As I was sitting at my computer puffing away on sample after sample, looking for a new blend worthy of a place in the humi, I got fed up with getting one dud after another. Either it was just an off day or someone else kept all the good samples to themselves…I’m going to guess it was the latter. By this point I was craving something delicious and remembered that the boss man had been harking on me to get some more reviews up. Perfect! I’ll kill two birds with one stone!

 

Not wanting to run the risk of picking another dud, for this review I decided to go with a proven winner - a timeless brand that never ceases to disappoint, and a brand that has been dipping its feet into some uncharted, robust territories as of late (right up my alley). I plunged head first into the Romeo y Julieta Media Noche.

 

First off, let me add what a breath of fresh air (metaphorically speaking) after the demoralizing morning I had. Even cold draws on this sucker produced an ear to ear smile across my face. A slight tinge of citrus was noticeable before even taking the flame to it and my day just got a whole lot better. The first third was pretty spot on to what you would expect from a San Andres maduro. There was a prominent sweet spice that was carried along by notes of leather and earth. Construction was top-notch as to be expected of anything with the Romeo name on it, but bold, heady flavors made for a nice change of pace from any Romeo I’ve come to know.

 

One unexpected downside was that the initial citrus I picked out on the cold draw seemed a distant memory once I sparked my 5.5 x 44 corona. It certainly wasn’t all bad though, the notes that replaced it were welcoming and complex. By the second third, even more entered the fray. Nuances of espresso teamed up with chocolate to usher in the final third. By this point Media Noche only required one touch up and if I were a more patient man I would put my money on it being able to correct itself…but sadly I am not.

 

About 45 minutes in and I am reclined as far back as my office chair will go, in a state of what I can only describe as a mix of smoking euphoria and relief that I finally found a keeper. At around an inch away from the nub the flavors are dominated by a toasty oak accented by hints of sweet black pepper. The ash impressively held on for close to three and a half inches, only complaint is ash is a bitch to get out from under the keys of my keyboard – but I supposed that is a user error. All in all Romeo y Julieta Media Noche was a pleasing medium to full-body new addition to the historic Romeo brand. It has enough body to satisfy those full-bodied fanatics and enough pronounced flavors for those beginners to be able to pin point some of those nuances all the veterans have been boasting about for so long.