AJ Fernandez has been very busy lately, rebuilding from the factory fire last year, fulfilling all the releases with his name on the label, and churning out a ton of blends for other cigar companies. Because of some legal problems that the owners of Altadis got into, the majority of their current cigars are made by the AJ Fernandez factory, including the newest Romeo y Julieta Reserva Real blend: Profundo.
While the Reserva Real line is traditionally known for the best-selling mild blend, Profundo uses all Nicaraguan tobacco with a very dark Oscuro wrapper leaf grown on AJ Fernandez’s farms. AJ collaborated with Rafael Nodal, vice present of product capability for Tabacalera USA, on this blend. The wrapper leaf was a dark chocolate brown with plenty of oils. I got aromas of damp earth, coffee beans, and fresh peppers on the wrapper, while the foot had cocoa powder and earth mostly. The cold draw was easy with flavors of anise, earth, and cedar.
While the original Reserva Real is mild, and the RR Nicaragua is more medium-bodied, this Romeo y Julieta Reserva Real Profundo is full-bodied and full-flavored right from the first puff. On the palate there was dark chocolate, espresso bean, and cedar. The finish was long and lingering with a steadily-building pepper. If you really want to spice things up, though, retrohale this bad boy…that’s where it proves to be a spice bomb, almost painful.
One person at the cigar shop I frequent most often said that they thought this was the fullest-bodied cigar they sold now. I’m not sure I totally agree with that, but it is definitely a “full” full-bodied blend that doesn’t sacrifice any flavor in the process…I have found that to be rare. Hard to believe, but I absolutely love a Romeo y Julieta Reserva Real blend…and that’s profound.
