J London

Jonathan Fiat owner of J London cigars has released small batch and exclusive cigars since coming on the scene in 2014. I have smoked a few cigars from his lines and enjoyed each one. This recent addition is an exclusive size for the Luxury Cigar Club company in a Pyramides vitola. All of J London cigars we have reviewed (Queens Guard, Box Pressed Churchill) have been well crafted and the construction top notch.

Blend Specifics

• Cigar Reviewed:  J London LCC Exclusive Pyramides
• Wrapper: Ecuadorian Connecticut Shade
• Binder: Ecuadorian Connecticut Shade
• Filler: Dominican
• Size: 6” x 52 (figuardo)

Blind Review Notes: J London Pyramides

Appearance and Construction

The wrapper on this figuardo is a light Connecticut shade and is seamless. The head is distinctly pointy, and the cigar is firm all the way down the line. Rolling it in hand the craftsmanship is  letting you know this is a well-constructed stick. The foot smells of barnyard and oats with a woody undertone.

Taste and Smoking Characteristics

I take a straight clip with my Xikar cutter, and the dry draw is slightly firm with wood and tangy notes on the tongue. Using my Lamborghini lighter I toast the cigar and the first puff fills my mouth with earth and oak that lingers for a bit. The draw loosens up and there’s notes of biscuit, toast with a creamy long finish. Taking a retrohale white pepper and toast permeate through my nostrils with a touch of that creaminess on the exhale.  Thus far this smoke falls in the medium range with a noticeable white ash and clean burn line.

As I reach the second half the burn continues to be perfect, and I pick up sweet maple and earth that finishes just the same. Slowly drawing I’m getting cedar with café au lait on the back end which is rather pronounced. On the retrohale there’s cinnamon spice along with oak that is a bit overwhelming in the sinus. The smoke production is increasing, and the cream and sweetness is intensifying. The cigar continues in the medium bodied profile. Cedar mixes with the sweetness on my palate with another lengthy finish.

There’s a change in the profile as the last third gives a saltiness followed by barnyard and damp notes. As I puff away the salinity is still present along with marzipan and toast. Some minerality is detected on the draw along with dried fruits and nuts. As I retrohale citrus and cedar zing all the way from my nose to my throat. The body picks up a bit on the medium to full side where the earthiness returns although with a much shorter finish than the rest of the cigar. Some hay and cedar begin to development with another less elongated ending. I take a final draw and there is a sweet and salty combination that resonates to finish off the smoke.

Conclusion

This cigar offered a solid medium bodied experience throughout with some tasty notes of earth, maple, spice, and an underlying sweetness. The quality was top notch in terms of construction and burn. Save for the last third of the cigar the finish was long and savory. Seeing it is a J London cigar, I am not surprised. The complex flavor really demonstrates what a Connecticut wrapper can deliver with a choice blend.

I would recommend picking up a few or a box as this cigar would work well midday or night.

Final Rating: 90

Jonathan Fiat, boutique cigar maker and creator of J. London Cigars, recently added to is Gold Series a box pressed Churchill. This vitola has the same Ecuadorian Connecticut wrapper, binder, and Dominican filler as the rest of the line. I’ve been fortunate to smoke a few cigars in the J. London portfolio and have enjoyed the quality, construction, and flavors they deliver. Since this was a blind review, I didn’t know anything about the blend or brand, but the experience itself surprised me. Read on.

Blend Specifics

• Cigar Reviewed: J. London Box Pressed Churchill
• Wrapper: Ecuadorian Connecticut
• Binder: Ecuadorian Connecticut
• Filler: Dominican 
• Size: 7” x 50 (Churchill)

Blind Review: J London Box Pressed Churchill

Appearance and Construction

This is a beautiful lightly tan Churchill that’s smooth and silky to the touch. The wrapper is seamless across the entire cigar and construction appears excellent. There’s an ample amount of tobacco in the filler as I give it a light squeeze. The foot smells of hay, earth wood notes. 

Taste and Smoking Characteristics

With my Xikar scissors I take a slice off the squared head of the cigar. The dry draw is a combination of sweet and salty. Using a long match, I slowly toast the foot and as I take a draw there are full, earthy notes that quickly transform to a creamy finish.  There’s pencil lead followed by floral with each puff I take. I’m already impressed with the transitions this cigar is delivering. The retrohale is full of vanilla bean that leads to a saltiness that wafts through my sinus and clings to the sides of my mouth. The ash is flaky and white, and the cigar is in the mild to medium range.

I’m getting loads of almonds midway with a savory finish that’s as lengthy as the cigar itself. The nuttiness from the cool draw ends with toast and cedar. Notes of wheat, currants and earth give a medium complexity via billows of thick smoke. I take a retrohale where cardamom hits my nose followed by graphite and barnyard. The ash continues to be flaky with a white sheen to it. While the almonds came on full force previously, there’s marzipan and cashew with another creamy finish that hangs on for a while. This Churchill is delivering some distinct flavors that are a pleasure to take in. Another puff and cedar and floral linger in my mouth revitalizing my palate.

Upon the last third there’s a salinity to the wrapper followed by hay and some minerality on the finish. The burn line has been on the money and the whiteness from the ash is solid. With another retrohale cedar, nuts and cream come through with grain on the back of throat. The medium body is the constant of this large smoke which makes it easy to smoke leisurely and really take in the flavors. Vanilla returns on the draw which works in harmony with the currant and wood that is now prevalent. With a final puff there’s creaminess and floral that ends with a long woody finish. A fine Churchill.

Conclusion

What a seriously flavorful medium bodied Churchill. The creaminess, wood, and floral impressions to start were the foundation for the vibrant and complex flavors to follow. The construction from the wrapper and filler were excellent which boosted the wood and nutty notes and gave the cigar a continuously long finish puff after puff. This reminded me of a choice Cuban Churchill: when the flavors are on, they can be lengthy and delicious. The price point for this cigar at $20 or so isn’t cheap, but it’s worth at least grabbing a fiver and if you can afford more you are in for a treat. The J London brand nailed this one.

Final Rating: 92

Jonathan Fiant has been developing his J. London brand largely under the radar since 2014. Truly a boutique blend made at the Tabcalera William Ventura, the Gold Series uses an Ecuadorian Connecticut Shade wrapper in its line. Admittedly I have little experience with this brand and what I’ve smoked from the William Ventura factory has been hit or miss. Fortunately, this was a blind tasting which gave the benefit of evaluating without the bias of knowing the brand, producer, or country of origin. I believe this is the only true and accurate way to discern a cigar if you are choosing to give it a rating. As a person who has Sommelier certifications, if would be laughable to rate a wine properly while having the luxury of knowing exactly what you are tasting. As far as I saw it, this was just a petit corona that I was looking forward to trying out!

Blend Specifics

• Cigar Reviewed: J. London Queens Guard
• Wrapper: Ecuadorian Connecticut
• Binder: Ecuadorian Connecticut
• Filler: Dominican
• Size: 4 1/2x 38 (Petit Corona)

Appearance and Construction

This petit corona sports a tan, somewhat greenish wrapper. The roll is effortless and even in hand and feeling the wrapper I’m seeing it’s a bit soft in certain areas. There are minimal veins and a silkiness that makes this cigar smooth to the touch. The heft is light which would account to the lack of packing in the filler tobaccos. Smelling the foot, I’m picking up vanilla bean and a faint earthiness.

Flavor and Smoke Characteristics

A straight cut with my Lamborghini guillotine cutter slices quick and clean. I take a dry draw and wood notes ala oak as well as mushroom and wheat come through. I figure this cigar needs a soft easy flame, so I take a long match and lightly toast it. With the first puff there’s maple and leather with a dryness on the palate. Another slow draw brings about a fruitiness that does not last long. I take a retrohale and there’s candy corn and a dampness on the exhale. This is a mild smoke to start with only a small uptick to a medium body. The ash is presenting itself as whitish/gray and thus far holding on.

The middle of the petit corona is showing some pealing in the wrapper which is concerning. Another puff delivers marzipan and cedar notes. With a quick retrohale that stings my nostrils, a bit of oak and some floral notes intermix ending with a short finish. The wrapper continues to peel slightly as the strength builds into the medium range. Another draw and I pick up a pleasant creaminess with rose petal that develops into an earthiness on the back end. There seems to be a bit more complexities at present which is making the cigar more interesting.

Coming to the last third there’s fruit and nuts with a bite to the finish. I take a longer puff where there’s more wheat and wood notes that cover the sides of my mouth and quickly dissipate. The retrohale seems to reveal a bit more from this cigar and as I take one there’s vanilla and a nuttiness that lingers. The wrapper is still peeling although it has not unraveled completely and hasn’t compromised the taste as much as I worried it might. The medium body seems to be where its staying and a last draw of this petit corona gives off a dying leathery finish that began the cigar. A roundabout ending to the smoke.

Conclusion

As I mentioned I haven’t had a lot of experience with the J. London Brand. While I did enjoy the wrapper in this blend the filler tobaccos could have benefited from more complexity. There were drying leather, wood, fruit, and candied notes that satisfied, but the finish always came up short. When the wrapper began to peel, I was concerned the combustion and flavors would be adversely affected but thankfully that was not the case. The body developed into a solid medium range and the retrohale seemed to reveal floral and wheat notes, although again in short supply. I would certainly like to try other vitolas in the J. London series and see what the other sizes offer to this blend. I would pick one up as a quick day smoke or even on a fresh palate mid-morning.

Final Rating: 88