The Romeo y Julieta Linea de Oro was one of the most anticipated new Cuban cigar releases of recent years. Any new cigar is cause for excitement among smokers; when one of the most famous Havana brands prepares to launch 3 new vitolas in an all-new flavour profile, things step up a notch. The Linea de Oro is intended as the pinnacle of Romeo y Julieta, opulently dressed in gold foil bands – with an extra strip to protect the foot of the cigar – and contained in glorious red lacquer boxes.
The drama and grandeur of this presentation is part of the new Habanos “super-luxe” tier for its global brands, and helps add to the occasion of smoking a Hidalgos. At 57 ring gauge by 4 ⅞″ it is the shortest and thickest of the three – mine smoked for around 75 minutes. The Linea de Oro have a medium-to-full strength blend, as opposed to the medium of the rest of the brand.
Construction: 10/10
- The claro wrapper was silky and golden, the fill was even throughout the body and the general look and impression of the cigar was flawless.
Draw: 9/10
- The first few puffs were perfect, then for a short period the smoke felt a little reluctant to come through, then back to perfect.
Combustion: 9/10
- Generally very good, though the burn did have a slight dent in at all the way through.
Ash: 4/5
- A lovely silvery-grey, but a touch flaky and not solid enough to garner full marks.
Smoke: 5/5
- Masses of smoke, in thick and creamy clouds of steely-blue. A joy to behold.
Flavour: 23/25
- Immediately upon lighting the cigar my palette was drenched with waves of flavour. Some notes I expected, some were a surprise, all were delicious.
Overall: 33/35
- I am often wary of cigars which come with as much hype as the Linea de Oro did. When we are denied a new release for so long, when its arrival is vaunted then delayed over and over again, my cynical Scottish nature kicks in, leaving me sceptical as to whether they will be worth the wait and fanfare at all. The Hidalgos definitely was – a complex and entertaining journey of flavour which filled an hour on a warm summer’s evening perfectly.
Final Score: 93/100
- It is more relieving than anything else when a cigar this anticipated turns out to be as good as we had hoped. As soon as I lit this Hidalgos I tasted an extraordinary burst of caramel, brought to me on a cloud of thick smoke. It soon was joined by notes of butter shortbread, adding depth to the overall taste. The biscuit flavour developed into the middle third as the caramel gently faded, replaced by fresh bread and the aroma of warm leather. Just as advertised, the strength of this cigar was considerably higher than a normal Romeo y Julieta, and the body of the smoke was astonishingly creamy. The final third saw everything intensify; notes of nutmeg, cinnamon, pepper and chili replaced all those which had come before and the stronger profile really hit home. Despite the somewhat light appearance of the wrapper I would call this an evening cigar, to be enjoyed on a full stomach. One thing is for certain: it was certainly worth the wait.