Jose L. Piedra Cazadores (FRCM25)

[mikejh]

Jose L. Piedra Cazadores 6 x 43

If you didn't know, Cazadore means hunter. Not sure what the date is. First Piedra I've had in many years, been sitting in the humidor for about a month. Love this size.

Started with a distinct syrupy mouth feel, Cuban twang, and a good amount of hay/grassiness. After the first third, started to develop some sweetness, creaminess, and various spices.

I wouldn't call this complex, but it had a variety of flavors throughout that kept me interested without any hint of harshness or papery taste.

Into the final third, a little more spicy, some fruit flavors, earthy and leathery. This might be the best Jose L. Piedra I've ever had.

Overall, I really enjoyed this cigar. One area that I think Non-Cubans cigars are lacking is a raw and rustic cigar that is not harsh, maybe something like the Tatuaje Black comes the closest. Maybe there are more, but nothing comes to mind.

Would I buy this again? Yes. I'm sure there are better Cubans out there for a little more, so I probably wouldn't buy a larger bundle, but at about $5 a stick, I'm happy to occasionally buy a pack of five.

What are your thoughts on JLP? Do you have a favorite size, do you avoid them in general?

[zeedubbya]

It’s kind of a shame no one has responded to your question yet. I have always found JLP to hit way above their price, but you must be patient and know the consistency on them is just plain terrible. Having smoked through a couple bundles of Cazzie, Petit Cazzie and the occasional (5-7) Petit Cetros I can say without hesitation they are really good cigars generally. I’ve never had a great one, but I’ve had some which were terrible. Mostly a mid-line CC experience with an occasional - “thats just terrible.”

And now for a story I just shared with @Ford2112. It was around 2016 or so and I had picked up a partial cab of Sancho Panza Eslavos from none other than the legendary (Rest easy friend, you left us too soon) @Habana Mike. These weren’t cheap or easy to get then, but he came through for me. I really loved that cigar, and still do.  As per his usual generosity he included some JLP Petit Cetros in the box, along with a couple cigars I still long for to this day, some Jorge custom rolled Coronas Especial.

At some point on here I made a totally off handed comment about JLP being a bad cigar to send along to another BOTL. Well, it didn’t go unnoticed by Mike and he put me on blast for it. He was pretty upset with me (understandably so). So I sent him a long message explaining how I wasn’t directing it at him and it was a stupid mess up by me. I was running my yap when I should have kept it shut. It was a really stupid thing to say. He forgave me and I sent him some apology sticks for being such an asshat. We ended up getting a good laugh out of it in the end, and we chatted a lot more after that. I still think, to this day, Mike taught me a valuable lesson and I became more interested in the trading of cigars after this. I had done trades in the past but always viewed them differently. My entire attitude changed over this, and I still, to this day teach the young people I mentor the importance of “hat in your hands” sometimes. I still have a couple of those JLP and some of the Custom CEs in my humidor and I think I value them more than ANY cigar in my collection. I will smoke one this weekend in the great man’s honor. I’m sorry this response was so long, but your question made me recall this so vividly.  Z

[HenryMartin]

I'm a big fan of JLP. Always curious about it originating from Vuelta Arriba instead of Abajo. Does anyone know any other Habanos that originate from Arriba? Also, what does Vuelta actually mean? I think I made the mistake of thinking that it means valley.

[Ford2112]

I'm a fan. I was first introduced to these upon a recommendation from here years ago,and I purchased a bundle of Brevas. I liked them for what they were and stumbled upon other sticks. I found some really cheap Petit Cetros once and was into them. I like a cheap smoke while having a cup of joe sometimes and they really fit the bill. Tripa corta,yes,but other than a few duds here and there I find them honest and consistent. 

The Vuelta Arriba region holds a bit of mystique about it. What is the history. Why only JLP? Interesting stuff. I have yet to smoke any of the new yellow banded ones so I can't speak to newer quality.

[Li Bai]

I can't get near a JLP anymore. A few years back I'd smoke at least 3 sticks a day and quickly realised I needed to explore cheaper brands so JLP and Quinteros became part of my daily rotation.

After a couple hundreds of Cazadores and petit Cazadores I got bored, just like I'd get bored of a dish if I had to have it daily. They're not bad cigars though. Don't ask me why but I can still have a Quinteros from time to time, imo they're (a bit) richer cigars with some PL profile to them, fwiw.

"Smoke less, smoke better" works best for me now.

[LordAnubis]

My favourite of the JLP line is the petite caballeros. They really nailed that in my book. The fact these bundles are not less than a buck each is a travesty. 

[griller]

I'm a big fan of the Petite Caballeros, too. If I'm looking for a great partner for cooking burgers on the grill then this is my go-to. Usually a 30 minute smoke with a consistent burn that doesn't need you to pay attention to every flavor nuance.

[teamrandr]

Haven't had any success though only tried a few. Thanks for the review.

 

[eaglebear29]

I've only had one Cazadores from my bundle that was pretty fresh and it wasn't a bad cigar I appreciated the cigar for what it was. A good yard gar or boat gar for the day as I was doing projects around the boat. I figured I'd give them some more time down and revisit, but being as they were so fresh, (2 months ago I believe) maybe I'll give another a go here soon.

Thanks for the reminder of these and the review.