Balmoral is one of those cigars that I’ve seen around and will occasionally one while at the shop but they tend to end up sitting in my humidor because I don’t know much about them. I decided that needed to change and smoked a few while learning about the company.

Balmoral is the creation of Royal Agio’s 4th generation CEO Boris Wintermans. His non-hindering philosophy has driven him to freely explore the globe in search of the highest quality, select, exclusive tobaccos that will ultimately combine to deliver a cigar experience unlike any other. All blends are hand rolled in their boutique factory in San Pedro de Macoris, Dominican Republic.

For this article I chose the Balmoral Anejo XO. To build these cigars they use sun-grown Brazilian Arapiraca wrappers aged an average of 10 years. The color is a dark toasted coffee bean, there is some light veining with a soft oily sheen and a touch of toothless to it. The seams are nearly invisible and the cigar feels full along the length of the body. The smell reminds me of dried fruit and sweet tobacco. The cap cuts easily and does not damage the construction. The cold draw has a bit of resistance to it and gives flavors of tobacco and a hint of mint.

The first half smokes very smooth, smokes like butter. There is a notable cedar taste and a bit of pepper on the finish. The burn is sharp and the ash holds for about an inch before I decide to knock it free. The smoke is full with a medium weight and provides a sweet aroma.

The second half the flavor becomes more bold but is still very smooth. The pepper comes to the forefront momentarily but quickly fades and the cedar flavor comes back in with notes of black coffee and cocoa. This change of flavor seems to go back and forth for the remainder of the cigar making for an entertaining smoke.

This was a really fun cigar to smoke. Because of its ease to smoke, this cigar could be easy to not pay attention to while smoking it. I don’t mean that in a bad way, if anything it’s a testament to its blend. It’s not the kind of cigar that hits you in the face but one that you could smoke during any occasion and if you choose to focus on it you will be surprised by the complexity of it. This makes it a very accessible cigar to smokers of all kinds.  In the past I have skipped over these but not anymore. My recommendation is when you see these grab them.