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| J&D Temptation Maduro |
Last month, I had the opportunity to sample a cigar that I consider to be one of the revelations of 2011 – J&D Cigars’ Temptation Habano Claro. This mild to medium bodied cigar brought something special to the table with its unique flavors and smooth smoke. This time around, I sample the other blend in the JD Cigars’ Temptation line. This blend uses a Maduro wrapper and its called appropriately the J&D Temptation Maduro. Once again, J&D does a great job at carving out its own space in the cigar world while producing a great cigar.
As I mentioned in my review of the J&D Temptation Habano Claro is that I was really impressed by the information J&D provided about the company and the cigars. I’ll restate the information here for completeness. The company was founded by David Insignares and Jorge Gil. Insignares and Gil have a great deal of experience in the cigar industry. Insignares operates out of Miami, Florida while Gil is a master grower who operates tobacco farms in Esteli Nicaragua. They are very proud of the fact the employ several “Grade 9” torcedores (i.e. rollers – with Grade 9 being the highest level that is achieved).
Let’s take a closer look at the J&D Temptaton Maduro and see what it has to offer.
Blend Profile
The J&D Temptation Maduro is an all-Nicaraguan puro:
Wrapper: Nicaraguan Maduro
Binder: Nicaraguan
Filler: Nicaraguan
Vitolas Available
The J&D Temptation Maduro is available in four vitolas:
Double Toro: 6 x 60
Churchill: 7 x 48
Toro: 6.5 x 54
Robusto: 5 x 50
The Temptation Maduro vitola line differs from the Temptation Habano Claro line in that there is not a Salamon or Lancero vitola, but there is a Toro vitola.
Preparation for the Cigar Experience
Since I reviewed the Churchill vitola for the J&D Temptation Habano Claro first, I decided my first vitola for the Temptation Maduro would also be a Churchill vitola (note the Maduro Churchill is slight shorter than the 7 x 50 Habano Claro Churchill). I opted for a straight cut into the cap of the Temptation Maduro. The pre-light draw, gave hints of wood, coffee, grass, and even some butter cream. Whether the cigar is lit or not, butter cream notes are not something I normally pick up on a maduro. It was on to fire up the Temptation Maduro and see what the smoking experience would be like.
Flavor Profile
One thing that was really positive about the Temptation Maduro is that it had one of the most unique flavor profiles I have had in a maduro cigar. The initial notes of the cigar were a combination of grass and coffee. Shortly afterwards, I detected notes of nut and orange peel. The start to the cigar was already yielding some great complexity.
By the 10% point of the cigar experience, the coffee notes got deeper and took on more of a roasted coffee flavor profile. This meshed very nicely with the grass, nut, and orange peel flavors in the background. Shortly after this point, I noticed two flavors emerge that really began to validate the uniqueness of the flavor profile. The first is that the nut flavors seem to settle into a sweet roasted chestnut taste. Secondly, I detected the emergence of some creamy milk notes. These milk notes helped define the uniqueness of the Temptation Habano Claro and while they weren’t as pronounced in the Maduro as the Habano Claro, they nonetheless will still very present.
Around the 25 percent mark, the orange peel sweetness took on more of a classic citrus sweetness. Going into the second third, I noticed the citrus, milk, and chestnut flavors were now in the forefront with the coffee notes in the background (the grass notes had pretty much dissipated). The citrus, milk, and chestnut notes at times varied in intensity.
Around the halfway point, I noticed some spice notes emerge for the first time. Originally it was more of a cayenne pepper through the nose. Eventually the cayenne pepper joined the chestnut and citrus notes in the forefront with the coffee and creamy milk notes moving to the background. The cayenne pepper was never overwhelming. This is the flavor profile as the cigar experience came to a close. The nub was a bit soft, but not hot at all. The finish was smooth. Overall, the J&D Temptation Maduro had unique flavors and outstanding complexity.
Burn and Draw
Overall a good burn on the Temptation Maduro. I did have to make some touch-ups along the way, but the burn rate and burn temperature were satisfactory throughout the smoking experience. The draw was excellent – I found the J&D Temptation Maduro to be a very enjoyable cigar to draw from.
Strength and Body
There is a incorrect notion out there that Maduros have to be strong and spicy to be good. If you smoke the Temptation Maduro, you will know it is not strong and spicy, but it is very good. This cigar is a solid medium in terms of strength. As for the body, while it is not very spicy, many of the flavor notes have depth. This is a solid medium to full in terms of body.
Final Thoughts
I have said when it comes to Indie Cigars, they must do two things: 1) Bring something special to the table; 2) Have the ability to push something out of a retailer’s humidor. Given the fact the J&D Temptation Maduro has such a unique flavor profile, and provides a smooth as opposed to overpowering maduro, I would say this fits the bill.
Up front, I mentioned the fact that the J&D Temptation Habano Claro was a smooth and unique smoke. The Temptation Maduro provides another slant at smoke of that profile. This was a very enjoyable cigar and one that can appeal to both novice and seasoned cigar enthusiasts. It’s one I certainly look forward to smoking again.
Summary
Burn: Good
Draw: Excellent
Complexity: High
Strength: Medium
Body: Medium to Full
Assessment: Memorable
Disclaimer: This cigar was provided to myself from J&D Cigars. The request was initiated by J&D Cigars to myself (Cigar Coop) to provide an assessment. Cigar Coop is appreciative to samples provided but this plays no role in a final assessment rating.
