RoMa Craft Intemperance Whiskey Rebellion Jefferson
Posted on January 14 2022
Vitola: 4.5x52
Smoking Time: 86 Minutes
Cigars Smoked: 3
Body: Full
Wrapper: Ecuadorian Habano
Binder: Indonesian
Filler: Dominican, Nicaraguan
MSRP: $7.46
"Our philosophy is simple: Combine quality tobacco, experienced craftsmen and the right amount of time and you will produce great cigars. Never compromise in these areas and you will be able to produce great cigars consistently." RoMa Craft Tobac is a company that has a small, but mighty portfolio. With cigars all over the spectrum, I would say they mainly focus on sticks with a full bodied approach. Exclusively made by NicaSueño a well known factory in Esteli, Nicaragua. Under their watchful eye, the cigars are consistent, show signs of the utmost care, and passion.
Visual Inspection: After pulling this cigar out of the cellophane, huge aromas of barnyard come wafting out, upon further inspection, cinnamon and cedar are present. This Ecuadorian wrapper is very rustic, practically covered in veins, and has a creamy brown tooth, which pops against the iced americano colored wrapper. The head cap does not appear to be amazing, but that is the only negative I have about the construction. There aren’t any soft spots present after squeezing the cigar. There is a slight loose foot on this cigar, but it is well contained inside the visible binder leaves.
After v-cutting the cigar, I take a cold draw, there isn't a lot of complexity going on but it provides slight hints of green tea and hay. I anticipate there will be a major change in this cigar after lighting it, because of the small, 1/8th of an inch lack of wrapper at the foot.
First Third: Immediately after lighting the McFarlane, notes of salt are very prevalent, almost entirely. Once I start burning the wrapper leaf, that salt passes quickly, and is replaced with notes of dry leaves, lightly peppered bbq, and ever-so-slight notes of brown sugar. A retrohale brings hints of all-spice and black pepper. I’m not ever half an inch into this sample, and it has become 10X better than when I first lit the cigar.
The burn line is at that point where it could use a touch up, or you could just let it run its course, which is exactly what I'll do. Ash is holding well, with a slight bloom on one side, but nothing that weakens its integrity, color is a mix between white and grey. Those BBQ notes that were harder to find earlier have grown immensely, now it is the main flavor, followed by brown sugar, arugula, and a dash of black pepper. These notes are synonymous with Indonesian tobacco, to my palate. I am surprised how much of it is coming through being that the binder is the only Indonesian tobacco, but it goes to show how much binder and filler play a role in what you taste.
Second Third: While BBQ notes are still large and in charge, those arugula notes are becoming more prevalent, now right on the tail of the BBQ notes. With the 2 notes together it comes across as char, as opposed to the flavors being separate. The brown sugar sweetness is still lingering in the background, which is accentuated in the retrohale, as well as black pepper although much more mild than before.
While still flirting with needing a touch up, the burn line is better than before, but still just slightly off. The color of the ash has retained its color profile, and is still very strong. Notes of char are becoming even more prevalent than prior. Followed by black pepper, coffee beans, and a hint of brown sugar.
Last Third: I’m not sure I would call this a full bodied cigar, the flavors are very full, but the body falls around medium, medium + at best. The black pepper notes are stronger now than it has been, and accentuated by the retrohale. It shows up on the tip of my tongue and takes a while before dissipating. The burn line is almost perfect, with no touch ups at all, showing how a quality cigar needs to be given a chance. The ash is some of the most firm I have seen in a cigar for a while. While the flavors have stayed consistent, the order in which they appear has moved around very often. FInishing up to be rather complex in my opinion.
Final Thoughts: At first light and the cold draw, I was a bit distraught at the lack of flavors and complexity. However, almost immediately, this cigar gained a whole mess of flavors, and kept going from there. Rounding out as a complex and flavorful experience. This is a cigar I would recommend to anyone. I'd like to try some other vitolas, and see how it translates to a bigger cigar. This is definitely box worthy and one of RoMa’s most underrated cigars.
-Sam