I am the rankest of novices. Used to keep a box of Romeo y Julieta Reserva Real in my humidor because Churchill loved them.
R & J is a good example of the confusion about cigars.
The brand you were smoking were Dominican—the brand Churchill smoked were Cuban.
After the Commies took over Cuba the previous holders of the R & J copyright fled and kept the name of the brand while starting to use Dominican tobacco. Their copyright was upheld in US courts—though of course Cuba refused to recognize the refugee’s copyright. Therefore there are two radically different versions of R & Js—very confusing. The Dominican R & J marketers love to muddy the waters by claiming their version is “cubanesque”. They are lying.
The Cuban R & J is illegal in the US.
The Cuban R & J has had varying quality over recent decades—when they are “on” they have an intoxicating cherry taste—when they are off they are just tasteless tobacco.
The Dominican R & J uses wrappers from other locations—sometimes CT, sometimes Ecuador—and they are just OK (imho) even at their best.
Further muddying the waters is the world of “fake” Cubans—particularly common in Mexico and the Caribbean.
The real Cubans can be ordered online from European suppliers—though occasionally US customs will seize the contraband.