Tasting Note

For many years, the Romeo y Julieta Churchill was a classic in the Cuban portfolio. It's still one of the quintessential Cuban cigars, but worldwide distributor and marketing monopoly Habanos S.A. decided it was time to create some offshoots of this well-known standard. Today, Romeo has a regular Churchill, Petit Churchill and Wide Churchill, but the one to look out for is the Short Churchill. While the others are fine cigars, this year, none impressed us as much as the Short. It's the size of a standard robusto and a complex composition of ripe apple, red wine and sweet toffee, all tied together by a rich, toasty undertone. The flavors are clear and pronounced but not at all overwhelming, nor are they competing for dominance.