Renzulli by Espinosa Cigars, a Twin Smoke Shoppe Exclusive

On September 18, 2015, Twin Smoke Shoppe in Philadelphia launched Renzulli, a shop exclusive made by Espinosa Cigars. The line of cigars is named after Anthony Renzulli, owner of Twin Smoke Shoppe.

Manufactured in Esteli, Nicaragua at Erik Espinosa’s La Zona factory, the Renzulli ranges in price from $5.00 to $8.99. The cigar features a Habano Rosado wrapper over Nicaraguan binder and filler tobaccos and is available in four vitolas: Cing U Bezz  (4 by 46), Cuz (6 by 54), Minchia (6 by 60), and Goomad (7 by 48).

While the line is slated as an exclusive to Twin Smoke Shoppe, an online search pulled up the Renzulli at three (Well, really just one) online retailers – Cigars International, Cigar.com, and Pipe and Cigars.

The Facts

Samples Provided by Espinosa Cigars
Price: 
Vitola: Cuz
Size: 6 by 54
Wrapper: Habano Rosado
Binder: Nicaraguan
Filler: Nicaraguan
Smoke Time: 1 Hour and 40 Minutes

Pre-light

The Renzulli is dressed in a gorgeous Habano Rosado wrapper leaf that carries a nice oily sheen There are bumps and small veins, but something about the leaf is very appealing. To the touch, the cigar feels velvety as I examine it for soft spots. None are found. The wrapper aroma is of caramel, cedar, and a faint pungency.

Bringing the foot of the cigar to my nose,  I am instantly captivated by the foot aroma of chocolate, berries, cedar, and cinnamon. The cigar comes to a close in typical La Zona fashion with a triple cap. After a shallow clip, big, rich notes of cedar, chocolate, and potpourri spices are delivered by the slightly firm draw.

First Third

The Renzulli Cuz opens with a rich profile coupled with some musty wood, pepper, pencil shavings and an underlying caramel sweetness. The sweetness begins to really gain ground at the one inch mark, along with a toasted quality. The thick burn-line is right on forming a gray ash that is holding upwards of an inch. 

Middle Third

Passing the smoke through my sinuses, the Renzulli delivers a mixture of pepper and sweetness. The pepper is just short of overwhelming and carries the La Zona zing I have come to expect from their cigars. At the midway point, “rich” is still the first word that comes to mind. The woodsy notes are more cedar like and less musty tasting and the sweetness has a sure footing in the profile with toasted bread and a unique floral finish pushing forward. A jagged burn has developed, but nothing urgent at this point

Final Third

The floral has picked up playing the most dominant role in the profile next to the sweetness that is more syrupy. The toasted bread is holding strong and a slight bitterness has joined in. An unsweetened cocoa comes across on the finish of the smoke. As hoped for, the burn is back in-line but the cigar is already letting me know it is time to lay it down for its final rest due to the significant heat. 

Wrap-up

Twin Smoke Shoppe should be proud to carry a cigar named after its owner when it smokes this good! With only one minor hiccup with the burn that self-corrected, I have absolutely no complaints on the performance. The draw felt stiff prior to lighting, but, once lit, the smoke production satisfied delivering a rich flavor profile with some intriguing flavors between the early appearance of musty wood and the later arrival of floral that grabbed my attention. The Renzulli Cuz showed off complexity in both depth of the flavors and change-ups in each third. I would classify the cigar as medium/full in flavors and body, medium in strength, and all around full in richness. The reasonable price of $7.99 makes the Renzulli an easy recommendation.