RoMa Craft CRAFT 2021 – Blind Cigar Review

Cigar Info

2021 Marked the fourth year for the release of the RoMa Craft Craft. Each in the series is a showcase of the skills of the rollers at Fábrica de Tabacos NicaSueño S.A. factory in Estelí, Nicaragua. Each year sees a new blend and shape, usually involcing multiple wrappers in an artistic way. RoMa Craft Craft 2021 has two different versions within this box of 10, one with a candela accent and one with a Connecticut shade accent.

The rest of the blend is the same. The blend itself is very similar to the Neaderthal line with an Connecticut broadleaf wrapper, Indonesian besuki binder and Dominican and Nicaraguan fillers. The main difference between the CRAFT 2021 and the Neaderthal is the absence of the Pennsylvania double ligero in the filler on the CRAFT, making it less strong than its sibling. All the cigars measure 5 5/8 x 60 in a double perfecto with a flag cap and unfinished foot. 2000 boxes of the RoMa Craft CRAFT 2021 were made and only sold to brick and mortar retailers.

Vital Stats:

Vitola: Perfecto
Length: 5 5/8″
Ring Gauge: 60
Country of Origin: Nicaragua
Wrapper: U.S.A. Connecticut Broadleaf, Ecuador Connecticut
Binder: Indonesian besuki
Filler: Dominican Republic, Nicaragua
Factory: Fabrica de Tabacos NicaSueño S.A.
Blender: Skip Martin and Esteban Disla
Number of reviewers: 5 – Chad M. (Chad Tchad) Randy B. (randobush) Vance T. (Vance) Allison T. (The Yoga Ash) Doug S. (Unpossible_1)
Price: $18.00
Age: 7 Months
Release Date: July 2021
Contributed by: Blind Man’s Puff

Initial Impressions – RoMa Craft CRAFT 2021

Appearance: 94

“This double perfecto has a good bit of character that will stand to plenty of customers. Starting off with its dark brown oily slightly veiny coco-looking main wrapper with the accent of a lighter brown wrapper that is spiraled into the main wrapper. Almost reminds me of a dark chocolate Reece’s. Not only is the accent tobacco making a spiral, but it also has 2 accents circling up close to the cap and finishing the foot with a little nubby to finish off the cap. The nubby that is finishing the cap might be able to be pinched off to provide an adequate experience, however, I choose to straight cut as I know what to expect then.” –Allison T. (The Yoga Ash)

Aroma: 89

“A heavy dose of rich earthy tobacco tempered by a subtle sweetness has me eager to light this one up.” –Vance T. (Vance)

First Third

Flavor: 87
Strength: Medium
Body/Complexity: Medium-Full

“I clip the cap with a straight cut, as I’ve found perfectos to be quite temperamental with v-cuts. No sooner do I light it up, I’m immediately greeted with charred meats and red pepper. This continues with the addition of some creamy cedar on the finish.” –Doug S. (Unpossible_1)

“Despite the pre-light of dark chewy raisins, there is no hint of the smoke of 1226. Thick smoke when first lit up and the accent tobacco circling the foot began to bubble up. Tasting notes of red pepper with a slight red pepper undertone soft caramel, fresh brewed dark roast coffee with smooth leathery retro-hale.” –Allison T. (The Yoga Ash)

Second Third

Flavor: 88
Strength: Medium
Body/Complexity: Medium-Full

“The second third doesn’t disappoint in its creamy thick smoke, which now has a hint of citrus zest. The heavier darker flavors of coffee have dissipated a bit, tampered with earth coming in, and nougaty goodness on the retrohale.” –Randy B. (randobush)

“The flavors don’t change drastically as I head into the middle of the cigar. The star for me in the smoky hickory on the retro but the harsh metallic finish persists and funks up anything else that might be going on here. The strength hovers in the medium/strong range and the burn line is wobbly at best. A split in the wrapper appears halfway through the middle third but doesn’t appear to be a problem.” –Vance T. (Vance)

Final Third

Flavor: 89
Strength: Medium-Strong
Body/Complexity: Full

“Big transition as I go into the final stretch. A delicious mocha comes from out of nowhere! Roasted coffee with sweet milk chocolate is just what the doctor ordered. What’s great is the red pepper hung is still lingering, and leaving a tingle on the tongue. Another interesting thing to note is the strength and nicotine have hit the turbo button as well.” –Doug S. (Unpossible_1)

“The velvety smooth notes have proceeded into the last third with the white pepper moving to the retro-hale while tasting notes give way to fresh cracked wood, creamed coffee and leather. The ash has turned flaky and the burn is fully straightened out.” –Allison T. (The Yoga Ash)

Overall Impressions – RoMa Craft CRAFT 2021

Draw: 87

“It took several extra cuts to get a reasonable draw, and even from there, several precision clampdowns with my teeth to keep the draw open.” –Vance T. (Vance)

Burn: 86

“Uneven to start but not enough for me to touch up. It starts to try and canoe about the halfway point. After I fix it, it ends up becoming a bit of a chore for the rest of the time needing touch-ups.” –Doug S. (Unpossible_1)

Construction: 91

“The wrapper design could definitely stand out on a shelf inside a large shop. Other than the weirdo burn in the second third, 1226 really had no issues to be spoken of.” –Allison T. (The Yoga Ash)

Overall Strength: Medium-Strong
Overall Body/Complexity: Medium-Full
Experience Overall: 89

“The cigar was very bland and nothing exciting. The flavor of leather and a weird off-flavor on the tongue. For what was a fancy design on the outside the inside of the cigar did not match and fell flat.” –Chad M. (Chad Tchad)

“This outstanding cigar was pretty inside and out! Just a beauty on the outside appearance with the leaf deco and barber pole wrapper. On the inside, it provided a solid and enjoyable smoke that I would def pick up again. The flavors were spot on, and the transitions were subtle but noticeable! A delightful finish in between draws satisfies the palate from beginning to end. Performance was commendable.” –Randy B. (randobush)

“Harsh, harsher, harshest. The phrase don’t judge a book by its cover, sadly, in this case, tells you everything you need to know about cigar 1226. Beautifully ornate on the outside, but bitter and unrefined at its heart. It teased its promise of better things: the nice smoked hickory on the retro, the occasional sweet floral note, but all of that was overshadowed by a conspicuous lack of spice and an unrelenting metallic harshness that persisted from light to finish. I would not smoke this cigar again and cannot, unfortunately, recommend it.” –Vance T. (Vance)

“The tasting notes did a nice ebb and flow from bold notes to smooth and velvety. Notes that stood out to me were the creamed coffee and the oak-smoked white pepper.” –Allison T. (The Yoga Ash)

“Let me start off by referring to my statement about being glad I had a good meal beforehand. This couldn’t have been any more true here, as this cigar really builds up and leaves it all on the table. Definitely not a cigar for the faint of heart, but a very rewarding cigar nonetheless. You can’t go wrong with notes like charred meats and red pepper, and then coffee and chocolate. I’d have no problem smoking this again, but would save it for a time I could really enjoy its nuances. I paired it with water to ensure I could pick up all the notes, but could easily recommend pairing it with a solid pour of bourbon to really ratchet up the chocolate note.” –Doug S. (Unpossible_1)

Smoking Time (in minutes): 88

To view the complete scores and notes, click here.

RoMa Craft CRAFT 2021 – Blind Cigar Review