In 2018, Royal Agio announced that they would start with a Signature series. And the idea behind the series is a collaboration with another cigar manufacturer each year. Now that’s not a unique idea, Viaje has been doing that for a few years, others have done it as a ‘one off’ like Nosotros (Drew Estate & Illusione), The T (Caldwell, A.J. Fernandez, Matt Booth) and there are more examples out there.
For the first Signature, Agio reached out to Ernesto Perez-Carrillo and together they created the Dueto. The cigars are made at La Alianza, the factory of Perez Carrillo.

Name: Balmoral Dueto Robusto
Country: Dominican Republic
Factory: Tabacalera La Alianza
Size: 5×50
Vitola: Robusto
Wrapper: Nicaragua
Binder: Nicaragua
Filler: Brazil & Nicaragua
Price: $ 9,75 (USA)
Cutter: Xikar X2
Lighter: single flame
Smoke conditions: indoors with ventilator
Smoke time: 1:40
Sponsored by Royal Agio

The Colorado coloured wrapper has a lot of small veins and it’s the best-looking cigar out there. But because of the two big rings, you don’t see much of the wrapper anyway. The ring is the normal Balmoral Añejo ring but with add-ons, in red and white, curvy and with Perez-Carrillo mentioned several times. The cigar feels good on the touch and the spicy hay aroma is quite strong.

In the cold draw I taste dried wood, hay and raisin. After lighting, I taste leather and caramel before tasting gingerbread-like spices. Leather seems to be the strongest flavour though. After three centimeters I taste dark chocolate too, for just a few puffs though. Then it’s back to leather, but now with some sugar and herbs. Pepper shows up halfway, and I pick up some cinnamon too. In the final third, I notice faint vanilla under the spices and the sweetness slowly grows. The base flavour is mildly bitter soil and the finale gives me hazelnut.

Strength: Medium
Flavour: Medium-Full

For the final score with a scientific diagram, a video and pictures, go to: https://ministryofcigars.com/balmoral-dueto-robusto/
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