JL S#1

[Cello]

Hello, 

I bought a couple Juan Lopez cigars (JLS#1 and a JLS Especial) over the summer from an LCDH. Recently I placed an order for a quarter box of JLS #1 from here. I noticed a big difference between the quality of the two bands. The ones from here looking much better then the ones I got over the summer.  Have they recently changed the bands and would that account for the quality difference? Any feedback would be appreciated. I don't have any older bands to compare to. But both of the ones I pickup up over the summer have the same lower quality look

Thank you

 

[TacoSauce]

The gold paint is very thin and is the first thing to wear off as cigars sit in the humidor. So usually, the faded gold areas are a sign you've got a stick with a few years of age. By the time your fresh, shiny bands have a few years of age on them they will look similar to the faded bands.

[jfestrelabr]

I didn't notice any difference in the bands, just an aging in the golden parts

[Chibearsv]

Yep, depends on how old those bands are.  The gold definitely fades and tarnishes on the bands as they age and the embossing can flatten out some as well.  I'm not seeing anything here that would concern me if they were mine.

[Cello]

Thank you all for the feedback. Seeing how crisp the new ones looked, made me concerned about the older ones. Missing the embossing in areas and the gold blending out was what concerned me. I didn't think how age might impact that. I appreciate the feedback! 

[gormag38]

My first thought was that it is likely an aged stick. I've seen this difference in some aged Bolivars I've got as well. Embossing/gold not as crisp. If you bought the sticks in question for an LCDH my assumption would be that you likely just got a stick with some years on it! 

[NSXCIGAR]

Standard JL bands are not made by Vrijdag. This is also the case with a few others like Sancho Panza, San Cristobal and VR. There can be quite a bit of variation in quality, font and size for these bands year to year. I would not be too concerned about these JL.