Stogie Reviews: Don Pepin Garcia Series JJ Belicoso

I don’t believe anyone has ever used Scoville units to judge a cigar, but if they want to start, this would be the one to test. I think the first few puffs of this beautiful light brown stick would rate pretty highly on the scale that’s used to measure the “heat” from chili peppers.

The Series JJ White Label is another in what seems to be a never-ending list of cigars from Don Pepin Garcia. I smoked the five and 3/4 inch by 52 ring gauge belicoso torpedo and thought it was terrific from start to finish.

That hot start quickly changes to an interesting sharpness that, surprisingly, almost has no finish. From there, as the cigar burned, tastes came and went, ranging from wood and leather to vanilla and coffee. I was doing some work while smoking, and at several points I got so wrapped up in the cigar that I lost track of what I was doing.

The Corojo wrapper is smooth with tiny, unobtrusive veins. The Nicaraguan puro’s prelight aroma is a wonderful earthy, thick mix. The cigar clipped and toasted easily. The only negatives I found were a few spots where the draw was a little tight and the smoke not as voluminous as I’d have liked. The ash was also flaky and, near the end, I experienced a wrapper split.

Overall, though, the JJ was a joy to smoke.

The popularity of this line, which has garnered many accolades and become a favorite of cognoscenti since its release a couple of years ago, just continues to grow. Consequently, discounts aren’t deep and sometimes the cigars can be difficult to find. The belicoso seems to run around $8 to $10 per stick. Remember, too, when you’re checking box prices, that there are 24.

I think anyone who enjoys medium- to full-flavored cigars will enjoy the JJ. On the Stogie Guys scale, it earns a rating of four out of five stogies.

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–George E

photo credit: Stogie Guys