The Official Jameson Cigar Review Thread

[DeeDubya]

Three torpedos just aft of the bow in the starboard side. I'll tell you mullets about them when the smoke has cleared.

[DeeDubya]

Gents. The smoke has cleared. I have smoked 2 of the 3 short Torpedos that Brad sent me.

Although I am grateful for having the opportunity to try them, it is what a rep should do.

Let me first opologize for being an Aries. A little out of my control, it is what I am, blunt, to the point, with a severe lack of tactfulness.

The Jameson Short Torpedo did not impress me. At all. The burn was fair but not unmanageable. The aroma/flavor started with a dry, grassiness that reminded me of a machine rolled stick. About midway the flavors did begin to make some appearance. I could denote a little pepper/spicyness but totally lacking the earthiness or body of an aged Dominican filler. Toward the end the flavors finally stacked up into what tasted like a re-lit stick that had been sitting cold for an hour. The unpleasant aftertaste remained for a while.

The second was worse. It was lumpy and of course did not burn evenly. Flavors were still, well, just not there. I know these are in the lower price range but I have smoked much better for less.

I am in no way condemning the Jameson line of cigars. This is only one of the series and there can certainly be a hugh difference. Also, only two cigars are not a fair measure.

[jameson]

Great reviews, guys. Sounds like most of you enjoyed the smokes. I appreciate all the honest feedback, even the criticisms. It only helps us improve!

[chefchris]

Smoked my second Churchill today. Not quite as pepper-y as I remember the other one, but still very pleasant aroma. Only draw back was the draw, it was a little tough. Other than that, really good smoke.

Sounds like you need to work on that torpedo.

[King Catfish]

OK, now I am really fascinated. I can't wait until Saturday to review this cigar. I would do it sooner but it deserves my full, unhurried attention.

[King Catfish]

Today I smoked the first of three cigars kindly sent for my review by Brad of Jameson cigars. Perhaps because of the name, I had this stick with a glass of Scotch after a good lunch. This cigar had been in my humidor for more than a week.

A visit to the Jameson website told me that these cigars are made at the Tabacalera Sanchez-Romay factory in the Dominican Republic and sport a veiny brown Sumatran wrapper with a medium texture over a Honduran binder and a Dominican filler.

Firm and well constructed, the cigar wore a classic-looking band that was not overstated… an attractive stick. Prelight aroma was a pure tobacco smell that, while not strong, was earthy enough to suggest this would not be a mild-bodied cigar. A very nice smell. The cigar survived my cut admirably, even though I was using a crappy single-blade cutter (a story for another time). Prelight draw was easy enough but tasteless; toasting the foot brought no aroma to the nose.

The first few puffs delivered a respectable volume of smoke, with a subtle taste of leather and an aftertaste that bespoke spice ahead. The wrapper left a mild earthy taste on the lips, and the ash was very light gray from the very beginning. The draw was perfect: not too easy, not too difficult.

The first third served up some leather and just a little pepper (but did not overstate its case), the civilized smoke unaggressive in the throat and on the tongue. The burn line, although not perfectly straight, was razor-thin and even. Near the end of the first third a pleasant “dustiness” started to emerge, of the sort I encountered in the Don Lino Africa. (The Jameson cigar is not similar, overall, to the Africa, but it does share this dustiness with it.) Only because the Africa is the only other cigar I have ever had with this dustiness, I must make a comparative observation: The Don Lino’s taste is complex and strong, and the dustiness is just a facet of it; the Jameson is less complex and less strong, so this dustiness is a larger part of the flavor profile, and gives this cigar too much of a dry character.

Approximately the entire first third fell off as a single, slightly flaky ash, revealing a cone-shaped coal. (The ashes fell off in smaller increments after this.) By this time the smoke volume had increased somewhat and was quite full.

The second third added a bit of salt and perhaps the tiniest bit of wood to the taste, but was otherwise similar to the first third. (This woodiness was gone almost as soon as it appeared.) The dustiness was perhaps increasing a little bit, and the pepper definitely decreasing (in the smoke); however, the aftertaste was becoming more leathery and a just a bit more peppery. There was a short time during the second third in which the burn started to wander, but it evened out again quickly without help.

As the final third began, the cigar started to assert itself a bit more, with a some bitterness creeping in. Although it did not yet need a purge, I gave it a quick one and allowed it to sit for a moment to regain its composure. This averted the threat of bitterness, and so I will attribute the bitterness to my hurrying of the cigar, which is something I sometimes tend to do.

Nearing the nub, a mild sweetness made an appearance to complement the leather and spice, adding a lovely complexity that was absent for most of the cigar’s lifespan. If this cigar had been as complex and harmonious throughout as it was in the last inch or so, it would have scored much higher. The cigar was very long-lived, topping an hour and a half.

Score: 17.25 (x5) = 86.25, gaining a half-point for the well constructed cap that survived a crappy cutter, gaining another quarter-point for remaining solid and firm to the very end, gaining a point for a flavorful finish, and losing a full point for too much dryness in the taste, for a final score of 87.

The Jameson Robusto is a classy, civilized, well constructed cigar of medium body… I would describe it as a quiet, unhurried conversation with one’s senses. The taste requires some attention and will not overwhelm; however, the finish is worthwhile. Jameson’s website shows a price of $22.50 for a fiver of Robustos or $4.50 per cigar. This is a fair price for this stick, and I would plan to keep a few around.

While this cigar partnered acceptably well with the Scotch, I would recommend smoking this cigar after a quiet conversation and dinner of white meat such as chicken or pork and a light drink. (Because this cigar’s taste is on the dry side, it would be better to make sure the meat is not dry or overcooked.) In fact, I will try the next one with a red dessert wine after a meal of thick, juicy pork chops stuffed with pineapple chunks and raisins.

I plan to smoke the second Jameson (and revisit this review) after a few more weeks in the humidor. I will pass the third on to my smoking buddy with my recommendation. He’s not the sort to write a review, but I will be glad to report back here how he feels about it.

[DeeDubya]

KC

That's a very good review on the Jameson Robusto. I wish I could have said the same about the Torpedo. You would think that the two would be nearly identical at least in flavors.
What if I send you my remaining Torpedo to review as a comparison? Would you compare it to the Robusto's? I'd really like to give the Jameson's a fair shake.

Have a good weekend.