This week I bring you a review of another cigar released this year that promises to be kind to your wallet, the J. Fuego 777 Corojo robusto. Now originally, Walt was going to review this cigar but other things came up and never got back to that review. But instead of letting his work go to waste and reinventing the proverbial cigar wheel, here for your reading pleasure is his write up of the 777 Corojo’s background.

The 777 line of cigars was released sometime around July of 2008 and was a feature at the IPCPR Trade Show in Las Vegas. At that time, we learned that the then Maduro Version of the 777 was intended as a value line stick and priced a few dollars lower than some of the other cigars J. Fuego has to offer.

During Cigarfest 2009 we were fortunate enough to speak with Jesus Fuego for a few minutes in which he went on to show us the new addition to the 777 line. What makes this cigar so special is its Brazilian grown Corojo wrapper. We were informed that this leaf was the first of its kind to hit the US market, which is due to the relationship between J. Fuego and the grower (who happens to be Jesus’ father).

The 777 Corojo is available in four sizes which include a Belicoso (54 x 5.50), Corona (46 x 5.50), Robusto (50 x 5.00), and a Toro (52 x 6.00). Cigars are packaged twenty-one per box and are readily available across the country.

I couldn’t have written it up better myself. And with that out of the way, let’s get to the fun part.

Cigar Stats:
Size: 5 x 50
Wrapper: Brazilian Corojo
Binder: Nicaraguan Corojo
Filler: Nicaragua Corojo and Criollo
Smoking Time: 1 1/2 hours
Beverage: Water
Price: MSRP $4.75

The Pre-Smoke
The 777 Corojo is a great looking stick, featuring a simple red band with three sevens and a wrapper leaf that’s just a shade lighter in color than the J. Fuego Natural. As these cigars were more of those IPCPR trade show samples, I did expect to find a little wrapper damage on them somewhere, but it looks the cellophane did the trick. No nicks, tears or any other kind of wrapper imperfections to be found. The leaf did have a good number of veins, but they were mostly fine, and did not disrupt the smooth appearance of the cigar.

One thing that was striking about the cigars were their feet. Often cigars will feel firm and well packed with tobacco, but the foot often reveals little gaps or vacant spots. Ordinarily, it just means bits of tobacco fell out either when cut, or during transit. That was not the case with the 777 Corojo. The foot was an impenetrable wall of tobacco. In fact, the density had me a little concerned that I may experience draw problems.

The scent of the wrapper was a light, and not particularly remarkable compost and there was some light sweetness in the cold taste as well.

The Burn
My concerns about possible draw issues were quickly laid to rest. The cigars drew very nicely and generally burned very well also. They were even, the ash was light-colored, attractive and solid. I never had to touch up the cigars, but I did have to relight one in the final third. In all, just about perfect.

The Flavor
The flavor profile of the 777 Corojo seemed pretty straight forward to me. Once it settled into that earth, light orange sweetness (occasionally like orange frosting) with a trailing white pepper spice, it stayed pretty consistent throughout the duration of the smoke. So much so, I’m not going to break it down into thirds. I will say that the spice grew gradually as the cigar progressed, starting at just a hint and becoming pretty dominant by the end. And toward the end of the final third, I did get a little bit of aromatic cedar in there as well.

The Price
You know how excited I was about the price of the last five dollar cigar I reviewed, well this is a quarter cheaper still. You gotta love that.

The Verdict
Full disclosure, I’m probably not the most objective reviewer when it comes to J. Fuego cigars. As anyone who follows me on twittter already knows, I smoke the J. Fuego Grand Reserva Corojo No. 1 like the world’s ending tomorrow. So it’s probably not going to surprise most people that I enjoyed this cigar. I loved the flavor profile and it burned like a champ. But will it replace the Corojo No. 1 as my regular smoke? Probably not. But I did like it more than the 777 Maduro. Will I be buying and smoking it again in the future? To quote the Magic 8 Ball, you may rely on it.

Liked It: Yes
Buy It Again: Yes
Recommend It: Yes

Tower of Burn
Here for your viewing pleasure is my trademark Tower of Burn.