Don Pepin Garcia series JJ salomones

[Don Fernando]

The JJ series by Don Pepin Garcia are Nicaraguan puros with a corojo rosado wrapper. It is a full serie with several vitolas, including this 7¼x57 salomones. The cigar was recently added to the portfolio here in The Netherlands and it has a 15 euro price tag. I see that the band has changed since I smoked my last JJ, the secondary band is still the same though. I can't say I like the new band, compared to the old one.



The wrapper looks leathery with some veins. The color is chocolate brown. I love the salomones shape. The cigar has a good construction and a mild straw smell. I only cut a small piece of the cap and still get a great predraw, which has a strong black pepper taste.



I taste a spicy, peppery leather with some nutmeg. I get more pepper than expected, but then again, this is a Don Pepin Garcia cigar. After half an inch the cigar still gives me pepper, but now with wood, herbs and some spices. The pepper is less overpowering than before. After an inch wood becomes the main flavor with some spices and herbs, the cigar is quite spicy. The pepper has moved to the aftertaste.



After a third the wood turns mild sweet. The wood slowly changes to cedar and the pepper has completely disappeared. The aftertaste is herbal. After two thirds nutmeg is the main flavor with spicy herbs, the wood flavor I tasted before is now a supporting flavor. Near the end the pepper makes a comeback, the cigar is now spicy and very herbal.



The smoke time of this cigar is an hour and twenty-five minutes. The draw is great. The cigar produced a lot of thick smoke. The ash is gray, compact and firm. The structure of the ash looks like sand. The burn is pretty straight. The cigar is full flavored and full bodied.



Would I buy this cigar again? It is a nice cigar, but for the same amount of money I can smoke a Padron 1926 series which is better than 'a nice cigar'

Appearance: 7 / 10
Construction: 8 / 10
Draw: 8 / 10
Burn: 8 / 10
Smoke & ash: 8 / 10
Aroma first part: 8 / 10
Aroma second part: 7 / 10
Aroma third part: 7 / 10