Pre-light Experience

Aaron: The wrapper on the Romeo y Julieta 150th Anniversary Balconet is medium brown and has a network of lightly raised veins present. The seams are smooth and the caps well applied. There are two bands, both in a white and gold color combination. The primary carries the traditional design for the brand while the secondary denotes the line. The aroma from the wrapper is a light mix of wood and earth while the foot brings bread, stone fruit sweetness and some cedar. The pre-light draw brings spicy cedar and some earth along with a mid-level spiciness on my lips.
Seth: The Romeo y Julieta 150th Anniversary Balconet is a beautiful cigar. The wrapper is between Natural and Maduro and is slightly oily in texture. There are medium sized veins present throughout, and the cigar is firm in hand. The cap is applied well, and the bands are simple, but lovely against the wrapper. There are faint aromas of cedar, cream, tobacco and cocoa, and they are present on the wrapper and foot. Simple in appearance, but lovely.
John: The Romeo y Julieta 150th Anniversary Balconet comes packaged in cellophane with a UPC sticker containing cigar information that tears when opened. The cigar features a primary Romeo y Julieta band and a secondary 150th anniversary band. I weighed the cigar at 19.1 grams and measured humidity at 64.1% using the CigarMedics HumidiMeter Pro. For aromas from the wrapper, I was getting bread, sweet tobacco and faint wood. From the foot, all I could pick out was hay and tobacco.
Jiunn: The Romeo y Julieta 150th Anniversary Balconet has an attractive and oily Colorado wrapper shade. The sheen on the cigar at a certain light has a slight red hue. Veins are well pressed, seams tight, bunch and roll even and the head is well wrapped and capped. Pre-light aromas consist of cedar, barnyard and mixed nuts.

Romeo y Julieta 150th Anniversary Balconet

First Third

Aaron: The cigar begins with toasted oak, black pepper and some earth. At a half inch in, the black pepper and earth switch places in terms of fullness. At three quarters of an inch in, some leather joins the profile. The retrohale is toasted oak, earth, leather and light zing of black pepper. As the third comes to a close, the toasted oak is just ahead of the earth, with the black pepper and leather just behind the middle of the profile. The strength was right at medium.
Seth: The 150th Anniversary Balconet starts out with this creamy and wood center flavor profile. There is some cocoa powder notes present as well, and it has touches of soft spices on the finish. Not overly complex, but balanced. I would classify the cigar as just at or under medium in strength and body.
John: The first third opens with creamy tobacco at light-plus strength, accompanied by baking spices and sweet wood on the finish. The wood lingers on the post-draw, which is further defined by sweet, creamy tobacco intensified through the retrohale, alongside spicy wood at medium strength. Cocoa emerges in the retrohale as the first third settles. As the first third progresses, the wood moves to a background supporting role while tannins begin to enter the center of the profile. Approaching the halfway point, creamy wood leads with dry tannic wood in the center at light-plus strength, lingering into the finish.
Jiunn: There’s an elegance to the flavor profile (or am I persuaded by the elegant, beautiful bands?). Sweet roasted mixed nuts carry the cigar, followed by barnyard, cedar and minerals. The retrohale is inviting, with ample sweet and creamy mixed nuts, sharper minerals and bread. The finish is fairly clean with lingering aged cedar and associated wood tannins. Strength and body is medium.

Romeo y Julieta 150th Anniversary Balconet

Second Third

Aaron: As the second third begins, the black pepper and leather both mellow a bit. At a half inch in, the toast level increases a bit. The retrohale is now toasted oak, earth and mild black pepper. At an inch and a quarter, the earth becomes even with the toasted oak up front. As the third comes to a close, the toasted oak and earth are even up front, with the black pepper and leather in the back half of the profile. The strength remained at medium.
Seth: The second third is fairly in line with the first. The spice notes are slightly more pronounced on the finish, but it still has that creamy, wood and cocoa powder flavor profile. There are some coffee bean notes as well. Like before, right around the medium level for strength and body.
John: The second third begins with creamy, sweet and nutty wood alongside tobacco, finished by mildly dry wood. Faint cocoa returns to the retrohale as the third settles in. Sweet, creamy wood blends with cocoa as the cigar nears the halfway point, finished by mildly dry wood. Baking spices emerge in the retrohale at medium-minus strength moving toward the last third.
Jiunn: The profile develops a sour citrus rind, which gives a completely new dynamic to the other flavors of roasted mixed nuts, barnyard, cedar and minerals. The minerals also seep a bit more into the finish as well. Strength and body remains medium.

Romeo y Julieta 150th Anniversary Balconet

Final Third

Aaron: As the final third begins, the earth takes a slight lead in the profile. At a half inch in, the leather picks back up a bit. The retrohale is now toasted oak, earth, leather and mild black pepper. At an inch in, the toast level becomes pretty heavy and a light wood bitterness joins the profile. As the cigar wraps up, the earth is just ahead of the heavily toasted oak, with leather in the middle of the profile, black pepper a bit further back and some wood bitterness in the background. The strength bumped up to slightly above medium.
Seth: The final third is in line with the second. Creamy wood flavors with some cocoa powder and coffee beans. Touches of spices on the finish with some leather notes as well. Not overly complex, but balanced. Medium in strength and body to the end.
John: The last third starts with creamy tobacco combined with mild earth notes. Baking spices and wood combine in the center at medium strength, with wood defining the post-draw, joined by delayed earth notes. As the third progresses, earth on the post-draw strengthens to medium intensity, taking over. By the halfway point of the last third, creamy wood defines the profile with wood and earth mixing in the post-draw.
Jiunn: The final third focuses a bit too much on the sour citrus rind and has less impact on other flavors (especially the sweeter creamier mixed nuts). This reduces the enjoyment of the cigar. Strength and body finish the same medium.

Romeo y Julieta 150th Anniversary Balconet

Burn

Aaron: The burn was straight throughout, but the cigar went out suddenly in the second third, requiring a re-light. The ash held on in inch and a half increments.
Seth: The burn on the 150th Anniversary Balconet was off from beginning to end.
John: The burn had a wavy start to it, which continued as an uneven burn into the second third. Eventually that uneven burn required a touch-up to correct. The burn continued to be wavy into the last third.
Jiunn: Great burn performance capturing an even burn, tight ashes and cool burning temperatures.

Romeo y Julieta 150th Anniversary Balconet

Draw

Aaron: The draw was slightly tighter than I prefer, but didn’t cause any issues with the smoking experience.
Seth: The draw was fantastic from start to finish.
John: I measured the draw with the CigarMedics draw machine to 39 inches of water. My subjective take on the draw is that it was perfectly between open and resistant.
Jiunn: Great draw performance as well, providing the ideal balance between air flow and resistance.

Overall

Aaron: The cigar began with toasted oak, black pepper and some earth. Later, the earth and black pepper switched places. Some leather joined a bit later. The second third saw the toast level increase a bit. Later, the earth and toasted oak became even up front. The final third saw the earth take a slight lead and the toast level became pretty heavy. Later, the leather picked back up a bit. The Romeo y Julieta 150th Anniversary Balconet had an average flavor profile throughout, focused around toasted oak and earth. There wasn’t anything very exciting about the flavor profile. I was hoping for a bit more for such a big anniversary release, but it wasn’t to be. Without the very high price point, it still wouldn’t be a cigar I’d see myself returning to.
Seth: The Romeo y Julieta 150th Anniversary Balconet was an average cigar. It was great in appearance, but the overall smoking experience was lacking. The flavor profile was fairly one dimensional and the burn was subpar. I felt it was too soft in terms of strength and body, and that took away from the cigar. Some more spice, dark earth and cocoa notes would have added a lot to the cigar. In many ways, it is in line with so many Romeo y Julieta smokes.
John: The Romeo y Julieta 150th Anniversary Balconet offers a well-rounded and flavorful experience highlighted by creamy tobacco, sweet wood and baking spices. The first two thirds deliver a harmonious mix of cocoa, wood and mild tannins that keep the palate engaged. Though the last third introduces stronger earth and tannic notes that slightly disrupt the balance, the cigar maintains an enjoyable profile overall. The draw was excellent draw and the burn was wavy at times, requiring a touch-up to correct. Overall, I’d return to this cigar again, however the price point puts into a category that I reserve for special occasions. Total smoking time was a very slow 2 hours and 55 minutes.
Jiunn: So my eyes weren’t deceiving me. The elegance of the packaging matched the smoking experience. The overall flavor profile showed good harmony, touching on sweetness, sourness and tannins (which helped with the body). It’s been a while since I liked something out of Altadis, so this Romeo y Julieta 150th Anniversary Balconet was definitely a much needed win. Well done.

Aaron Loomis

SCORE

5.50

Cost/Point

$4.91

Scoring System

Seth Geise

SCORE

5.20

Cost/Point

$5.19

Scoring System

John McTavish

SCORE

6.72

Cost/Point

$4.02

Scoring System

Jiunn Liu

SCORE

6.82

Cost/Point

$3.96

Scoring System

Team Cigar Review: Romeo y Julieta 150th Anniversary Balconet