Stogie Reviews: Romeo y Julieta Short Churchill (Cuban)
30 Jun 2008
The “short Churchill” format strikes me as a very Cuban concept. After all, as far as the size goes, it’s really nothing more than a classic robusto size. By naming this robusto a Short Churchill, it calls to mind a longer, less rushed smoking experience that characterizes the 7 inch Chuchill size.
The Romeo y Julieta Short Churchill was introduced in 2006 at the 8th annual Habanos Festival in Havana, Cuba. It has dimensions similar to that of a robusto: 4 and 7/8 inches by 50 ring gauge. This is different from the classic Romeo y Julieta Exhibición No. 4 which, while also a robusto, is a slightly longer and slightly thinner 5 inches by 48.
The Cuban features double gold-embossed bands that give the cigar a regal appearance and frame a shiny, golden caramel-colored wrapper. The leaf is attractive despite some prominent veins, and the well-proportioned cigar is firm to the touch.
Once I lit, the Short Churchill greets me with a medley of flavors including coffee, cream, leather, honey, and graham cracker. It is medium-bodied and tremendously well-balanced. An easy draw makes it easy to enjoy.
As the cigar progressed, I found strong cedar notes moved in, but never so much as to overpower the rest of the flavors. The smoke lasted for close to an hour and never became bitter or harsh, even as I carefully removed both bands and smoked it down to the nub.
The construction was equally impressive. The ash was solid gray and firm, and the burn was even with a black shiny mascara leading the way.
I’ve read reports that production problems have plagued Romeo y Julieta, and I have even heard that later versions of the Short Churchill featured a box press. However, I found none of these problems in the four cigars I smoked for this review.
I did find that aging helped this cigar become even better. After six months of humidor time, the cream and coffee notes were even more pronounced, adding another layer of depth to this already complex smoke.
Like most Cuban cigars, this one isn’t inexpensive (especially with the inflated American dollar). But for just around $10 per cigar ($111 for a box of ten, or $221 for a box of 25) the price is more than fair for this exquisite smoke.
As much as I try, I can’t find anything wrong with this cigar. The format is fantastic, the blend sweet and complex, and the construction flawless. For all that and more, the Romeo y Julieta Short Churchill earns a rating of five out of five stogies.
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My mouth is watering right now. I have also found that the '07 examples of this stick are nothing short of fantastic.
I’ve somehow been able to keep my grubby hands off my modest stash of Short Churchills for about six months, and it sounds like that’s going to pay off bigtime when I finally fire them up. Can’t wait!
I love the Short Churchill, however I find that the cigar is very inconsistent in terms of constuction. Sometimes I receive a stick with a great draw. Sometimes I receive a stick that have plugs and I have to constantly relight.
But if you happen to smoke a good one you will be in for a treat.
Chad-
As I noted in the article, I've heard that construction issues have popped up about the RyJ Short Churchills.
That said, I can't say I had any. But it is important to remember that all my samples came from the same box. I guess it goes to the two types of consistency that cigar makers have to maintain: stick to stick (with in each box), and box-to box from year to year.
My review can only speak to the first type of consistency.
I love these cigars, though in my experience the burn isn't always as even as I'd like it to be. Occasionally you'll get some laser-carved, flawelsss burn lines; other times you'll get something a bit more jagged, if slowly self-correcting. Either way, the Short Churchill is a winner in my book. Definitely worth checking out for anyone who enjoys Cubans.
Kudos on the pic. The oil looks like it's seeping out of the wrapper.
With RyJs being my favorite koobans these sound like a real winner for me!
To me they are a very generic cigar, but as with most cubans it will score a big rating because it taste "different" than what they are use to smoking.
First of all I really enjoy this website, and because of this review I smoked a Short Churchill on friday .. unfortunately I must have picked up a bad one, because the burn was awful, it kept going out, and I had to touch up several times .. in spite of that, it was a really tasty smoke, and I hope the three I have left in my humidor won't suffer from the same problems
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Just had a Short Churchill last night, it was incredible. So incredibly smooth and creamy. Flavors along the lines of the original review, although I have to add more toasty flavors like malt and english muffin. There are definitely herbaceous tastes present, but nothing too strong. All in all a slick stick. These have great aging potential, although from what I hear they get even more herbaceous with age. Smoke them now!
If you think they are good after 6 months, try them after two+ years. Working on my 08 box. I could live on this and a Monte #2 havana. Try them with a delicate single malt with notes of vanilla and fruit. Makes for a super combo. I like them with a couple fingers worth of Macallen 18 single malt, neat.