Juan Lopez Seleccion No 2 UTL FEB 18 (DEFJ review weekend)

[Bucky McSwensen]

I purchased a box of these off another vendor a while back.  We are looking at a dark rustic wrapper with some prominent veins, a bit of tooth, a pleasant oily sheen and earthy cocoa aroma.  Dry draw has hints of dark chocolate and, dare I say, cooked carrot.

First light has pepper, hay, toast, and a mild sweetness.  Retro has a smooth kick ot white pepper.  No bitterness at all.  Really good smoke output.  At this point I burnt my tongue on coffee so this review may be shot.

Third way through it has mellowed out and now has notes of rich tobacco, cedar, leather and mild barnyard.  A vein from the binder is very visible in the ash.  I have no idea if that is a good or bad thing but it brings me joy so I am loving it.

Next third has no crazy changes.  A mild bitterness comes and goes in waves.  Pepper is back with a vengeance!

Final third mellows out to earthy and chocolate tones.  Bitterness is gone.  Pepper comes and goes in waves.  Final push has black coffee flavors and the retro kicks in hard with light pepper and a hay aftertaste.

Came pretty close to nubbing this one.  This was my first JLS2 and I really enjoyed it.  Starting out with a burnt tongue was a rookie move but I think some more time will do this stick wonders to mellow out the bitterness of the middle portion and sand down its rough edges.

Scoring

I'd value this cigar at $12.50

Cuba rating = 2.07

Purchase rating = 1.95

(Ratings are based on a ratio of value/cost. 1.00 means I value it the same as it cost.  Less means it wasn't worth the purchase.  More than 1 means it was a deal)

[Jbhunter223]

3 minutes ago, Bucky McSwensen said:

At this point I burnt my tongue on coffee so this review may be shot.

This happens to me a lot more than I’d like to admit.  Good review reguardless. 

[aphexafx]

That's my kinda cigar!  Thanks for a great review and good luck.  ?

[TheMonk]

Nice job, and interesting evaluation point system!

[ohbob976]

is the cigar in the first picture the same as the rest of the pictures? looks totally different. 

waiting on 2 boxes of JL2 to come in. hope they are as good as the single samples ive had. 

[Bucky McSwensen]

Same cigar.  Just dark kitchen from window lighting vs fluorescents and camera flash in garage.  I saw that too after I posted.  They really are dark sticks.  I'll work on my photo skills