It’s Stog o’Clock, and this time, I review the shop-exclusive RoMa Craft Tobac Neanderthal SGP. This 4.25×52 stick is exclusive to Serious Cigars in Houston, Texas, and Riverside Cigars in Jeffersonville, Indiana. The cigar features a flat head and a very complex blend of tobaccos. The Mexican San Andreas Maduro wrapper covers a Connecticut Broadleaf Maduro binder, and the fillers include Pennsylvania Double Ligero as well as plenty Nicaraguan and Dominican tobacco.
Pre-light, the wrapper and foot give off a potent fruity raisin aroma. The cold draw yields an earthy grass. Once lit, a strong spice hits my tongue. The retro-hale is bold with leather and rich earth. The finish is short with mild leather.
Twenty-five minutes in, the first third closes out. On the draw, I get a blast of black pepper spice with some leather and roasted walnut. Through the nose, there is more spicy black pepper with bold earth. The finish is long with a fruity oak alongside some spicy coffee and gingerbread. Body and strength are both in the medium-to-full range.
Forty-five minutes in, I finish the second third. The floral and vanilla aroma coming off of this cigar is fantastic. On the draw, I pick up a prune and leather mix with a slight char and some salty wheat. Through the nose, I find mossy wood with a hint of cocoa and a lot of oatmeal. The finish continues to be long with spicy yet salty caramel, black pepper, and toast. The body and strength are both up to the full mark.
The final third ends at one hour and ten minutes. I’m now experiencing the biggest cigar buzz I can recall ever having. The draw gives me spicy leather with a bomb of black pepper and an interesting burnt popcorn kernel note. On the retro-hale, there is more delicious oatmeal with floral earth and some salty toast. The finish stays long with woody coffee alongside a dried fruit medley and some clove. Strength and body are both as full as can be.
The Neanderthal SGP is a powerhouse to say the least. Sometimes, this can be a bad thing in a cigar, but with this stick, it’s wonderful. The complexity of flavors in this blend is outstanding, and everything balances together perfectly. I absolutely loved this cigar and highly recommend it. Just make sure to smoke this bad boy with some food in your belly!
Keep on puffin’!
-Noah (CutLightSmoke)
Love this stick so much, still a contender for my #1 of 2015, we’ll see how it holds up with all the new IPCPR smokes showing up at shops now…great review!
It’s a very good stick, brother! I think it may be a contender for my top ten at the end of the year. Thanks again for the recommendation!