RoMa Craft Tobac was founded by Skip Martin and Mike Rosales, whose last names give the company its name, and its cigars are made in small batches at the Nica Sueño factory in Estelí, Nicaragua. The Neanderthal line arrived in 2015 as the company's first new line since 2012, and it was built to be RoMa's strongest blend, using a Pennsylvania Green River double ligero alongside Nicaraguan and Dominican fillers, under a Connecticut Broadleaf binder and a Mexican San Andrés wrapper. The C3 is a 4½ x 60 petite gordo that debuted in May 2021 at RoMa's first WeaselFest in Austin, which marked the company's 10th anniversary. Like the rest of the line's vitolas, its name comes from paleogenetics, in this case a reference to C3 plants, which both ancient and modern humans have eaten.
Stogie At A Glance
Neanderthal C3
| Brand | RoMa Craft Tobac |
| Cigar | Neanderthal C3 |
| Size | 4.5" x 60 |
| Smoke Time | 69 min |
| Wrapper | Mexican San Andrés |
| Binder | Connecticut Broadleaf |
| Filler | Dominican Republic, Nicaragua, Pennsylvania |
| Factory | Nica Sueño |
| Origin | Nicaragua |
| Strength | Full |
Review
First Third
Earthy pepper notes on the light with a good amount of pepper and spice on the retro and finish. Big dark chocolate and nut notes are coming out with a slight cream and leather, which is an interesting combination. Some sweet floral or fruity notes are coming out with the leather again, making for another interesting combination. Still a good amount of pepper and spice with light notes of cream on the finish. Chocolate and spices continue to come out with some leather and very light cream notes on the finish. Spicy cedar notes start to come out near the end of the first third.
Second Third
The second third starts with big notes of leather and cedar. Still a very slight cream and natural tobacco sweetness on the finish. Leather is the primary note in the second third. I'm still getting some light cedar notes and some cream every now and then, but leather leads the way. Strong leather notes continue with a very slight citrus peel note on the finish, along with slight cream notes as well.
Final Third
The final third starts with cedar coming out more, and baking spices have been added to the flavor profile as well. Natural tobacco sweetness is coming out with the cedar, and earthiness has been added to the cedar notes. The pepper from the first third starts to come back on the retro with some red chili heat on the finish. The earthiness turns a little more rocky and mineral, with the cedar still sitting underneath. Dark chocolate notes start to come back near the end with a slight leather note, bringing the cigar almost full circle to where it started. Strength picks up in the final third with a nicotine kick near the nub, finishing on the full side.
Score
87/100