Today I offer another review of one of the new Bella Dama cigar company offerings – The Jack. As you may have read in past articles, and the Taking It To The Nub Show with Bella Dama Cigars owner – Chantel Leavitt, each Bella Dama offering is expressed in a single vitola that best represents the blend and they all have references to playing cards which are a nod to her father who was a professional poker player.
Today’s review will focus on the Bella Dama Jack expressed in a robusto format.
Chantel describes the blend of this one as:
- Wrapper: Ecuador Maduro
- Binder: Dominican
- Filler: Dominican
Like all Bella Dama cigars this is expressed in a single format, in this case a (5 x 50) Robusto and comes packaged in singles, 5-packs, and 25-packs. The MSRP is $14.00/cigar with discounts for larger purchases.
For this review, I sampled one of these, which I received from the company for the purpose of reviewing on Stogie Press.
Pre-Light Examination
The Bella Dama Jack is cloaked in a gritty (toothy), slightly rugged, and veiny dark brown wrapper. the wrapper does have some marbling to it and has a shiny cap which is the result of the sweet tip that this cigar uses. The cigar is fairly firm with its packing and roll except by the foot which is a little loose. A simple cap finishes the construction.
Two bands adorn the cigar. The primary band proudly displays the company logo with the red lips holding a lit cigar along with the name Bella Dama. Just below the primary band is a secondary band that defines this one as the “Jack” – printed in gold on a gloss black background.
Running the Jack along the nose I noted deep pungent notes along the barrel while the foot had similar notes there was also a pepper note that added an introductory dimension to the cigar.
I used my CigarMedics Baller cutter to open the cap perfectly and gave it some cold draw puffs that I found to be fine in restriction while offering an immediate added sweetness from the sweet top along with a growing pepper sting on lips and tongue.
Using my single flame Xikar fan torch, I warmed the foot to an even orange glow and drew in the first puffs of fruit and peppery notes. Follow along as I burn this one to ash.
Cigar Review Notes
- The Bella Dama Jack journey starts with a nasal opening pepper
- The pepper is quickly balanced out with a fruity note and the sugary sweetness of the sweet tip
- A white ash forms on top of a thin, slightly jagged char line
- Fruit like aromas waft off the foot
- Ash fell early revealing a flat but centered burn cone
- Moving toward the midpoint, there is a touch of spice that joins fruit
- With little more development, there is one small transition in the final with the appearance of earthy notes
- Medium in Strength
- Total Smoking Time was 1 hour and 25 minutes
Final Analysis
The intriguing journey of the Bella Dama Jack cigar commences with a burst of spicy pepper, opening the senses. This initial pepperiness is swiftly harmonized by the emergence of a delightful fruity undertone, and the sugary sweetness of the tip of the cigar that follows. Subtle fruit-like fragrances gracefully waft from the burning end of the cigar, enhancing the early phase of the journey.
As the smoking experience progresses there was little change in the profile until it gets towards its midpoint where a subtle touch of spice mingles harmoniously with the fruity notes, adding a little depth to the flavor profile. The flavors remained consistent down to the final where a subtle transition takes place, as earthy notes make their presence known. This is a cigar that just does not have the complexity a seasoned enthusiast would appreciate, but it may be fine for a new cigar smoker to move them toward a more peppery and spicier profile. I would say check one out and be your own judge on this. I rate this a 90.
Point Deductions: (-1) Slightly Jagged Char Line; (-1) Flat but centered burn cone; (-1) Mostly one dimensional; (-1) Check One Out
