Alex Goldman of Royal Gold Cigars was a guest on
CigarChat last month. I was a little upset that we weren't allowed to ask him about his legal issues, and his answer to my question about supporting the fight against FDA Regulation left a bit to be desired, but he was nice enough to send me a bomb with samples of all of their lines (including a hat, cutter and lighter). I was excited to receive this because I really wanted to try the Nirvana (made by DE), but I wasn't expecting much.
The Nirvana, in my opinion, was okay. It had a bit more kick than I would typically expect from a Cameroon, but it didn't do a whole lot for me. Not bad if you like a medium cigar, but nothing I'm dying to try again.
The Gold Strike is a churchill-sized mixed-filler that retails for $3. When I tell you that a) I didn't realize I was smoking a Cuban sandwich until I began doing some research as I was smoking, and b) that I would pay at least 2 to 3x that price for this cigar, I am not exaggerating (qualifier that I live in NJ where very few cigars can be bought under $10). Might be the most flavorful mixed-filler $3 cigar I've ever had. I was SHOCKED about this one.
I smoked the Kismet two days ago. Again, I was delightfully surprised with this smoke. Its got some decent flavor and some interesting sweetness. Much better than I expected.
The fourth blend is the Casino Gold which I've pushed off because its a larger vitola that doesn't intrigue me too much, but I'll give you an update when I smoke it.
All in all, you're not going to mistake these for Liga or Opus or Padron Annis, but considering I had absolutely no expectations for the Royal Gold offerings, I was, frankly, amazed!