My Cigar of the Year 2013

My Cigar of The Year is the Romeo y Julieta Churchill Reserva 2008. I have loved this cigar since the first time I smoked it in Havana in February 2012. It is a cigar that delivers everything I hope for in a great smoke from subtle and perfumed aromas, rich yet balanced flavors and a long and intense aftertaste. It reminds me of great vintage cigars from the 1950s and 1960s, with its incredible depth of favor and character yet a harmonious style. It is also a cigar that improves with age. I originally rated it 97 points, but I think it is even better now – 99 points.

Romeo y Julieta only released 5,000 boxes of the Churchill Reserve 2008 this year. The cigar comes in a black lacquered box with a soft velvet cover. Each box contains 20 cigars. The cigar is a classic Churchill dimension: measuring 47-ring gauge thick by 7 inches long. It sells for about $1,000 to $1,400 a box, depending on the market.

According to Habanos SA, the global distribution company for Cuban cigars, the limited production Churchill is produced from tobacco selected from the 2008 vintage that has been processed for a minimum of three years. This stringent selection process applies to all parts of the cigar, including the filler, binder and wrapper.

Here is my most recent tasting note on the cigar:

The balance to this cigar is phenomenal with a beautiful finish and length of subtle flavors that last for minutes. It shows impressive characters of cedar and tealeaf with hints of cream. This is truly a cigar to contemplate as you smoke. 99 points

The video below is from the 2012 Habanos cigar festival, when the Romeo y Julieta Churchill Reserva 2008 was launched. As I noted before, I think it’s even better now.