📌 Brand: RoMa Craft Tobac
📌 Line: Neanderthal
📌 Size: GD (Petit Robusto 4 1/2" × 52)
📌 Weight: 11.9 g
📌 Age: 4 years
📌 Origin: Nicaragua
Tasting Notes
Dark Chocolate – Dense and rich core
Black Pepper – Strong, earthy spice
Espresso – Deep roasted intensity
Earth – Heavy, muscular backbone
First Impressions
The GD is a hefty cigar with a dark, toothy Mexican San Andres wrapper and very solid bunching. It feels heavy and substantial in hand. Pre-light aroma reveals cocoa, espresso, and raw earth. Cold draw is slightly firm but flavorful, suggesting a powerful smoke ahead.
Smoking Experience
First Third – Opens with dark chocolate, pepper, and espresso immediately taking control. Smoke is thick, cool, and full-bodied.
Second Third – Earth and spice deepen further, creating the muscular profile expected from the Neanderthal line. Balance remains impressive despite the strength.
Final Third – Body remains full, but the flavor profile becomes noticeably blander in the last third, losing some of the earlier richness and complexity.
Pairings
Alcohol – Glen Scotia Victoriana Single Malt - Powerful oak, dark fruit, and spice stand up to the cigar’s muscular profile while adding complexity to the softer finish.
Tea – Aged Taiwanese Dark Oolong - Deep roasted sweetness and mineral notes complement the cigar’s earthy and espresso-heavy character.
Music Pairing
“Holy Wars... The Punishment Due” – Megadeth
Powerful, relentless energy matching the cigar’s intensity.
Final Thoughts
RoMa Craft Tobac Neanderthal GD delivers the dense, powerful profile expected from the line, with chocolate, espresso, and earth layered beautifully through most of the smoke. The only drawback is a blander final third, which softens the overall impact.
Final Score: 8/10
Why not a 10?
The final third loses some of the complexity and richness that make the earlier stages so impressive.
Only cigars that deliver flawless draw, balance, flavour evolution, construction and satisfaction get a 10.