If you listen to The Cigar Authority, and you should I am sure the jingle is already in your head. Just opening the box of these cigars cues up the Jose Dominguez commercial in my head. It also makes me want a donut, but that’s a story for another time. For those that don’t know Jose Dominguez was a former veterinarian who decided it was time to do something new. So he turned to cigars and opened one of the largest factories in terms of the amount of cigars produced in a year. He’s the man behind Victor Sinclair among many others including today’s cigar which bears his name.
Cigar Review: Jose Dominguez
Wrapper: Ecuador Connecticut
Binder: Dominican Republic
Filler: Dominican Republic,
Length: 5″
Ring Gauge: 50
Size: Gordito (Robusto)
The Look: The Jose Dominiguez has one of the nicest boxes for what I consider a value cigar. It’s a two tone boxes, with red writing for the Natural and blue for the Maduro. The cigar inside has an ornate band on it on wine stock paper, and the cigar is covered in a cedar wrap from band to foot. The cigar has a a golden wrapper with no flaws to it, and the cigar is heavy in the hand.
The Notes: The cold draw of the Jose Dominguez has a subtle sweetness and notes that remind me of water chestnuts and ginger. The nose off the foot of the cigar is slightly floral. Upon lighting the cigar I am instantly welcome with a note that is best described as butter pecan.
As we smoke the first third of the robusto, the butter pecan notes continue for a while before breaking into two separate components. The butter aspect reminds me of the melted butter on fresh-baked bread, while the nuts becomes a bit more generic. There is also a touch of earth, and a subtle ginger on the retrohale.
The second third sees some of the buttery richness remains at the start before transitioning to a note that reminds me of popcorn. There is some subtle complexity with hints of cedar and earth appear as well. The retrohale is smooth and nutty, with a moderate finish.
As the cigar comes to a close the cedar becomes the dominant note with nuances of earth, nuts and a touch of ginger with the latter being especially noticeable on the retrohale of the Jose Dominguez.
The Finish: I am to a degree a label smoker. While I am not as bad as I once was, there was a time I wouldn’t have smoked a cigar like Jose Dominguez. However, as I got older I branched out some and began to take into my account my budget I had to look at other options. While this cigar has some rough edges to it, I’ve smoked more than my fair share over the years and I always keep some on hand especially since you get two boxes for the price of one at 2GuysCigars.com. It pairs really well with my morning cup of coffee, especially when I am sitting on the back deck watching the chipmunks.
Score: 89
Price: $5.29 / $99.99 (Buy 1, Get one Free)
Jose Dominguez
Jose Dominguez Foot
Jose Dominguez Burn
