Brand: Jameson Cigar Co.
Vitola: Robusto
Length: 5.00 Inches
Ring Gauge: 50
Wrapper: Sumatra
Binder: Honduras
Filler: Dominican Republic
County of Origin: Dominican Republic
Price Per box of 20: $102.00

Brand:
The Jameson Cigar Company, as of right now, is the new kid on the block. President, Brad Mayo, says “Jameson Cigar Co. began with a dream. The same dream many fellow cigar enthusiasts have had, to create a line of cigars that will be revered and enjoyed by their peers. Our dream has become reality and we are pleased to share our cigars with the world.”

The Jameson Cigars are crafted in the Tabacalera Sanchez-Romay factory n Santiago, Dominican Republic by Luis Sanchez. The line consists of six vitolas including, Petit Corona (44 x 5.00), Corona (44 x 6.00), Robusto (50 x 5.00), Churchill (50 x 7.00), Short Torpedo (54 x 5.00), and a Torpedo (54 x 6.50)

Pre Light:

Once removed from the cellophane I began to look over my Jameson Robusto. The first thing that caught my attention was a color variation at the foot which looked sort of like spatter or speckling. When handled I found the wrapper to have a mildly rough texture with the occasional raised vein.

When pinched I found the cigar to be consistently firm throughout its length and felt as though it was completely packed with tobacco. After opening the head I found the pre light draw to be a little snug with little flavor at this point.

First Third:

After a quick toasting and lighting session I had my Jameson Robusto evenly lit and producing a fair amount of smoke. The initial few puffs were dry and produced a salty flavor that was not very appealing to me. After a few minutes the cigar seemed to have settled and began changing.

After settling, the body of the smoke was in the medium range while producing a dry finish. The dryness wasn’t something that gave me the urge to sip water, it was pronounced just enough to let me know it was there without being too much. The base flavor was predominantly earthy while maintaining a salty component as a secondary flavor.

The ash was light in color and began flowering as I smoked deeper into the stick. The resting smoke was light and produced a mild room aroma that I found pleasant. The wrapper appeared to be rolled just a little too tight, as it developed a few small cracks at the foot as I smoked.

Second Third:

After roughly forty five minutes of smoking I found myself into the second third of my Jameson Robusto. The body remained in the medium range with little build while the finish was a little less dry but began to irritate the back of my throat.

The base flavor was predominantly earthy but was slowly being taken over by the secondary salty/savory mixture. Buried deep in the background I was beginning to pick up a mild wood flavor. With the wood flavors being more to my liking, I was eagerly awaiting a transition to them and away from the salty and savory primary flavors.

The draw at this point loosened up a little and continued to produce a fair supply of dense smoke. The ash was very light in color and became firm and compacted along the way. The minor cracking along the foot continued but did not pose a serious problem as I puffed along.

Final Third:

After ninety or so minutes of puffing, I found myself into the final third of my cigar. At this point in the body has build slightly while remaining in the medium spectrum. The finish remains slightly dry and no longer irritates the back of my throat.

The base flavor really seems to be in limbo. The flavor is on the border of switching over from salty and savory to woody but just wont commit. The earthy flavor from earlier in the smoke has become a nice aftertaste which rolls onto the palate a minute or so after the smoke is expelled.

The burn rate of the cigar is good, lasting just as long as I would have expected all while producing a good volume of dense smoke with each puff. The resting smoke remains light while the burn line is thin and even. The cracking around the foot, which I experienced earlier on, is no longer an issue while the ash remains light in color as well as firm and compacted.

My Thoughts:
In the end this smoke just wasn’t up my alley. I smoked a corona not long ago and enjoyed it much more. Because I only had a single robusto I went looking around on the web to see if I may have gotten an odd stick. As it turns out, Lisa from Her Humidor, had a very similar experience.

At this point I am on the fence with this one. I’ll have to get a hold of a few more coronas to see if they are in fact different from the robusto.

If you are the type of person that enjoys the salty and savory mixture, or the type of person that puts salt on their potato chips, I think that this cigar will be right up your alley. For those like myself, that dislike salt I think you may want to pass on the robsuto,

Happy Smoking