This past weekend I went to the Johnnysmokesuncut and Protocol Cigars event at the Caravan Cigar Company shop where I had the pleasure of meeting with many friends, some of which I’ve only seen through virtual cigar meetings. One of those people was John Remer, who started the Johnnysmokesuncut group that meets virtually for cigar events. They also meet to just be able to shoot the breeze and hangout with fellow cigar smokers during the times of the past year. While at the event we talked cigars, whiskey, the whole nine yards, and eventually his own cigar, the “J-Train.” This cigar is made by Espinosa with Protocol Cigars, so you know it’s one that’s been taken care of with very fine hands. His goal was to create a cigar that did have a bit of a full body cigar taste, but still soft enough where cigar smokers of all kinds could still enjoy it. I was very excited to give this one a try!
The Cigar
- Origin – Nicaragua
- Wrapper – Nicaraguan Corojo
- Binder – Nicaraguan
- Filler – Nicaraguan/Honduran
- Vitola – Robusto
- Size – 5×50
- Strength – Medium-Full
Cold Draw/First Draw
This had a very smooth draw, little to no resistance, with the fruity/tart notes of the wrapper on the cold draw. On the first draw I had a rush of strong earthy notes hit my palette. On the retrohale I was immediately sent into a cigar lounge. The notes I got through my nose instantly reminded me of that good tobacco smell you get when you and a few friends are lighting up your smokes.
First Third 1.65/2
After my first draw it took a little bit of time for me to start having some recognizable notes. The first one that came out to me was spice, including black pepper. As I got closer to the next section I started to have a rush of notes hit my palette, specifically what I could best describe as toasted cracker. There was a bit of smokey notes along with it as well that added to the flavor.
Middle Third 1.8/2
There was not much change to the flavor in this section, compared to the end of the first section. The cigar did begin to soften up in flavor towards the end and become more of a medium body which really added to the experience.
End of Cigar 1.95/2
For me, this was the best section of the cigar. It really began to soften and lighten up in a really good way. The smokey flavor was gone and I was able to enjoy the cigar with lighter notes hitting my palette. Making this a bit of a complex cigar to be able to change in this way.
Overall Thoughts
This was an enjoyable smoke, props to John for putting together a great group of people that can be represented by a great smoke! I would recommend giving this one a a try if you can get your hands on one.
Ratings
1/1 – Pre-Light
1/1 – Construction/Appearance
1/1 – Overall Lighting/Burn Process
5.4/6 – Smoking Experience
1/1 – Personal Enjoyment/Value
9.4/10 Overall
~ Connor Coles
Beforetheash 