When most people think of cavemen, they think about our old ancestor, Fred Flintstone. Similarly, when people think about RoMa Craft, their minds inevitably go to the brand's first cigar: the CroMagnon.
Well, RoMa decided they had had enough of humans getting all the attention. So they named their next powerhouse tobacco blend after Fred's long-lost cousin: the Neanderthal.
This flat-capped bulbously tapered RoMa Craft Neanderthal cigar looks rustic and vaguely threatening – if RoMa was going for a caveman-club look, they nailed it. The shape, while unusual, is incredibly appealing in the hand. You won't mistake it for any other cigar and that's a good thing.
It's also perhaps the strongest cigar RoMa Craft has released yet, which is really saying something. That primal power is definitely there.
Most Maduro cigars these days use either earthy Connecticut broadleaf or chocolatey San Andrés tobaccos. And most power blends contain a decent amount of ligeros from Nicaragua. The RoMa Craft Neanderthal cigar follows this formula while changing the game completely.
The Neanderthal features both a San Andrés tobacco wrapper and a broadleaf binder for a Maduro one-two punch. Inside this already heady combo is a blend of long-fillers that will make a grown man cry. There are Nicaraguan ligeros from Estelí and Condega, sure. But there's also an extremely rare Pennsylvania double Ligero. Yeah, we didn't know there was such a thing either.
Oh, and did we mention that each box of Neanderthals comes with a razor blade to cut the caps? RoMa Craft is NOT messing around. If you can’t tell, this caveman is at full strength.
Slice the cap off, toast the generous foot, and brace yourself. The first puff of the Neanderthal brings an eye-watering wave of black, red, and white pepper from the wrapper leaf that might have you reaching for a glass of milk instead of your normal liquor. Once you get used to the pain, you'll start picking up natural tobacco sweetness, baking spices, and oak. After about an inch the spice starts to ease up to allow the full range of flavors to shine. Hearty cocoa, lingering caramel sweetness, herbal sandalwood, barrel char, freshly ground coffee beans, and a mineral tang complete the palate for the rest of the smoke. The spice is still there, but it's white pepper and cayenne rather than black-pepper.
We've also found that aging the Neanderthal cigar both delays and slows the pepper's arrival for a more balanced experience from the first puff to last. It also allows the sweetness to develop and the flavors to blend wonderfully. As with most RoMa Craft sticks, the Neanderthal is ready to go out of the box but hits its stride after a couple of months in the humidor. Also, keep in mind that this is a full-strength cigar.
Please browse our selection of RoMa Craft Neanderthal cigars at your leisure.
