The unsuspecting lure of RoMa Craft Cigars make you want more

A couple of years before the Covid-19 pandemic, a friend of mine returned from a trip to Nicaragua (I think, or Miami) with a small bundle of cigars called RoMa Craft. Neither he nor I can remember which vitola or the name of the specific cigar but it did have a darkish wrapper. He did, however, warn me that the cigar was strong and intense, and he was right.

The cigar was truly full-bodied and a bit overwhelming from the first draw right through. It was the first time I ever met a cigar that was potentially too strong for me. Yet, I persevered, going beyond the first smoke, eventually smoking about three that week. Then, I returned to my portfolio of favourite cigars, forgetting about the RoMa Craft.

What I didn’t know, at the time, was that there were still a couple left in the batch and they had been tucked away in the humidor of Pedro Portia, my cigar home. A few months in the humidor made a world of difference, allowing the cigar to really come into its own, remaining strong with a bit of the violence on the palate tempered. I really enjoyed it, so when my friend was leaving for the Puro Sabor cigar festival in Nicaragua, my only request was a couple of the RoMa Craft cigars. He returned with two RoMa Craft CroMagnon Aquitaine.

RoMa Craft Cigars was started in 2012 by Michael Rosales and Skip Martin, with the name coming from the first two letters of their surnames, as a cigar company selling cigars by mail order. After a bit of a false start with cigars rolled in Costa Rica, they shifted production to Nicaragua, collaborating with Esteban Disla. Their first “factory” was a room in Disla’s home. With demand growing, they eventually established the Fabrica de Tabacos Nica Sueño  in 2015, co-owned by Martin and Disla as a small-batch cigar production facility. Craft is at the heart of everything they do and, for that reason, keep a handle of production to ensure it doesn’t overwhelm them.

This is reflected in the CroMagnon Aquitaine which is well-constructed, has a lovely, easy draw and is a great smoke. Full-bodied, with an Ecuador Habano wrapper, Cameroon binder and Nicaraguan filler, it really forced me to truly take my time with it. It isn’t just strong, but also has some character and flavour, although I didn’t experience a great deal of variation between the thirds. This isn’t a bad thing. Spice and coffee flavours stood out with hints of dark chocolate that lingered on the palate, especially in the last third. I reckon it would go down well with XO cognac, say Remy Martin or Hennessy or even a slightly peaty whisky, like a Lagavulin or Ardbeg.

The cigar has a simple double band with Aquitaine embossed on the top, thinner one and what looks like cave painting-type figures and animals on the bottom white one. These cigars had an extra band at the top as a nod to the 10th anniversary of the Puro Sabor festival.

To say I was not disappointed after several years of building anticipation is an understatement. Sadly, I have enjoyed the two I received and will spend my days trying to figure out how to get my hands on more.