About a month ago, I took the plunge with the dreaded site that shall not be named and won a 6 pack Don Pepin sampler. I had never had any cigars by this Club Stogie fav so I was looking forward to giving them a try. A week ago I tried the Don Pepin Blue Label and was left with the impression of a mediocre smoke (which may seem sacrilegious to some here :hn). Perhaps my expectations were too high for this smoke and there was no way to meet them. Either way, my 1st impression of a Don Pepin smoke was not that great. Today I took my second plunge into the world o' Pepin with the Serie JJ Maduro Belicoso. I hoped this stick would fare better than the Blue label. Read below for the conclusions I met with this smoke :ss
Size: 5.75" x 52 (Belicoso)
This beauty had an oily maduro wrapper and the look of a very well made cigar. It had a very noticeable 'barnyard' smell to it and was firm to the touch. The prelight draw was somewhat tight but had a flavorful taste. I was ready to dive in.
1st quarter:
This stick started right off the bat with a hint of spice with the 1st puff. It would leave this spice taste on my pallette which I found quite enjoyable. However, the draw on this stick was pretty tight. I had to strain myself a little bit with every puff. I was hoping that this would pass as the stick burnt down.
Middle:
The taste of spice was constant from the start to this point. As I got closer to the middle of this stick, a hint of leather taste got more and more apparent. With the combination of the spice, it left an aftertaste that was VERY tasty. This stick, in terms of flavor, was great so far. Sadly though, the tight draw was still the same. It didn't let up any and was bringing down somewhat what was an otherwise good smoke.
3rd quarter:
NOW we are talking! The tight draw started to loosen up after I got to the middle of this stick and the flavor jumped up about 10 notches :dr. The slight spice that was there from the start now jumped up to a heavy spice. There were hints of pepper that came about that joined other spices that I just couldn't put my finger on. The leather that came about toward the middle stayed the same to give a great combination of flavor. This point of the cigar was amazing and I wanted to savor every moment of it. I really didn't think it could get better...
Final quarter to the nub:
...but it did! As it closer to the end of this stick, the leather notes started to fade while the heavy spice stayed till the end. The spice was now joined by a slight sweet taste that tasted of cherry. The flavor was amazing. I really didn't want this stick to end at this point. The draw was perfect now as was the burn and the flavor was out of this world. Sadly, the pic you see above is where I had to say goodbye to this great smoke. I got as much as I could all the way to the nub...a sign of a great cigar in my book
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Conclusions:
If it wasn't for the tight draw that lasted to the middle of this stick, I would be giving this cigar almost perfect marks. It was the only blemish on what was otherwise a fantastic cigar. The spice built up from the start and ended with a heavy spice that had many components including pepper. The 1st half also had the leather tones and the final 1/4 had the great sweet cherry taste. This cigar already jumps up to one of the best cigars I have ever smoked in terms of flavor. I hope the next one I get will have a better draw, as that would make this the perfect cigar. I can see this one being in my humidor for many years to come! :ss
Appearence: 9.5
Taste: 9.8
Burn : 10
Draw: 6
Final Score: 9.3
Size: 5.75" x 52 (Belicoso)
This beauty had an oily maduro wrapper and the look of a very well made cigar. It had a very noticeable 'barnyard' smell to it and was firm to the touch. The prelight draw was somewhat tight but had a flavorful taste. I was ready to dive in.
1st quarter:
This stick started right off the bat with a hint of spice with the 1st puff. It would leave this spice taste on my pallette which I found quite enjoyable. However, the draw on this stick was pretty tight. I had to strain myself a little bit with every puff. I was hoping that this would pass as the stick burnt down.
Middle:
The taste of spice was constant from the start to this point. As I got closer to the middle of this stick, a hint of leather taste got more and more apparent. With the combination of the spice, it left an aftertaste that was VERY tasty. This stick, in terms of flavor, was great so far. Sadly though, the tight draw was still the same. It didn't let up any and was bringing down somewhat what was an otherwise good smoke.
3rd quarter:
NOW we are talking! The tight draw started to loosen up after I got to the middle of this stick and the flavor jumped up about 10 notches :dr. The slight spice that was there from the start now jumped up to a heavy spice. There were hints of pepper that came about that joined other spices that I just couldn't put my finger on. The leather that came about toward the middle stayed the same to give a great combination of flavor. This point of the cigar was amazing and I wanted to savor every moment of it. I really didn't think it could get better...
Final quarter to the nub:
...but it did! As it closer to the end of this stick, the leather notes started to fade while the heavy spice stayed till the end. The spice was now joined by a slight sweet taste that tasted of cherry. The flavor was amazing. I really didn't want this stick to end at this point. The draw was perfect now as was the burn and the flavor was out of this world. Sadly, the pic you see above is where I had to say goodbye to this great smoke. I got as much as I could all the way to the nub...a sign of a great cigar in my book
.Conclusions:
If it wasn't for the tight draw that lasted to the middle of this stick, I would be giving this cigar almost perfect marks. It was the only blemish on what was otherwise a fantastic cigar. The spice built up from the start and ended with a heavy spice that had many components including pepper. The 1st half also had the leather tones and the final 1/4 had the great sweet cherry taste. This cigar already jumps up to one of the best cigars I have ever smoked in terms of flavor. I hope the next one I get will have a better draw, as that would make this the perfect cigar. I can see this one being in my humidor for many years to come! :ss
Appearence: 9.5
Taste: 9.8
Burn : 10
Draw: 6
Final Score: 9.3