Even if you’re a total beginner in this wonderful hobby,  I’ll bet you must have heard of Romeo y Julieta cigars, and most likely you are looking forward to smoking one of the blends in this famous brand portfolio.  The brand dates back to the mid-1800s in Havana, Cuba, however, due to the Cuban Embargo of 1962,  the Romeo cigars that are readily available for purchase in the United States are predominately handmade in the Dominican Republic, with a few line extensions produced in  Nicaragua and Honduras.

Romeo y Julieta 1875 is a cigar that I frequently smoked during lunchtime or a bit later in the day due to its very smooth and approachable medium-bodied strength profile.  Quite honestly, 2020 has been a great year for new and exciting cigars,  so for the past year, I’ve put these Romeo’s on the back burner. That said,  on this rainy afternoon, I decided to revisit the brand—  namely the Romeo y Julieta 1875 Bully that is undoubtedly my favorite size in the lineup.

Before I delve into this stick once again, Let’s take a quick look at the blend.

Romeo y Julieta 1875 Bully cigars, like the rest of this top-notch line, features a toothy deep brown  Indonesian wrapper with very tight seams and a nice oily sheen that embraces a core of fully aged Dominican binder and long filler tobaccos.  One thing that I’ve learned from past experience is that an Indonesian wrapper is very delicate in nature, therefore sudden changes in temperature may cause this leaf to crack, so it’s best smoked straight out of the humidor if you live in a colder climate.

The pre-light nose,  like many of the best premium cigars that I’ve smoked,  has the smell of barnyard hay and musty cedar that denotes perfect aging. The cold draw takes a different path with leather, pepper, and cedar lingering on the palate.

As I light up, I’m greeted with a  blast of pepper and a  bit of tangy citrus on the backend. As I remember once again from past experience, after about a half-inch, the profile smooths out nicely as the citrus disappears and the pepper takes a back seat to new flavors of cedar, and leather.

As I move into the middle portion of my Bully, coffee notes enter the scene and the peppery undertones turn into full-blown nuances of sweet spice.  Around the halfway mark the cigar really opens up and reminds me of why I enjoyed this stick so much.  It’s here where the rich medium-bodied tapestry of hazelnut, coffee,  sweet spice, leather, and cedar, make me wish I didn’t wait so long to rediscover this savory handmade premium cigar.

Nothing new in round three, just the same great core of flavors that I  found at the halfway mark of round two. Hazelnut, coffee,  sweet spice, leather, and cedar are chugging along in perfect harmony, this time with a rich tobacco sweetness joining the fray as I approach the thumb burning part of the nub.

• The construction of the Romeo y Julieta 1875 Bully was very good but not perfect. The burn became crooked a few times near the end,  but it did eventually correct itself with the help of a couple of touch-ups from my trusty torch lighter.  Overall, this was certainly no deal-breaker.

• Thanks to my newfound appreciation of this cigar, I will no longer glance over it, but rather, it will once again become part of my daily rotation.

• Would I recommend this cigar to others? You bet! Even if you prefer a stronger smoke, the medium-bodied Romeo Bully has more than enough pop to please the well-seasoned palate, while being smooth and creamy enough for a total newbie.

• If you’re on the hunt for a well made medium-bodied premium cigar with delicious flavors, that strikes the perfect balance between flavor and strength, run, don’t walk to get your hands on some Romeo y Julieta Bully!