JohnS' Smoking Diary 2025

[Li Bai]

4 hours ago, JohnS said:

Even though I very much enjoyed this quality smoke today, I still can't say that I readily identify with the Juan López marca. Even so, I've smoked enough Habanos cigars in my lifetime to easily identify a great cigar, and this Juan López Selección Especial was definitely very much one of those.

Exactly what my friend and I thought when we first smoked it a few weeks back 👌

I've only had one so I won't jump to conclusions but I'd like to add that the first couple inches have been very reminiscent of a Hoyo de San Juan to me (which I like a lot too), I've seen no Juan Lopez signature or whatsoever during the whole smoke but that's ok because IT IS a great cigar 👍

[JohnS]

2 hours ago, Li Bai said:

Exactly what my friend and I thought when we first smoked it a few weeks back 👌

I've only had one so I won't jump to conclusions but I'd like to add that the first couple inches have been very reminiscent of a Hoyo de San Juan to me (which I like a lot too), I've seen no Juan Lopez signature or whatsoever during the whole smoke but that's ok because IT IS a great cigar 👍

I don't think one would be too disappointed to find out that this is not a longer version of a Juan Lopez Seleccion No.1 or No.2. I'm glad I have some on hand for the future.

[JohnS]

Juan López Selección No.2 MEL Dic 2016

I acquired this box around the turn of the New Year in 2019. In six-and-a-half years since that time I've gone through two-thirds of the box (in other words, fourteen cigars smoked with three given away). In general, I haven't found them to be to my taste, otherwise, I think I would have finished the box by now! So far, I think I can confidently say that I've only had two JL2s that I was really enamoured with.

So what has been the problem with the greater majority of Juan Lopez Seleccion No.2s from this late-2016 box? In summary, most of these cigars have been dominant in toasted tobacco which didn't allow the chocolate and/or citrus characteristics to shine in those cigars. Today's cigar had some semblance of chocolate, orange citrus and Cointreau from beginning to end, but overall the cigar was underscored by a coffee and oak spine. That coffee, oak and perhaps toasted tobacco combination was therefore a tad too dominant for my preference. In terms of strength though, I was pleased with how mild this JL2 was. Now that's saying something when the box is already eight-and-a-half years old! 

I would think that the greater majority of our forum members would advocate for the Juan Lopez Seleccion No.2 on account of its strength and bold flavours, though. Alas, that's not generally for me. One thing that did enhance today's JL2 was a pairing with Carpano Antica Formula vermouth, which if you aren't aware, is a highly reputable vermouth well-suited to mixing in with Manhattan and Negroni Cocktails. In this instance, I had it straight, and trust me, that noted vanilla and bitter orange taste on the palate went well with this JL2!

A few years ago, I mentioned to El Pres (our esteemed Friends of Habanos Host) that I had struggled for some time with this particular box of Juan Lopez Seleccion No.2s. He noted that the boxing date of these JL2s coincided with a stronger batch of cigars produced out of Cuba, within this marca and vitola, that were more potent in strength than normal. I felt a 'lightbulb' moment envelop me upon learning this and felt relieved in the knowledge that there was hope yet for this specific box of Juan Lopez Seleccion No.2s. 

[JohnS]

Trinidad Topes MUP Oct 2019

The Trinidad Topes was first released as a Limited Edition cigar in 2016. Three years later, in 2019, Habanos S.A commemorated the 50th anniversary of the Habanos version of the marca by releasing the excellent Esmeralda, Media Luna and Topes, this time as a regular production cigar.

The Topes has a 56 ring gauge and is 125 mm (or 4⅞ inches) in length. With a 56 ring gauge, I've learnt that one has to be weary about untwisting the pig-tail on the head as it's very easy to rip the wrapper past the shoulder. Similarly, the larger girth at the foot requires more dedication and time to light the cigar properly to guarantee an even burn.

I smoked three 2019 50th Anniversary regular production release Topes in a month when I acquired them in May 2020 and have smoked four since; the last one around four years ago. Why has it been so long since I've smoked a regular production Trinidad Topes? Quite simply, I've preferred to smoke the 2016 Limited Edition in the meantime because it has a sweeter blend, in general, and I have found that cigar very much agreeable according to my tastes!

This cigar opened up with a coffee, wood and a slightly 'Earth' flavour profile, supported by a buttered texture to the smoke which always reminds me of pastry; something akin to a croissant. My last Topes four years ago had much less salt and spice flavours in it. In contrast, this was less uniform in its flavours. In fact, I would argue it was too savoury for my preferences, the wood was dull and oak-like (especially more so in the back half) and it had very little in the way of cookie or dough flavours. 

It smoked well though over 100 minutes, aided by the outstanding construction of the cigar which maintained a consistent burn-line, ash-length easily over an inch each time and an excellent draw and smoke output. It's a shame the flavours on offer here did not enhance its smoking.

In summary, this 2019 Topes was nowhere near as good as some recent Esmeralda and Media Luna I've enjoyed. Which is a shame because in the past this cigar performed much better for me. Having said that, I have noticed over the years that the regular production Trinidad Topes has not quite enjoyed the same critical acclaim amongst enthusiasts, in comparison to the Esmeralda and Media Luna. Why is that I wonder? I would venture to say that in comparison to the Hoyo de Monterrey Le Hoyo de Rio Seco, the Topes has to compete for attention in the Trinidad marca with the Esmeralda and Media Luna whereas the HdM de Rio Seco is distinctive from the HdM de San Juan and stands on its own a little more. You can't blame enthusiasts for spending their hard-earned money on the Trinidad version of the Cohiba Siglo VI (i.e the Esmeralda) or the Trinidad quintessential petit robusto offering (i.e the Media Luna). It stands to reason that with the current pricing of the Trinidad brand, I wouldn't blame cigar enthusiasts at the moment overlooking the Trinidad Topes and putting their hard-earned cash elsewhere. It makes sense.

[JohnS]

Partagás Serie D No.4 UEB Feb 2019

If there's one cigar that I'd vote for as the most consistent, in fact, the best overall since the start of the Covid-19 pandemic, I would vouch for the Partagas Serie D No.4. It seems that every time I reach for it from my humidor of late, it never fails to deliver in terms of satisfaction. Mick Jagger famously opined that he couldn't get any satisfaction in the mid-sixties. Maybe he would have changed his mind if he smoked a current Partagas Serie D No.4. Certainly this cigar has come a long way since that time.

Now, I know that I stated that I wouldn't have multiple instances of a cigar within the 2025 Smoking Blog series in my introduction this year, but I felt I had to make an exception in this case. This cigar has been and continues to be that good!

This was a another great example of a Partagas Serie D No.4. The sourdough was again like baked bread and the spice was nowhere to be found. It was so simple, yet so good...the type of cigar you could light up again as soon as you finished it. I'm confident you know what that feels like!

If I were to ever win the Habanos Man of the Year award I would select a Cohiba Lanceros annually. But my second box may just be a Partagas Serie D No.4. I suppose one could dream, couldn't they?

[JohnS]

Partagás Presidentes RSG Mar 2023

The Partagas Presidentes is a cigar that I remember steering clear from in the past on account of its reputation for strong, bold flavours. Around six years ago though, I remember smoking a Partagas Presidentes from the 2018 Xmas Sampler which I had noted had a pleasant mix of Partagas sourdough and coffee with a Fonseca-type marshmallow sweetness. It was a nice contrast from my previous forays into sampling the Partagas Presidentes which revealed a more typical 'old school' blend of Partagas Earth and Forest Floor and perhaps even leather, and I remember furthermore that at that point of my journey within this hobby that it didn't really connect with me.

This is my third RSG Mar 2023 Partagas Presidentes from this box. I smoked the first one at the end of 2023 and it was quite simply a revelation.The second RSG Mar 2023 cigar was smoked a year ago and it was also very, very good in its simplicity and approachability. As I've mentioned before within this Smoking Blog series, if there's one cigar that I would have to nominate as being the best in its flavour delivery and construction since the advent of the Covid era in early 2020, then it would have to be the Partagas Serie D No.4. The varieties that I've had of the PSD4 have been simple concoctions of Partagas sourdough, coffee and leather, intertwined in a seemingly perfect balance. Unbelievably, that Partagas Presidentes was very much like that. Yes, I couldn't fathom it. To say I was pleasantly surprised would be an understatement.

This third RSG Mar 2023 Partagas Presidentes started off again being simple in its blend and approachable in its smoking. It once again had sourdough, coffee and leather but soon there were elements of forest-floor flavours, which complimented the cigar in the first two-thirds but gradually overpowered it by the final third. So maybe it wasn't in the upper echelon of performance like the first RSG Mar 2023 Partagas Presidentes from this box, but for the first two-thirds of this cigar, it wasn't that far way. By contrast, I have since acquired a SUL Jul 2023 box of Partagas Presidentes and I've smoked five cigars from that box, none of which have reached the heights of these first two RSG Mar 2023 Partagas Presidentes.

The past notion of the Partagas Presidentes, well at least in my mind, that had a dominating strength and old school flavours of Earth, Forest floor and leather are simply incomparable to what I smoked today (and this year). This Partagas Presidentes was quite good, overall. I now aspire to smoke a Partagas Presidentes from my SUL Jul 2023 that matches it!

[JohnS]

La Gloria Cubana Medaille d'Or No.4 ETP Ene 2016

The La Gloria Cubana Medaille d'Or No.4 had been in hiatus since the first quarter of 2018. The La Gloria Cubana Medaille d'Or No.4 had only just recently come back into production in the first quarter of 2021, with box codes indicative of late 2020. Unfortunately, it seems that the mid-2022 update to pricing by Habanos S.A has seen stock once again diminish. 

For me personally, the prolonged hiatus of this cigar has had an affect on my smoking habits as I smoked six La Gloria Cubana Medaille d'Or No.4s in 2021, only one in 2022, three in 2023 (although one was generously gifted to me), two in 2024 and this is now my first one smoked in 2025. 

The LGC Medaille d'Or No.4 has two unique characteristics as a Habanos cigar; firstly, it's one of the last truly 'long-and-skinnies' (i.e. a cigar that is less than 35 ring gauge and at around six inches in length or longer) and secondly, it has a complexity of flavours unique to its brand.

In terms of this array of contrasting flavours, these can range from savoury to sweet to spicy. This LGC No.4 had a core almond nut flavour, wood and creamy texture overall which remained throughout the cigar. There was a some fruit and herbal notes also, which manifested itself from the middle third onwards. It was simply wonderful from beginning to end!

One could say that my appraisal of this LGC4 today is influenced by my bias and continued lament of its unavailability. However, when these smoke like this one did today, the acclaim is definitely well-merited.

[JohnS]

Bolívar Tubos No.1 ULA Jun 2015

The Bolivar Tubos No.1 was a medium-full Corona cigar discontinued in 2017. It was one of the last Coronas, a 42 ring gauge, 142 mm (or 5⅝ inches) in length cigar that was packaged in aluminum tubes in larger-than-average 25-count dress boxes. In case you are wondering what other Coronas we have left in regular production to this day, there are indeed only three; the Montecristo No.3, the Quai d'Orsay Coronas Claro and the Romeo y Julieta Cedros De Luxe No.2.

After having this box in storage for approximately five years, I've smoked three to four Bolivar Tubos No.1s a year for the last three years, and so I've now gone through just over three-quarters of the box. In general, my other Bolivar Tubos No.1s smoked were mainly all chewy, soft caramel-marshmallow with some Bolivar Earth and leather and a touch of spiciness on the edges. 

I had two superlative examples of Bolivar Tubos No.1 in a row about a two years ago. They were perhaps my best examples of Bolivar cigars I have ever smoked, and I say that without exaggeration! 

This cigar began ideally in that it was soft and chewy on the palate, it had some sweet caramel and floral notes, with and underlying light mushroom core. I also got some Bolivar flavours of leather, Earth and forest floor 'funk'. If you smoke Bolivar cigars regularly (or even perhaps on a semi-regular basis) I'm confident you'll know what I mean by this colloquially-named 'funk'. For me, according to my tastes, this suggests that there's still plenty of developmental life in this box of cigars yet. Overall though, this example of an aged Bolivar Tubos No.1 was quite satisfying!

With ten years down I must say it was certainly easy to smoke down. In fact, I think I finished it in around an hour. I now have just five left, and as we know, it's not like I can replace them once I've finished them all. So, in saying that, I think it would be prudent to smoke one or two Bolivar Tubos No.1s a year from hereon in. I owe this box the chance to age further, in my opinion.

[JohnS]

Cuaba APAC 2020 - Edición Regional Asia Pacifico LTO Mar 2021

Pacific Cigar Company (or its more common abbreviation, PCC) brought out the 2020 Cuaba APAC in mid-2021 as an Cuaba Asia-Pacifico Regional Edition, the very first Regional Edition since the program was conceived in 2005. 

The Cuaba APAC is packaged in a 10-count box, with PCC distributing a run of 8888 boxes. The cigar is a Tacos vitola, a 47 ring gauge x 158 mm (or 6¼ inches) in length Perfecto, the same size as the LCDH Hoyo de Monterrey Elegantes, 2020 Mexican Regional Edition Ramon Allones Perfecto and the regular production Partagas Presidentes. The Tacos vitola differs a little from regular production Cuaba Perfectos in the shape of the head, which in the case of the APAC, is more conical (or streamlined/straighter at the head and foot) than your standard Cuaba.

This is my eighth Cuaba APAC, I've had my last three in the last sixteen months after I smoked two in 2022 and three in 2021, which I found quite impressive. Those cigars shared a typical Cuaba peanut and orange Cointreau citrus profile with a smooth, mild and refined strength and body. They also had a quality cedar aspect to them together with some quintessential Cuaba toasted tobacco and even vegetal flavour on the edges. For Cuaba, these flavours are complex and I have admired that about this cigar, thus far.

My last Cuaba APAC was uniformly excellent. It had a core Cuaba peanut and orange Cointreau citrus, together with a herbal and toasted tobacco note which made it very different to a Cuaba Distinguidos, for example. I finished the cigar after close to two hours quite satisfied. This one was less herbal due to age, and it had nowhere near the amount of toasted tobacco. It did thankfully shine again with its orange Cointreau citrus.

If there's one thing I could change about this cigar, it would have been its rather ordinary construction. The ash was flaky throughout, but the excellent flavour and balance within the blend more than compensated for this, in my view.

I do wish I had a few more in my humidor as I recognise now that these won't be easy to locate. Even so, if I do find them available, I know it will be costly, as aged Regional and Special Editions traditionally are. The Cuaba APAC is a solid cigar, that there is no doubt, but if I had a choice I would put my disposable income into acquiring other cigars, most probably regular production.

[JohnS]

H.Upmann Petit Coronas MEG Oct 2015

The H.Upmann Petit Coronas was last manufactured in 2016. The last of these 25-count dress boxes were last seen in 2017. They were never a popular seller, both in relation to other marevas-sized cigars and within the H.Upmann marca. I would speculate the reason for why the H.Upmann Petit Coronas never developed a following would be because it was the type of cigar that took a long time to 'peak' or develop and when young it was known for being quite dominant in strength, espresso coffee and toasted tobacco.

What then did the H.Upmann Petit Coronas have in terms of appeal for its adherents? Simply put, with significant time down it was known for having a combination of that other-worldly H.Upmann shortbread and sweet cream texture. When you get this in an aged H.Upmann cigar I promise you that there is nothing finer. 

This particular H.Upmann Petit Coronas, being nearly ten years of age, is the third cigar I've had from this box. It was beautifully cream-textured, balanced in its cedar and leather and had minimal Upmann pepper, especially in the back half/last third. If you are familiar with aged H.Upmann Petit Coronas, this is exactly how you want them.

So, in summary, kudos to you if you have these in your humidor and you have the opportunity to smoke cigars like this. The cream-texture at this stage of its development means that they offer a unique blend for a Petit Coronas, which I'm quite grateful for.

[Perla]

15 hours ago, JohnS said:

H.Upmann Petit Coronas MEG Oct 2015

The H.Upmann Petit Coronas was last manufactured in 2016. The last of these 25-count dress boxes were last seen in 2017. They were never a popular seller, both in relation to other marevas-sized cigars and within the H.Upmann marca. I would speculate the reason for why the H.Upmann Petit Coronas never developed a following would be because it was the type of cigar that took a long time to 'peak' or develop and when young it was known for being quite dominant in strength, espresso coffee and toasted tobacco.

What then did the H.Upmann Petit Coronas have in terms of appeal for its adherents? Simply put, with significant time down it was known for having a combination of that other-worldly H.Upmann shortbread and sweet cream texture. When you get this in an aged H.Upmann cigar I promise you that there is nothing finer. 

This particular H.Upmann Petit Coronas, being nearly ten years of age, is the third cigar I've had from this box. It was beautifully cream-textured, balanced in its cedar and leather and had minimal Upmann pepper, especially in the back half/last third. If you are familiar with aged H.Upmann Petit Coronas, this is exactly how you want them.

So, in summary, kudos to you if you have these in your humidor and you have the opportunity to smoke cigars like this. The cream-texture at this stage of its development means that they offer a unique blend for a Petit Coronas, which I'm quite grateful for.

Somehow I got the chance to buy two boxes of them in 2020. 2022/2023 my favourite smoke was the PC. A box of pleasure. Now a box of treasure. Something I never expected, something I never hoped for. 

It’s your last year that you will do these reviews? I will miss them a lot. 

[JohnS]

Thanks @Perla. I concur that whoever has a box of H.Upmann Petit Coronas currently, with boxes aged around the ten-year mark, is very fortunate to be able to smoke these right now.

And thank you kindly for enjoying these reviews. Yes, it is my last year updating this blog series. I plan to say more (about it) at the end of the year.