At IPCPR last year, Royal Agio Cigars debuted a total of 5 new lines including three Balmoral lines and the New San Pedro de Macoris line. One of those new Balmoral lines was the Balmoral Añejo XO Connecticut.
This cigar was reviewed blind (no bands) by a panel of at least 4 reviewers. They did not know what they were smoking beforehand. The scores are an average of all the reviewers' scores with outliers removed. All of our cigars reviewed are shipped to the panelists with Boveda packs to ensure optimal smoking experience.
This version uses a Connecticut shade-grown wrapper over an Ecuadorian Sumatra binder, and fillers form Brazil, Dominican Republic, and Pennsylvania. Balmoral Añejo XO Connecticut is rolled as with all other Royal Agio cigars at the Royal Agio Cigar factory in San Pedro de Macoris, in the Dominican Republic. The line comes in five sizes: Torpedo Mk52 (6 1/4 x 52) – $11.25, Gran Toro (6 x 52) – $10.50, Rothschild Masivo (5 x 55) – $9.75, Corona (5 7/8 x 42) – $9, Petit Robusto FT (4 1/4 x 48) – $8.50. All are packeged in boxes of 20.
Vital Stats:
Vitola: Robusto Length: 5″ Ring Gauge: 55 Country of Origin: Dominican Republic Wrapper: Connecticut (USA) Binder: Sumatra (Ecuador) Filler: Brazil, Dominican Republic, Pennsylvania Factory: Royal Agio Cigars Factory Blender: Willem van Overveld Number of reviewers: 5 – Daniel S. (Daniel S.) John I. (John I.) Jason H.(Jokey Smurf) David F. (dfafjf) Diana(ArmyRN) Price: $9.75 Age: 5 Months Release Date: August 2018 Contributed by: Royal Agio Cigars
Initial Impressions
Appearance: 89
“A sharply made, Connecticut shaded cigar with minimal veins and a tight , evenly applied cap.” –Jason H. (Jokey Smurf)
Aroma: 90
“All sweetness and slightly musty chocolate. ” –John I. (John I.)
First Third
Blind Cigar Review: Balmoral | Anejo XO Connecticut Rothschild Masivo
Flavor: 89 Strength: Mild-Medium Body/Complexity: Medium
“The initial flavors are what I expect from a Connecticut shade cigar… Light and creamy with minimal individual flavors but an overall enjoyable combination of mild flavors.” –Jason H. (Jokey Smurf)
“Nice few puffs to start. A bit of spice in the retrohale but nothing too strong. Flavor reminds me more of almonds than peanuts that I had smelled before lighting. A bit of a weird vegetal flavors coming through. Enjoyable but I can’t place exactly what it reminds me of. ” –David F. (dfafjf)
Second Third
Flavor: 89 Strength: Mild-Medium Body/Complexity: Medium
Blind Cigar Review: Balmoral | Anejo XO Connecticut Rothschild Masivo
“The cigar still was very strong but the strength smoothed out a lot and let the citrus and floral flavors come through. Started to get some creaminess also.” –Daniel S. (Daniel S.)
“The cigar has settled in and the pepper has pretty much disappeared. The mix of cedar, oak wood and honey are almost hiding a slight flavor of mocha. I’m finding a good balance between sweet and earthy at this point.” –Diana (ArmyRN)
Final Third
Flavor: 90 Strength: Medium Body/Complexity: Medium
“The strength of the cigar has notched up a bit and the flavors have all sort of re-emerged to provide a nice combo of white pepper, cedar, honey and cinnamon with a toasty finish. ” –Diana (ArmyRN)
“The last third was really flavorful and full body. Not a lot of transitions but still very enjoyable smoke. Was starting to get a smoky charcoal flavor as I got closer to end of the cigar, which added to the already enjoyable flavors.” –Daniel S. (Daniel S.)
Blind Cigar Review: Balmoral | Anejo XO Connecticut Rothschild Masivo
Overall Impressions
Draw: 91
“Nice draw, good resistance. ” –John I. (John I.)
Burn: 91
“A really nice and even burn for the duration of the smoke.” –Jason H. (Jokey Smurf)
Construction: 91
“Lots of smoke output and I was really surprised that even for a bit more milder cigar, each puff had a full mouthfeel and lots of smoke. ” –David F. (dfafjf)
Overall Strength: Medium Overall Body/Complexity: Medium Experience Overall: 90
“Really enjoyed this cigar. Loved the strength and the complexity of the flavors. Would definitely give this one another go! The only negative was that it burned fast.” –Daniel S. (Daniel S.)
“Not something that I really enjoyed, but in fairness it was a “good” cigar at least. Construction was very nice and it wasn’t in any way offensive in terms of flavor. It was very mild, and pretty monotonously sweet, sweet, and more sweet. There were some hints of wood and cedar early on, but were very quickly overwhelmed by the sugar rush. They’d be great for that buddy that comes around and like holding a cigar, but isn’t really a serious cigar guy. ” –John I. (John I.)
“This one didn’t end nearly as well as it started. The initial cool and smooth flavors faded into harsher and stronger pepper based flavors. While I like a full bodied cigar, this transition wasn’t really what I wanted and detracted from the overall enjoyment. Maybe the next one will finish better.” –Jason H. (Jokey Smurf)
“Really nice cigar on the milder side. A bit of complexity, red pepper spice and sweet cream makes it really enjoyable. ” –David F. (dfafjf)
“I enjoyed this cigar quite a bit. It wasn’t a stellar smoke but it was definitely a cigar that provided a well-balanced, tasty and relaxing smoking experience. I’d definitely put this in my rotation for breakfast cigars.” –Diana (ArmyRN)
