by Yannis Valavanis

The other day, as I was walking around the center of Athens for coffee and an informative walk through the tobacco shops, I saw the new Romeo y Julieta line. This edition was released in 2020 for the 145th anniversary of the release of Romeo y Julieta and its name is Linea de Oro, “Golden Series”, and I had simply neglected to try them. The series includes three different sizes with also three different names for each size. The first is called Hidalgos and has a 125mm length and a 57mm ring, the second Dianas with a 145mm length and a 52mm ring and the third Nobles with a 135mm length and a 56mm ring. I took one of each and saved my appetite for the evening, to test them.

In the evening, when it was time to enjoy the goods, I had to choose the accompanying drink. Suspecting the taste of Romeos beforehand, as they are too acidic for my taste buds, I decided to move on to something sweeter and milder, so Vinsanto came to mind. This is a sweet wine that is mostly served as a dessert but I really like pairing it with more acidic cigars. Its origin is from Santorini and it is a dry wine with a specific maturation process in oak barrels for up to two years, thus giving it an intense bronze soil.

The situation then gets a little confusing because, even though it is a product with an appellation of origin produced only in Santorini from Assyrtiko, for the most part, and other local grapes, it is written exclusively in Latin characters. And its name is even more confusing, since some argue that it comes from the Holy Wine (Vin Santo) and others from the name of the island, Santorini (Santo). Regardless, this is a great quality and tasting product that matched my cigar perfectly.

The Nobles I tried first was a perfect match, the other two I left for later taste experiences, one should not abuse. Quite an aromatic cigar, less than the classic Romeos, but with their classic aromas of fruit, flowers and nuts in just the right intensity so that the earthy aromas of the tobacco are not lost. The good thing is that I realized a greater intensity of the aftertaste classifying it as medium in strength, which differentiates them from their predecessors and satisfies me more – since I tend to like stronger flavors. The spices and dried fruits of the Vinsanto went perfectly with the cigar and will give very strong aromas to those who are more of a fan of aromatic tobaccos. As for my opinion on Nobles I consider 9/10 representative, for the other two, well, time will tell.