RoMaCraft Intemperance BA XXI Envy Cigar Review

Skip Martin and Michael Rosales have been in the cigar game for a few years. Since 2012, RoMa Craft Tobacco has been making cigars out of Estelí, Nicaragua. One of the lines RoMa Craft has in their armory is called Intemperance, named after the prohibition of alcohol in the United States from 1920 to 1933.

Last week, Barry took a look at the Intemperance EC XVIII “Faith”. The XVIII is the Ecuadorian Connecticut version of the cigar I’ll be reviewing today, the Intemperance BA XXI “Envy”. The XXI features a Brazilian Arapiraca wrapper, an Indonesian binder, and fillers from Nicaragua and the Dominican Republic.

What am I smoking?

• Cigar Review: Intemperance BA XXI Envy
• Country of Origin: Nicaragua
• Factory: Fabrica de Tobacco NicaSueno
• Wrapper: Brazilian Arapiraca
• Binder: Indonesia
• Filler: Nicaraguan / Dominican Republic
• Size: 5 Inches
• Ring Gauge: 50
• Vitola: Perfecto
• Strength: Medium Full

Packaging

The RoMa Craft Intemperance BA XXI Envy arrives in cedar boxes of 20 cigars. Adorned on the topside of the box is a black logo of a large snake wrapped around a dead tree. A white band is placed neatly near the head of the cigar with the words “Intemperance Cigars” in bold letters, and a small RoMa Craft logo is on the back. The seal on the box is something to mention as well. Its appearance and lettering are incredibly sharp, and has highlights of a holographic foil on some sections.

The box itself is very well constructed, made of very thick cedar, giving it a solid and premium feel. It is simple looking, but has substance. Steve Jobs would be proud.

First Impressions

This is a great looking smoke. It has a dark and slightly toothy (bumpy) wrapper that is uniform in color. The RoMa Craft Intemperance BA XXI Envy is made in the shape of a perfecto; thick in the middle and tapers to a smaller ring gauge on both ends. The foot of the cigar is unfinished, leaving the binder exposed for about 1/8th of an inch. I noticed a couple soft spots in the midsection of the cigar, but I feel it is nothing serious enough to cause issues during the burn.

The Smoke

I clipped the cigar with a quad table cutter and toasted the foot with a Palio single jet torch. This thing lit up pretty quick, within ten seconds quick. After the first few pulls of the RoMa Craft Intemperance BA XXI Envy, I’m greeted with a huge blast of pepper and spice. Following those flavors is a heavy cedar with a toasted nuttiness on the finish. The draw was nice and easy, even though I only cut a ¼ inch section off the head.

Moving onward, I was waiting to see if the aforementioned soft spot in the middle of the cigar was going to cause problems. But I’m happy to report that the burn line remained straight right through that point. There were waves here and there, but quickly self corrected. Now into the thicker section of the cigar, the smoke production picked way up, offering more leathery and earthy flavors. Pepper is certainly a constant, especially through the retrohale. The wrapper is sweet and slightly salty.

Finishing up, this cigar spiked in strength and bumped it into the full-bodied range while keeping many of the same flavors from the second third all the way down to the nub. The Intemperance Envy was a finger burner, keeping me interested throughout. The overall flavor profile was earthy and rustic, with plenty of pepper to back it up.

Final Thoughts

I’d buy a box of these. It had a relatively short smoking time, right around the 50-minute mark. These would make for a great winter time (or any time) cigar, considering the record low temperatures we are experiencing in the Northeast right now. I definitely don’t want to be standing outside with a 6 x 60 this time of year. But that’s just me, and I don’t like to be flash frozen like the Hungry Man T.V. Dinner I ate tonight.

Overall, if you like deep and earthy flavors, the Intemperance BA XXI Envy by RoMa Craft is something you should be looking into.

Score Breakdown

Appearance: 18
Flavor: 18
Balance: 17
Burn: 19
Quality: 19

Rating: 91
Price: $6.99 / $145.99