Juan Lopez Seleccion No 1
The history of the Juan Lopez cigar dates back to 1876 created by a man named Juan Diaz Lopez. The brand was passed on in 1908 to heirs. Sold in 1918 to Sociedad C. Del Peso Y. Cia. One of the only few made by hand. The styles of this cigar are limited. These hand made beauties are some of the best coming out of Havana Cuba. With a medium strength and a woody aftertaste these cigars are attractive to the masses of Cuban cigar lovers world wide.
Origin: Cuba
Size: 5 x 62 x 46
Brand Strength: Medium
Wrapper: Cuban
Binder/Filler: Cuban
Appearance
This corona gorda gives off a nice looking impession. A golden brown light colorado claro wrapper. It is well made and feels nice in your hands. A well made triple cap adorns this under the radar Cuban and has a unusually flat head and a firm feel. A great beginner cigar because of the fine aromas and not over the top in size and strength.
Smoking Notes
This beauty of a cigar is fairly easy to smoke, i didn’t have any issues with it at all. Not knowing much at all, if anything about the name i certainly walked away enjoying this fully and wanting another. The aromatic pungent aromas are wonderful. This cigar had a few yrs age to it, so it had rested enough and it did not disappoint. Some cigars are better left for a while. If you can resist, 3 years max age and it will be something great. It is an underrated cigar. A staple cigar for the humidor and a thumbs up.
Before the Light Up
It has a nice light toasty smell to it on the pre draw. An almost rustic feel with an oily feeling. The aromas off this wrapper are splendid. I could smell this all day. Notes of toasty nut, caramel, vanilla, honey, spice with leather and herbal salt smell.
Draw and Burn
The draw and burn are very good, with lots of smoke output. Seleccion No 1 is consistant all the way through. It is a slow burner. The burn line was steady and sharp, each puff was a delight. The amounts of smoke make it even more satisfying and a real treat.
Beginning
After a few mins of this cigar warming up the flavors envelope you and become more complex. The aromas are aromatic and have that Cuban smell that lingers in the air. Herbal notes and a mellowness it. The first few puffs in and you will notice how tasty and exceptional this cigar is. Hints of sweet black coffee and a full creaminess. The aftertaste in your mouth has a graham cracker flavour with lots of puffy smoke. The burn is razor sharp with no issues
Middle
Getting into the middle of this hecho a mano (hand made cigar) you will notice the complexity and nuances of it. The burn is great with no touch ups required. Still the sweet coffee woody tones with an orange peel flavour coming in with some saltiness on the finish. Smoke output is still there. It does have a bit of dryness in the mouth but that does not stay long. This cigar is not to strong and even novice cigar smokers will enjoy this.
Final
Hints of caramel, nuts and leather round out the end of this cigar. It never is to harsh and leaves a satisfying aftertaste. This is an under the radar cigar that delivers. If you want to try something that is not the normal go to name like Montecristo, Cohiba or Romeo then give this a shot. You will be pleasantly surprised.
Smoke Time
50 mins