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DPG Serie JJ Maduro Robusto

D

Dave

Padilla Lanceros, yum yum!!
Joined
Nov 9, 2006
Messages
1,398
Ok, So I smoked the DPG Serie JJ Maduro in the robusto vitola today. Before you read onwards, those who are faint of heart should not proceed any further. Those with an objective mind might take my experience with a grain of salt.





Yeah, the construction if flawless. Dark, rich, and almost inviting. The wrapper was smooth, very little veins, and accented with a nicely done cap with a chalky white label which stood out in contrast almost like a brand emblazoned on cattle. The pre-light draw was smooth, easy, fluid. I like easy draws, tight draws ruin more cigars than mold spores in my experience. The taste before lighting was that of peat, maybe a little moldy taste, a little cream, a little wood.

I light this baby up. This is not the first maduro I had that Pepin made. And this cigar falls short of nearly everything else I find outstanding. The flavors were present, but in an amalgamated array of sensations which did not appeal to my buds. Oaky and peaty would be how I describe this cigar, unbalanced, monotonous and muted. In short, this cigar sucks.

Not the first Pepin cigar I tried that didn't satisfy, and with an amazing hit list Pepin has for his blends, this ranks up there as one of the worst.

Jose, stop fiddling with all these weird tobaccos and just stick with the basic corojo and criollo.
 
I smoked my first the other night and I must say that I thought it was a pretty good cigar. I agree that at times it was a bit "unbalanced", especially toward the end, but overall it was just what I would expect from a Pepin maduro... rich, flavorful and strong.

I'm going to let the sublime in the cooler stay put for a little while, as I hope a good year untouched will help balance it out a bit.

mac
 
I've got one of these things in the "to smoke" tray. Looks like I'll give it a go in the spring to see if it's shaped up by then.

Thanks for the frank opinion, Dave.

Wilkey
 
I guess I know what I'm going to smoke tonight when I get home from work. I'll post my opinion in this thread after its been ashed.

I will state for the record that I was kinda leery of a JJ maduro to begin with, Along with AVO, Pepin isn't a name I associate with maduro cigars.

But I was recently gifted one JJ maduro robusto, and I might as well smoke it to add to this thread's discussion.

It is an extremely attractive cigar, that much is fact.
 
As a fan of Pepin and maduro cigars I thought I'd really like this. However, this is my least favorite Pepin cigar and one of my least favorite maduros. :(

I don't know if it's the wrapper or the blend, but something just isn't right about it. Maybe they'll get better with age. I guess I'll find out next summer.


It's a shame, really. The original Serie JJ is one of the best cigars out there for me.
 
Well to add my two cents into the pot...

Horrible cigar. I didn't notice any of the stuff Dave did, but I really disliked the muted taste of this cigar, the wrapper smelled great during the light (100% just like the Cohiba Maduros hmmmmmm) but I can not believe that the innards are the same blend as the normal JJ cigar.

It was just like smoking a 1 dollar special... lots of hot air and no taste. I don't think they will get better with age.
 
wow, I might have to change my order with al if he hasn't shipped it yet.

This is dissapointing, I like the JJ alot, was hoping this would be a homerun with a maduro wrapper, like the guapo with the SG made it better to me.

I'll try my best to take on the first one with an open mind.
 
Let this be a lesson to you youngsters. Maduro doesn't mean better.

Doc.
 
Thanks for honest review Dave. I love the Blue, Black and White labels and have been debating on picking up some these white label maduros. Your review in right in line with other people I have talked to about them. Hopefully these will be go to go next year with a little humidor time.
 
Well, I hate to be the dissenting opinion, but I loved the shit out of the maduro robusto that I had. I put it down for 6-7 weeks or so at 60-62%. I think the key to these might just be age, even if a little bit. And if the rule of thumb for Pepin sticks is 65%, I would go even further than that. I would definitely dry box them a few days even after being at 65 for a while. To be honest, I was still getting a slight but noticeable expansion when I smoked this one at 62%. YMMV

ETA: Don't give up on them yet, put em away for a while and come back to them. I don't think Jose would put his name on them if they weren't exactly what he envisioned them to be.
 
TheVitaleMob said:
I don't think Jose would put his name on them if they weren't exactly what he envisioned them to be.
Click to expand...

Here's a list of garbage (my opinion) Pepin put together... I'm pretty sure he envisioned these as best he could within the boundaries of the client...

601 Black Connecticut
601 Blue Habano Maduro
Troya Classico
Cuban Diplomat Connecticut wrapper
Vegas Cubana
De La Concha Criollo Legend house blend
DPG Serie JJ Maduro
El Centurion

YMMV depending on your taste preference, but I've been noticing a certain trend when I smoke a Pepin cigar that doesn't contain both criollo AND corojo. The Centurion is a brain teaser as I don't know what the hell he was thinking when he made this cigar, added to the fact that they are already aged 3 years doesn't help the reputation. Again, my blunt opinion of strike outs in an amazing resume. I have yet to try this JFR maduro, but now I'm a bit hesitant.
 
Dave said:
YMMV depending on your taste preference, but I've been noticing a certain trend when I smoke a Pepin cigar that doesn't contain both criollo AND corojo. The Centurion is a brain teaser as I don't know what the hell he was thinking when he made this cigar, added to the fact that they are already aged 3 years doesn't help the reputation. Again, my blunt opinion of strike outs in an amazing resume. I have yet to try this JFR maduro, but now I'm a bit hesitant.
Click to expand...


To each his own I guess. :cool:
 
Again, my blunt opinion of strike outs in an amazing resume.
Click to expand...

Hey...Reggie Jackson struck out 2597 times and he's in the Hall of Fame! :laugh:
 
And to make it even more confusing... the 5 Vegas Miami line is damn tasty (IMO) and y'all know what most of the brother think about 5 Vegas here.
 
I had the JJ maduro last week and have to agree with the majority of the guys.....did not care for it at all. That said, I like the 601 maduro the Pepin rolls.

Kevin
 
Wow ..... I finally tried a JJ Maduro yesterday and really enjoyed it, the subtlety of the tastes and the woodiness appealed to me most. It wasn't a complex cigar, nor was there any spice, but it was a nice change of pace.


:cool:
 
tried my first JJ maduro beli this morning...

I agree with everything in the first post, except an inch in I got a completely weird taste I've never gotten from anything before, I can't even describe it but it put me off and I had to toss it.

the rest will sleep for years and years along with the Padilla Obsidian's until I bring myself to try them again after the cello's have long turned orange.

If you want a dark wrapper DPG, go with the San Cristobal.
 
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