9. Intemperance EC XVIII Reverence
RoMa Craft Tobac
- Country of Origin: Nicaragua
- Factory: Fábrica de Tabacos Nica Sueño S.A.
- Wrapper: Ecuador (Connecticut)
- Binder: Indonesia (Besuki)
- Filler: Dominican Republic & Nicaragua
- Length: 5 3/4 Inches
- Ring Gauge: 46
- Vitola: Corona Gorda
- MSRP: $10.31 (Box of 16, $165)
- Release Date: April 2022
- Number of Cigars Released: 12,200 Total Cigars
- Original Score: 93
A decade ago, RoMa Craft Tobac released the first of what has become a series of samplers the company uses as a way to let its customers smoke the company’s various blends in a specific size.
The newest addition to the series was El Catador de Las Gran Coronas—which translates to The Taster of the Gran Coronas from Spanish—a 16-count sampler made up of two each of eight different blends in a 5 3/4 x 46 vitola. Included in that sampler was the Intemperance EC XVIII Reverence, a new size for the Intemperance EC XVIII, one of my favorite RoMa Craft blends.
As with the other Intemperance EC XVIII vitolas I have smoked in the past, the Reverence features a profile that is both rich and complex. However, the smaller ring gauge allows more creaminess and sweetness to emerge, both of which only increase the amount of complexity that is present.
Earlier this week, Fábrica de Tabacos Nica Sueño S.A.—the Nicaraguan-based factory where RoMa Craft Tobac cigars are made—won halfwheel’s Factory of the Year award. With its combination of excellent construction, flavorful profile and amazing balance, the Intemperance EC XVIII Reverence is not only a great example of why that award is so well-deserved but also one of the best examples of just how good an Ecuadorian Connecticut-wrapped blend can be. — Brooks Whittington.
