Skip Martin and Mike Rosales are part of the new school wave of boutique cigars. Their company Roma Craft Tobac has brought forth some strong, flavorful cigars in their 5 years of existence. With FDA Regulations in place, I find myself worried about the future for this brand, even if Skip Martin himself is not worried about the future.
According to the Roma Craft website, “The Aquitaine contains the same long-filler, full-bodied blend found in the US Connecticut Broadleaf Maduro wrapped CroMagnon, including its unique Cameroon binder. However, the Aquitaine features a beautiful Ecuador Habano Ligero wrapper selected from the best tobacco we could find. This eighth and ninth priming ligero leaf is thick, oily and has amazing texture.”
It’s been a while since I reached for an Aquitaine, but I decided today was the day to visit with an old friend.
Cigar: CroMagnon Aquitaine
Wrapper: Ecuador Habano Ligero
Binder: Cameroon
Filler: Nicaragua (Esteli, Condega and Pueblo Nuevo)
Length: 4″
Ring Gauge: 52
Size: Knuckle Dragger
The Look: Packaged in basic 24 count wooden boxes, the company has experienced some delays due to boxes, at times opting to ship the cigars in bundles. The box features the skull logo of the CroMagnon man with a brand of the size and name. Inside the cigars are lined up in 4 rows of 6 cigar. The cigar which are as oily as any cigar I have seen feature a brown band, with the embossed letters of Aquitaine over a white band with hieroglyphics. Firm to the touch, the cigar is balanced in the hand, with no soft spots and a well packed foot.
The Notes: The cold draw of the cigar serves up notes of caramel and a hint of cedar while the foot of the cigar has a hint of earth, mocha and cedar notes. It’s important to properly toast and light this cigar as it utilizes a lot of high priming tobacco.
Once the cigar is lit there are notes pepper on the palate and through the nose on the retrohale. As the pepper subsides a bit there is some sweetness that is reminiscent of cherry. Also present are some hints of coffee and a sweet but spicy finish.
In the second half of the cigar, the sweetness really begins to shine with bits of leather and coffee. The pepper remains strong on the retrohale, but the sweetness of the finish creates an enjoyable contrast.
The Finish: The CroMagnon Knuckle Dragger is a strong cigar, where as the Aquitaine still has some of that strength, though it isn’t as in your face thanks to the sweetness that really shines with the change of wrapper. It’s a cigar I hope is around for a long time, but just in case I’ve been stockpiling some for my personal humidor.
Price: $6.89 / $145.99
Score: 92
CroMagnon Aquitaine
CroMagnon Aquitaine Foot
CroMagnon Aquitaine Burn
