Jeremy Jack JJ14 Lancero Cigar Review – Rated 94

It is getting near that time of the year when cigar brand owners get asked “what’s new for the show”. The International Premium Cigar and Pipe Retailers (IPCPR) Association Trade Show is just 23 days away and these men and women are hard at work getting ready to show their craft to the market. One of those brands is Jeremy Jack Cigars, located in booth 459, just one row in from the food court.  This company had a big show last year, introducing a large selection of blends and vitolas to the attendees.

This year I know there will be at least one new cigar for Jeremy Jack to show off at the show. It is a lancero extension to the company’s JJ14 blend. I reviewed JJ14 corona gorda a couple of weeks ago. That cigar was sitting in my humidor since last July. At the end of the review I noted, it was a good vitola to represent the blend. Well now I get the JJ14 Lancero. Wow, it is raining lanceros this year!!

Having already enjoyed the Jeremy Jack JJ14 , and being a lancero lover myself, this sample was not going to rest long in the humidor. I had to see how it stood up against its larger brother. Today was the day, the last day of spring, a good way to welcome summer. In case you have forgotten, or by some wild chance you did not read the JJ14 corona gorda review, allow me a moment to remind you about the JJ14 blend.

It uses four Nicaraguan Aganorsa Leaf Tobaccos from both Esteli and Jalapa Valley with a described blend as:

• Wrapper – Ecuadorian Connecticut
• Binder – Nicaragua
• Filler – Nicaragua

The Jeremy Jack JJ14 Lancero weighs in at 7 x 40  and has an MSRP set at $9.00 USD. Like the other cigars in the Jeremy Jack lineup, this is manufactured at Tabacos Valle de Jalapa S.A. (TABSA) factory in Estelí, Nicaragua.

Remember, this is a lancero, a small ring gauge, so less leaf in the filler but still the same blend, so let’s see how it compares.

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Pre-Light Examination

A fine-looking lancero for sure!

The Jeremy Jack JJ14 Lancero is a smooth, medium tan cigar with a light oily sheen. Void of veins, the wrapper is spectacular.  The cigar is solid to the touch and finished perfectly with a triple cap. 

There are two bands that adorn the JJ14 Lancero. The primary uses a white, black, and ruby-red motif, with the Jeremy Jack logo centered in the middle. The footer band is a black band that has “JJ14” printed in white in the center.

The barrel of the cigar has an enticing fermented leaf aroma and the foot adds to that, with a mild natural tobacco sweetness.

I carefully sliced the cap with my double blade Colibri cutter and gave it a few good cold draw puffs. There was a perfect restriction through the 7 inches of filler. I did not pick up much flavor in the draw except for a sprinkle of peppery spice on the lips.

OK, it was time to fire this one up. I used a cedar spill for the ignition so that I did not torch the crap out of the foot. It is a Lancero and Connecticut at that, so be careful with the flame.

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Cigar Review Notes

• Pepper hits the palate right off the first few puffs
• The pepper tingles the nose on the retro-hale and lingers there
• A well-formed, medium grey ash develops on a thin char line
• Creamy, full smoke fills the palate
• Dry fruit enters as the pepper settles
• Natural tobacco sweetness evolves, brightening the fruit
• Ash held on for well over an inch before falling
• Perfect burn cone is revealed
• Cedar notes move into the profile
• Cinnamon, fruit, and butter become the primary components as it burns into the second third
• Volume of smoke is awesome, especially for a lancero
• Excellent burn, though the ash falls more quickly after original long ash fall
• Strength is at solid medium at the halfway point 
• Slight squish to the barrel
• Nuttiness enters near the final third in both flavor and aroma
• The nut is joined with a touch of cocoa and it maintains the natural sweetness to the end
• Medium in Strength
• Total Smoking time was 1 hour and 20 minutes

Overall, the Jeremy Jack JJ14 Lancero was even better in my view, than the Corona Gorda. I felt the flavors were more balanced with a core of natural sweetness. the burn was sharp and did not require any re-lights. I decided to run this cigar through our new rating  system, and since it is going to be unveiled at this years IPCPR I thought it would be fair to announce the rating. If you are going to the IPCPR, go check out Jeremy Jack Cigars at booth 459.

You will see more on our rating system in the next two weeks, but in total transparency, the JJ14 Lancero as good as it was, lost a point for the lack of cold draw flavor and one for the squish in the barrel in the final third.