If you ask the average cigar smoker who Jose Domiguez is most won’t know the name. However, chances are that you have smoked a cigar made at his cigar factory. For the past two decades Jose Dominguez has blended and made cigars for some of the top selling brands in the world.
This past Saturday we smoked a cigar from The Cigar Authority Care Package on episode #501 as we debated wether to go on with the show. Today we fire up the Hightower by Jose Dominguez and give you an in-depth review of this large ring gauge stogie.
Cigar Review: Hightower by Jose Dominguez
Wrapper: Maduro
Binder: Dominican Republic
Filler: Dominican Republic
Length: 6″
Ring Gauge: 60
Size: Gordo (660)
The Look: Looking at the box on the shelf it’s easy to see they took inspiration from sneaker boxes. The orange lid sits on top of the black base like the lid of your favorite shoe brand. Inside the cigars are tissue wrapped but once you unsheathe the stick you witness the branding of the brand name right into the wrapper of the cigar. In the hand the cigar is firm to the touch with a well packed foot. The Maduro wrapper has a nice amount of oils visible.
The Notes: The cold draw serves up notes of leather and peanut shells while the aroma off the foot has a more leather components. Due to the large ring gauge I had to toast the cigar considerably to make sure it was evenly lit and ready to go. The first puff of the cigar revealed notes of pistachios.
Moving into the first third of the Hightower by Jose Dominguez the nutty notes remain dominant as I bounce back and forth between peanuts and pistachios. Occasionally some subtle dark chocolate notes emerge while the finish of the cigar is long and leathery. The retrohale of the stick isn’t as overpowering as I expected as we see some subtle cocoa added to the mix.
Moving into the second third the cigar sees the leather note take over the palate. Occasionally there is a subtle floral taste until around the halfway point when the cocoa notes from the retrohale make their way to the palate. As the second third comes to a close the leather notes fade as nuttiness becomes dominant again.
The last third sees notes of nuts and mocha battle as the dominant flavor profile with an espresso component on the finish. The leather notes of the first two-thirds now serves as an afterthought. As the cigar comes to a close the nutty notes are reminiscent of pecans. The finish is long, and the retrohale has a subtle sweetness.
The Finish: Strong. That is the word I would use to describe this cigar. It’s different than the Jose Dominguez Signature which works for me because I enjoy a fuller bodied cigar. If you like them strong this is for you. Not to mention the branding on the wrapper is a pretty cool conversation piece.
Score: 90
Price: $6.60 / $112.99
JD Hightower Wrapped
JD Hightower Uncovered
JD Hightower Foot
JD Hightower Burn
