The José L Piedra marca is one I have encountered right at the beginning of my smoking career. Thrilled that I was able to find an "affordable" cigar, I bought a couple. Smoked one, then decided I'd keep the rest to give out to non-smokers who suddenly "want to try one". We've all been there, I guess. Of course, I wouldn't dream of lighting one myself. Surely it couldn't give me the same smoking pleasure that a cigar of six times the price could.
Lately, I've come to realize that the price tag alone was no guarantee for an enjoyable smoking experience so I've decided to drop the snobbery and see what a cheap CC tastes like. (tl;dr version: not bad)
José L Piedra Nacionales
42 x 5.3
Hand made, short filler
All of the tobacco comes from the less prestigeous Vuelta Arriba region (as opposed to Vuelta Abajo which provides the tobacco for the premium Habanos)
(no picture at this moment)
The stick looks kinda ragged, lots of bumps underneath the wrapper, but at the same time feels very evenly filled. It has a slightly sweet tobacco smell and the same kind of pre-light draw. Three, four puffs after lighting up, the main flavor becomes noticeable in the smoke. It is a floral aroma, not quite like the RyJ flavor, more like H Upmann or Punch Small Club. The flavor is not very intensive, but it's definitely there. It does become much more intensive upon retrohale.
In the first third, there's no harshness, no bitterness, and the cigar exhibits remarkable resistivity to overheating. The smoke leaves very little trace in the mouth after it's blown out. No bitterness, no coating of the palate, hardly any aftertaste. It's only during the retrohale that the cigar shows some power, but again, there's no bite, no irritation of the sinuses but rather a bitter sensation at the back of the throat. There are also no burn problems, and the ash easily holds on up to 3 cm (little more than an inch).
There are hardly any changes in any regard almost until the end of the second third. Then, the flavor loses its lightness. First, a sweet, though not very pleasant flavor appears, then it's replaced by coconut, then by almonds in the last third. The burn line is quick to reduce to the center of the stick, though the wrapper lights back on after two, three puffs. The first puff, when the wrapper isn't burning, gives out the floral aroma from before, the second one has that bitter, resinous taste. With the third puff, the cigar is back on track (coconut/almond), and the burn back to normal.
In terms of power, the cigar is very mild all until the last third, when it finally leaves an aftertaste of pine needles. It also starts burning hotter and getting bitter and harsh. At that point, I put it down, after about an hour of smoking. There are no... consequences ... at the end, no nicotine sickness or anything, even though I smoked the stick on a fairly empty stomac.
If you've ever read a review of a JLP cigar, you know that this is the point of the inevitable comparison to the premium CC's. Is a 15 cigar really 10 times better than a 1.5 JLP Nacionales? Well, sure, you'll find that same floral aroma in other, pricier sticks. Partagás Mille Fleurs, some H Upmann sticks, even Cohiba, why not. At the same time, you'll find other flavors in those sticks too, while in the Nacionales, that's pretty much the only flavor you'll taste.
At the bottom line, the JLP Nacionales is a light, but aromatic cigar. It doesn't get harsh, it doesn't overwhelm with nicotine. Some people might those 2 thirds of the same floral flavor boring, but it would be a bigger stretch to call it unpleasant.
Lately, I've come to realize that the price tag alone was no guarantee for an enjoyable smoking experience so I've decided to drop the snobbery and see what a cheap CC tastes like. (tl;dr version: not bad)
José L Piedra Nacionales
42 x 5.3
Hand made, short filler
All of the tobacco comes from the less prestigeous Vuelta Arriba region (as opposed to Vuelta Abajo which provides the tobacco for the premium Habanos)
(no picture at this moment)
The stick looks kinda ragged, lots of bumps underneath the wrapper, but at the same time feels very evenly filled. It has a slightly sweet tobacco smell and the same kind of pre-light draw. Three, four puffs after lighting up, the main flavor becomes noticeable in the smoke. It is a floral aroma, not quite like the RyJ flavor, more like H Upmann or Punch Small Club. The flavor is not very intensive, but it's definitely there. It does become much more intensive upon retrohale.
In the first third, there's no harshness, no bitterness, and the cigar exhibits remarkable resistivity to overheating. The smoke leaves very little trace in the mouth after it's blown out. No bitterness, no coating of the palate, hardly any aftertaste. It's only during the retrohale that the cigar shows some power, but again, there's no bite, no irritation of the sinuses but rather a bitter sensation at the back of the throat. There are also no burn problems, and the ash easily holds on up to 3 cm (little more than an inch).
There are hardly any changes in any regard almost until the end of the second third. Then, the flavor loses its lightness. First, a sweet, though not very pleasant flavor appears, then it's replaced by coconut, then by almonds in the last third. The burn line is quick to reduce to the center of the stick, though the wrapper lights back on after two, three puffs. The first puff, when the wrapper isn't burning, gives out the floral aroma from before, the second one has that bitter, resinous taste. With the third puff, the cigar is back on track (coconut/almond), and the burn back to normal.
In terms of power, the cigar is very mild all until the last third, when it finally leaves an aftertaste of pine needles. It also starts burning hotter and getting bitter and harsh. At that point, I put it down, after about an hour of smoking. There are no... consequences ... at the end, no nicotine sickness or anything, even though I smoked the stick on a fairly empty stomac.
If you've ever read a review of a JLP cigar, you know that this is the point of the inevitable comparison to the premium CC's. Is a 15 cigar really 10 times better than a 1.5 JLP Nacionales? Well, sure, you'll find that same floral aroma in other, pricier sticks. Partagás Mille Fleurs, some H Upmann sticks, even Cohiba, why not. At the same time, you'll find other flavors in those sticks too, while in the Nacionales, that's pretty much the only flavor you'll taste.
At the bottom line, the JLP Nacionales is a light, but aromatic cigar. It doesn't get harsh, it doesn't overwhelm with nicotine. Some people might those 2 thirds of the same floral flavor boring, but it would be a bigger stretch to call it unpleasant.
