Today, we are reviewing the Romeo y Julieta Reserva Real Profundo in the Toro size from Altadis U.S.A. The Profundo is the newest addition to the Romeo y Julieta Reserva Real line. The Romeo y Julieta Reserva Real line has arguably been one of the most popular lines in Altadis U.S.A.’s Romeo y Julieta brand. The original Romeo y Julieta Reserva Real is a Dominican-made cigar. In 2020, Altadis U.S.A. decided to add a Nicaraguan-made extension to Reserva Real. For this project, Rafael Nodal turned to AJ Fernandez to develop Romeo y Julieta Reserva Real Nicaragua. Shortly after that, barber-pole versions were added to the Dominican and Nicaraguan Reserva Real lines. With the success of the extension to Reserva Real, Altadis U.S.A. was ready for its next extension to Reserva Real Nicaragua, Profundo.
The Profundo is highlighted by a dark Nicaraguan-grown Oscuro wrapper. Oscuro means dark, and the dark color is achieved from the leaf undergoing extra fermentation. The name Profundo is another take on the dark wrapper, as it is the Spanish word for “deep.” The bands and boxes are highlighted by a purplish-burgundy font. This combines the red on the Dominican Reserva Real packaging with the blue on the Reserva Real Nicaragua.
Without further ado, let’s break down the Reserva Real Profundo Toro and see what this cigar brings to the table.
SPECIFICATIONS
Blend and Origin
The Profundo cigar features a dark Nicaragua Oscuro wrapper and is made with Nicaraguan tobaccos for both the binder and filler. Although the specific factory has not been officially disclosed, the cigar was produced at AJ Fernandez’s facilities. The tobaccos used in the Profundo come from AJ Fernandez’s farms.
- Wrapper: Nicaraguan Oscuro
- Binder: Nicaraguan
- Filler: Nicaraguan
- Country of Origin: Nicaragua
- Factory: AJ Fernandez (specific factory not disclosed)
Vitolas Offered
The Profundo is a regular-production cigar offered in four sizes. Each comes in 25-count boxes.
- Robusto 50 x 5
- Toro 54 x 6
- Magnum 60 x 6
- Churchill 50 x 7
Appearance (*)
The Nicaraguan-grown oscuro wrapper of the Profundo Toro certainly lives up to its “deep” and “dark” reputation. This wrapper has a roasted espresso coffee bean color. A light amount of oil was on the surface of this wrapper. Despite the dark color, some mottling was still visible on the surface. The wrapper surface had some visible veins. Meanwhile, the dark wrapper did a good job of hiding any visible wrapper seams.
PERFORMANCE
Pre-Light Draw (*)
A straight cut was used to remove the cap and commence the cigar experience of the Profundo Toro. Once the cap was removed, it was time to commence with the pre-light draw ritual. The cold draw produced a mix of coffee, cream, and chocolate cherry-cordial experience. The overall pre-light draw experience of this cigar was excellent. Now, it was time to toast the footer of the Profundo Toro and discover what the smoking experience had in store for me.
Tasting Notes
The Profundo Toro opened up with an assortment of flavors including coffee, cream, dark chocolate, and mixed pepper. The coffee notes quickly moved into the forefront. The cream, dark chocolate, and pepper settled in the background. Sometimes coffee and chocolate notes emanating from the tobacco on a cigar could fuse together into a “mocha” flavor. In this case, the notes didn’t fuse; they stayed separate and distinct. As the cigar moved through the first third, earth notes also surfaced in the forefront. Meanwhile, there was an additional layer of mixed pepper that was present on the retro-hale.
During the second third of the Profundo Robusto, the coffee notes remained primary. The background notes included cream, dark chocolate, pepper, and earth. The cream notes diminished and were pretty much dissipated by the midway point. Meanwhile, the pepper notes in the background gradually increased in intensity.
The final third saw the mixed pepper notes join the coffee in the forewent. Meanwhile, dark chocolate and earth notes still lingered in the background. This is the way the Profundo Robusto came to a close. The resulting nub was soft to the touch and cool in temperature.
Burn
The Profundo Robusto’s burn performance needed minimal touch-ups, producing a relatively straight burn line and path. The ash was silver-gray, with a consistency that was neither overly firm nor loose or flaky. Additionally, the burn rate and burn temperature remained within ideal levels.
Draw
The draw of the Profundo Robusto also performed excellently. The draw had a touch of resistance, which is ideal in my book. Meanwhile, this was a low-maintenance cigar to derive flavor from.
Strength and Body
The Profundo Robusto serves as a prime example of how a dark wrapper shouldn’t be mistaken to mean a very bold cigar. In this instance, the Profundo’s strength and body remained medium throughout the experience. I did not notice any notable shifts in strength or body as I smoked the cigar. The strength and body complemented each other well, with neither characteristic dominating the other.
BANDING AND PACKAGING NOTES (*)
As mentioned earlier, the Profundo bands and boxes are a purplish-burgundy color. The burgundy color is applied to the Reserva Real box design and bands. I found this purplish-burgundy color to work really well on both the boxes and bands. In particular, I really liked how the color contrasted with the oscuro wrapper of the cigar.
OVERALL ASSESSMENT
Final Thoughts
The Profundo Toro delivered an outstanding smoking performance. This cigar doesn’t have many radical flavor transitions, but it delivers excellent flavor from start to finish. When I smoked the original Reserva Real Nicaragua, one thing I was impressed with was how it kept to the profile of its Dominican counterpart. The Profundo Robusto was a very different cigar than the original Dominican Reserva Real and the original Reserva Real Nicaragua. This should be considered a positive, as the Profundo delivers its own expression, and it’s very good. I would recommend this cigar to both novice and experienced cigar enthusiasts. For me, this is a cigar I would buy and smoke again. At just under $12.00, the Profundo Robusto is worth buying a box of. Coming it a 91 points this exceeds the threshold for Cigar Coop Standard of Excellence.
Summary
- Key Flavors: Coffee, Dark Chocolate, Earth, Cream, Pepper
- Burn: Very Good
- Draw: Excellent
- Complexity: Medium Minus
- Strength: Medium
- Body: Medium
- Finish: Excellent
Rating
Value: Box Purchase
Score: 91
Cigar Coop Standard of Excellenc
The Smoking Syndicate
Earlier this year, Ben Lee of The Smoking Syndicate assessed the Profundo in the Robusto size and gave this cigar a 89
REFERENCES
Photo Credits: Cigar Coop
