order for Lonsdales and revisit my review!

The draw on my stick was very tight. For the first half of the stick, I thought I was going to pass out trying to smoke it. Even after numerous massages trying to loosen it up, i could not get it to draw comfortably. It tasted fine but nothing special. Quite a disappoinment because most other RJ are wonderful cigars. I may try another size too see if it draws better...but definitely stay away from this one.

This was a beautiful stick, much like the CAO special editions. However, after two similar experiences (about a year apart) I'm a bit disappointed by this cigar. I think it has more to do with all the hype surrounding this particular brand. Although it wasn't over priced, it was still more money than I should have spent on this stick. I purchased three and ended up giving the last one away. Maybe it's my palate. I cannot say for certain. Whatever the case, i'll be steering clear of this stick.

Gave this one another try several months after the first one. Still has the manure/barnyard scent. A little more flavor this time, but not good enough for me. There are a lot better maduros out there. Thank god these were gifts and I did not have to pay for them.

This cigar smells like manure. It is very dissapointing because it looks gorgeous. The burn and ash were good but the smell was terrible and the flavor was rather bland for a maduro. I have one more and am going to give it another shot. Hope it's better.

This cigar came in the 12ct. sampler from JR's. Insofar as its appearance is concerned, this is a beautiful cigar and the silver-black band gives it an almost "high-tech" appearance. Very impressive. Well constructed, but the draw was a little too firm for my liking and I found cutting very difficult. Burn was even and the ash was a very light gray. A single, thick vein traversed the entire length of the cigar but the wrapper was otherwise quite clear.

In terms of flavor, well, it's something between leather and earth and gym shoes. Defining the flavor is very hard and, while it's not all that pleasant, it also isn't terrible. I wished the cigar would have ended sooner, but I wasn't compelled to chuck it half way.

There's really much better our there than this.

Please note that price paid is JR's price for the sample collection divided by the number of cigars in the sampler (40/12).

I'm glad I'm the first person reviewing this cigar. I must give R&J the respect it deserves for coming out with the Reserva series. I wasn't a big fan of maduro until this cigar. When I smelled the cigar in shop it had a dark sweetness to it, almost like dark chocholate. I decided to give it a try and my hopes far exceeded my expectations. The hints of rich creame and a slight charcoal taste made this cigar very unique. It's the greatest oxy-moron of them all, strong yet mild in the mouth. Towards the end I tasted small hints of brandy/cognac which was a pleasant surprise. There was no tunelling, it burned even and was smoked an inch or two from the cap. I highly recommend this cigar to anyone who enjoys any of the R&J series of cigars, especially the Reserva Real's.