Romeo y Julieta

ROMEO Y JULIETA

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Named after William Shakespeare’s tragic lovers, the origins of Romeo y Julieta as a Havana date back to 1875.

The brand rose to international fame during the early years of the 20th Century under the direction of Don ‘Pepin’ Rodriguez, a talented promoter who was amongst the first to recognise the power of the cigar band. During his heyday no less than 20,000 different bands were used in the production of cigars.

Winston Churchill was a devotee of the brand and, following his visit to Havana in 1946, his name has not only been commemorated on a band but also served to describe the marque’s most iconic size – Romeo y Julieta Churchills.

The 21st century has seen the arrival of three similarly named sizes. The Short Churchill, a Robusto size, was added in 2006. Wide Churchill, which boasts a 55 ring gauge, was added in 2010 and in 2012 the Petit Churchill completed the group.

Romeo y Julieta’s balanced and aromatic blend of selected filler and binder leaves from the Vuelta Abajo zone make it the classic medium bodied Havana.

Today Romeo y Julieta is as well known around the world as ever and offers a wide range of tripa larga, totalmente a mano – long filler, totally handmade.

The Range

Churchill

Romeo’s time honoured star size. The vitola dates from the early 20th century. The Churchill family permitted his name to be used for the iconic size in the latter part of the 20th century. Imposing and statesmanlike this is a commanding size that rewards the smoker with richly developing flavours.

Wide Churchill

With a name like this it is no surprise that many see this as a prime example of the modern trend toward wider ring gauge cigars. One of four Romeo y Julietas to bear the famous Churchill name this is, naturally, the one with the heaviest ring gauge.

Short Churchill

Upon its release in 2006 this cigar became the first medium flavoured Robusto from Cuba. This modern shape also proved an ideal way to update the famous association of the Churchill name with Havana cigars. Hardly surprising then that it has gone on to become such a huge success.

Petit Churchill

2012 saw the arrival of the fourth and possibly last of Romeo’s famous Churchill line. Petit Churchills, joining the classic, Short and Wide Churchills to offer a range of heavy girth vitolas for all occasions.

Exhibition No.4

This was the nearest cigar to a Robusto in Romeo’s range for a very long time; slightly thinner (48 ring gauge) but longer (5 inches). It remains a wonderful format for displaying all the flavour and nuance to be found within the Romeo blend.

Cazadores

A Lonsdale size, more or less, presented in bundles wrapped in silver foil. The name translates as ‘Hunters’, which means it should be at home in the UK.

Belicoso

Not a size or shape that is widely associated with Romeo but it has been around for decades offering a reliable, easy drawing passport to the brand’s elegant, medium-bodied taste.

Petit Corona

A mellow, well-balanced, pressed cigar, which, along with its round counterpart the No.2 tube, is by far the most popular Romeo size.

Mille Fleur

The name translates from French into English as “thousand flowers” and, as you might expect, it is a cigar with a generously floral bouquet. The same dimensions as the more ubiquitous Petit Corona, this cigar has been handmade and long-filler since its reintroduction in 2002.

Club Kings

This classic medium-bodied Mareva is presented in a vintage-style cigar tin with a flip-top lid that holds five cigars. This was the first release from the new ‘Linea Retro’ with more quickly following.

Petit Royales

The factory name for cigars of this shape is “Caprichos”, from the Spanish word meaning “whims”. It is produced to the classic medium-bodied R&J blend and is a whim that can happily be indulged even when time is short.

Julieta

A cigar created by Romeo with his partner in mind as the name suggests. A perfectly good smoke for both genders and is presented in a beautiful tin of 5.

Petit Julieta

The factory name tells us the size was designed for intervals at the theatre (Entreactos translates to Between Acts). There are many more reasons for short smoking breaks these days.

Cedros No.2

You should remember that a Romeo Cedros No.2 is a Corona, whereas a No.2 (Tubos) is a Petit Corona. Armed with this knowledge, you have here a classic Cuban Corona with added fragrance imparted by its cedar wrap.

Cedros No.3

In line with Romeo’s Cedros code, the Cedros No.3 is a Petit Corona. It is as good a cigar of this size as you will find, an easy and refined smoke.

No.1

A slender Corona that offers good value for its size. Cedar-wrapped in an aluminium tube you can take it almost anywhere without fear of damage or loss of condition.

No.2

Romeo’s best known and most popular size. A round cigar, as opposed to the pressed Petit Corona, it comes in a cedar-lined tube. Medium flavoured elegance ready where and when you want it.

No.3

Not as small a cigar as you might think. A decent ring gauge with a length that won’t leave you out in the cold too long. A useful small cigar.

Linea de Oro

Hidalgos

Since the 12th century the Spanish word Hidalgo has been used to describe a nobleman and this smart cigar, adorned with two bespoke golden bands, is certainly worthy of the name. Its length is that of a class robusto, but an extra seven ring gauge points helps to make this a very modern Havana and the widest within the entire R&J portfolio.

Nobles

The Nobles impressively demonstrates the new medium-to-full bodied blend of this Romeo y Julieta linea in a size never seen before. The only figurado in the Linea de Oro, this will provide around an hour of smoking time. Ideal with a chilled glass of rosé champagne.

Dianas

The Dianas is close in size to the all-conquering Cohiba Siglo VI. It shares its ring gauge but includes an extra 5mm in length. All of the medium-to-full bodied, aromatic and nuanced flavour is on full display in this majestic Havana.