Theme Week 38 = Romeo y Julieta
Have you ever had a brand that seemed to always be a problem in your own personal experience, but were 'sworn by' as amazing and fantastic in other peoples' experiences? That is my 'luck of the draw' with RyJ, it seems.

Early on, I seemed to always get RyJ cigars that were too tightly rolled, and felt like I was sucking on a broomstick. Later and most recently, I have found that RyJ cigars were constantly unwrapping while smoking them. It seems that each purchase had been of a lot where some kind of construction problem exists.

While I do have a few RyJ cigars, and am actually eager to taste a couple of the newer products, I wonder whether my own experience was just 'jinxed' and going forward will be much improved, or if it is really just my luck with that brand.

History
The Romeo y Julieta marque was established in 1875 by Inocencio Alvarez and Manin García. The brand is the Spanish name for Shakespeare's famous tragedy, Romeo and Juliet. Between 1885 and 1900, the brand won numerous awards at different tasting exhibitions (as still evidenced by the gold medals on the brand's logo). However, the brand truly bloomed after it was acquired by José "Pepin" Rodriguez Fernández, former head of the Cabañas factory in Havana, and his firm, Rodríguez, Argüelles y Cia, in 1903. Being a very cosmopolitan man, Rodriguez constantly travelled across Europe and the Americas, actively promoting his brand, and entering his horse, the aptly named Julieta, in racing events across the world. As a result of his salesmanship, the brand became exceptionally popular around the world among wealthy customers, many of whom demanded personalized bands for their cigars. At its height, as many as 2000 personalized cigar bands were produced for customers. The brand was also known at this time for specializing in figurado cigars (shaped cigars, such as ones that taper or any cigar that does not have straight, parallel sides) such as perfectos and pirámides, with over a thousand such shapes believed to have been in production. Sir Winston Churchill was perhaps the brand's most famous devotee. The flagship vitola of the brand is named in his honour, a long 7" by 47 ring gauge cigar known as the Churchill. After Rodriguez's death in 1954 at 88 years of age, and then the revolution and total theft of all property by the murderous communists who subsequently nationalized the tobacco industry, the brand was moved to La Romana in the Dominican Republic, where after having to start all over again from scratch, production of a Romeo y Julieta cigar for the American market continues today under the direction of Altadis U.S.A. The Cuban government, after murdering and stealing the assets of those who poured decades into creating a phenominal product, nationalized the brand and still produces and distributes its illegitimate Cuban brand worldwide as one of its top-selling illegitimate global brands.