Juan Lopez Petit Corona May06

[Van55]

Juan Lopez Petit Corona May 06 -- provenance not positive

I acquired this cigar in a trade

Appearance: Perhaps a shade lighter than medium. Somewaht box presssed. Fine cap. Wrapper is just a bit veiny, but otherwise perfect.

Pre-light: There are no apparent lumps or stems. The cigar seems just a tad tight at the head. Typical Cuban cigar aroma. Draw is perfect and a bit sweet on the tongue. Paired with Glenfiddich 15 YO single malt.

First 1/3: First impression is an assault on thte tongue and palate and through the nose. This is not a mild cigar. It is young and tannic. Expelling trhough the nose brings tears to my eyes. The flavor is "somber" as contrasted with "bright." Ash is dark and the burn is perfect. I am getting tobacco flavor with almost no nuance and a bitter finish. Peppery. Ash is dark and solid; burn is perfect. If I were smoking this blind, I would not put it in the same marca as the JLo #1 or #2. It is far more earthy and has no citrus or coffee. Develops some complexity and a more pleasant finish -- leather -- wood. But mostly the impression is bold, tannic tobacco. I would have identified this as a Monte #4 if I were smoking it blind. (This is my very first JLo PC.)

Second 1/3" Knocked the ash off at 1" and was surprised that the cigar had gone out on resting for under 2 minutes. It had tunneled slightly. Relit without no problem but it returned on relight to the youthful tannis. Tha ambient humidity here is near 85% and my humidor is struggling to maintain under 70% which may explain the burn issue. Woody tones begin to dominate over a hint of citrus.

Final 1/3: [Disclaimer: had to put the cigar down to got fetch a stepdaughter at the airport.] On relight there's more young, tannic tobacco taste is little different from the first impression.

Overall: I give this cigar 3 Smoke Rings at this stage, but I would give it 4 Smoke rings on its potential. I think it needs a good 4 more years to develop.

For context and for those who think I might have a pussified palate, I find RyJ Cazadores to be medium strength. Bolivar Coronas Gigantes are my favorite cigiars, provided that thay are 2002 or younger.

I would buy JLo PC's to put down for 5 years or more.

[shrink]

Interesting and accurate review, Van. I have smoked two from this same boxdate, and can confirm that they are full-bodied indeed. Yes, in a blind tasting I would never have placed them in the same family as the JL Nos. 1 and 2.

However, unlike your experience, my last sample had quite a bit of citrus, in addition to the other elements. And it had some really nice aromatic and floral notes that reminded me of Rafael Gonzales. This paradoxical combination of brute strength and sophistication is unusual, and bodes well for the cigar's future complexity. Quite good, but far, far from being mature enough to really enjoy. Mine are down for a few years.

[mkz]

Interesting indeed... Thanks for the review.

These are on my Czar-wishlist.

Furthermore: Today I can put two new words in my english vocabulary: ****tards and Pussified. :-D

[El Presidente]

» Furthermore: Today I can put two new words in my english vocabulary:

» ****tards and Pussified.

Greta review Van. I have also found the 06 JLPC to be far stronger than previous examples. I think they are great sleepers for 2010 revisit.

[bassman]

Never cared for the JL brand- until I smoked the 06 PC. Quickly grabbed a couple boxes for the humi.