RealFreakinCigarReviews

According to the JR website, the JR Ultimate and the JR Ultimate cabinet selection are, and I quote "This cigar is every bit as good as (or better than) any ultra-premium brand on the market - bar none." Ok... so lets see what we've got here.  I have to admit... when anyone says "ultimate," my mind wanders... for example, if the NFL were ever to have an "Ultimate NFL," I'd expect to see every member of the football team jacked up on steroids, and having an average lifespan of only one or two years, before either losing one or more limbs, or simply expiring due to steroid use and rampant debauchery.

In much the same fashion, if I'm going to be smokin' an "Ultimate" cigar, the thing better be damned near indistinguishable from Cuban, requiring the use of a mass-spectrometer to tell the difference; it had better be so good, my mouth waters, and I get very deeply emotionally erect at the mere thought of lighting one up. 

Initial Thoughts
I already blithered on about what my expectations of an ultimate cigar is, and the specimen I have here in my hands is decidedly un-ultimate.  Yes, its a well constructed cigar, however, I notice some mottling and slight imperfections.  Here again, bear in mind, this is an "ultimate" cigar.  I compare this cigar's look and quality to say a "non-ultimate" Oliva Serie V Double Toro that is a basically perfect stick, with no imperfections or differences from one smoke to the next.  I'm not feeling any soft spots.  I give the cigar the sniff test, and it smells slightly sweet and a little earthy.

The Smoke
I use my handy dandy notch cutter to cut the head, I toast the foot, and take my first puff.  Initially, it tastes kind of earthy and a little sweet.  Not overly complex, but not a completely flat flavor profile either.  As I puff away on this stick, its got pretty decent flavor, and plenty of white billowy smoke coming out.

At the 1/3 point, the flavor builds a little, however, unfortunately for me, the burn is starting to get a little uneven.  It also appears that the wrapper is starting to unravel a little.  I have to say... in terms of being an ultimate anything, this is definitely NOT ultimate.  The flavor profile has developed a little bit of spiciness to it, not bitter or harsh, just kind of a little oomph to let ya know its definitely a medium to full bodied cigar.

At the 2/3 point, the cigar is very definitely unraveling. and I'm getting ready to remove the band, and see what can only be described as a hole in the wrapper -- see picture below.  The flavor is decent, but again, decidedly "average" is basically how I'd describe it.

Alright... For the first time, I've decided to re-evaluate a cigar, because quite frankly, I think I just got a really bad stick.  The one I'm smoking now is not falling apart; while the flavor profile is as I described above, at least the thing is not completely falling apart.  I am seeing some unevenness in the burn, but nothing like what I experienced with the first one.  I will say, if this were my cigar company, and this was allegedly my flagship product, I would definitely improve the quality expectations.  Contrary to what Lew Rothman, of JR Cigars claims, there is a BIG difference between an eight dollar cigar and a two dollar cigar.  I happen to be smoking his 3 dollar "ultimate," and quite bluntly, it is not something that I'd share with my friends.  I contrast that with any Oliva I've smoked, ranging from my favorite, Serie V, to the more mild Serie O... yes, they're more money, but I'd feel comfortable sharing them with friends as something they'd actually enjoy.

 My original scoring on this stick was a three.  I'm willing to throw out that score, and base my review on the characteristics of the stick that I'm now working on finishing up.  At approximately the half way point, I am seeing some indications of the wrapper again starting to unravel a little.  I know, my humidor setting is off, and the stick is too moist, right?  Sorry, I pulled an Oliva Serie V out of my humidor last night and had it, and it burned perfectly.  This stick, on the other hand, is nothing more than an ultimate disappointment.  I'll be reviewing the "Natural" toro in a separate review.  No, I don't have anything against JR cigars... just don't tell me that something is fucking ultimate, unless it actually is.  I regularly smoke "JR Alternatives," and I know what I'm getting -- I'm getting a buck or so per stick cigar that has ok flavor.  Bluntly, the sticks I've had as "JR Alternatives," actually have burned better than the so called ultimate.

The Rating

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No. 1 : To Ultimate or Not to Ultimate

I was a tad shocked by your estimate of the JR Ultimate.
I can't recall getting a stinker since my friends and customers started gifting me this line over ten years ago. The first JR Ultimate I ever smoked was a Double Corona Maduro. That was quite a while back and I still remember what I was doing and where I was at the time of the encounter. It was the first time in over forty years of cigar smoking that I had ever wanted to crumble the butt into a dish, toast the remains and hover over the pyre. I've sent back everything from mushy Monecristos to stinky Remedios, but I've never had to return a box of Ultimates.

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Submitted by charlesbehlen@windstream., Registered • 2012-01-30 03:35:42

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