Juan Lopez Seleccion No. 1 Cigar - Cabinet of 25

Date Added: Sunday 11 February, 2024 by Paul

Very good draw and burn and held ash well First and last third medium to strong smoke. Did not find it complex and middle third was slightly ashy Prefer the No 2 if given a choice. Maybe the other one I purchased will develop if left to rest for a while

Date Added: Monday 10 July, 2023 by Conor

Love this cigar and smoke these a lot. 5* great one to try.

Date Added: Sunday 11 December, 2016 by Jason

First JL ever. Not too shabby to look at but not a thing of wonder. The flavours started straight away with the usual cubanesc wood and spice. I want to say I picked on up on some milk chocolate but that would be a smidge fanciful but there was something in th way of pleasant confectionery somewhere towards the end of the first third. So, woody, spicy, choclatey (maybe) but then definite wood and some, not entirely unpleasant, bitterness. This cigar is far from one dimensional! It is definitely not the best at anything but it does have something that soooo many cigars don't achieve; it takes you through a flavour journey that twists and turns, it keeps you thinking. For this alone, I think I'm a fan. I would recommend and buy again. An ageing box would be an interesting project.

Date Added: Friday 03 June, 2016 by Staff

Reviewed by Bill Durkin I recently received a cigar from a friend (Thanks again), that I have never had the experience of trying...a Juan Lopez Seleccion #1. Prior to lighting I admired the cigar, to its "perfect" cap, then its wonderful construction and finally its perfect colour (Colorado Claro); the cigar was very well made to say the least. Next, I clipped the end and took a pre light draw, to see what I was in for. The draw clean and free, and that point I knew I would have no troubles. Upon lighting, the first three or so draws were extremely rough and tannic. At first, giving me a feeling of disappointment and then without notice quickly diminishing. The first part of this cigar was extremely woody, then turning to a sweet woody flavour with a hint of honey. By the second third it transformed yet again to predominately woody flavour with a hint of floral and leather notes (quite minor) and then the final third was semi sweet wood and clean tobacco (which was present throughout but mainly hidden) with a hint of pepper and spice. This cigar was an extremely good cigar; I compared it to a good book. As you know when reading a good book, there are parts or sections where the author has so vividly and descriptively taken you to that place of which he writes and for a moment you lose your place and need to regain your thoughts. This cigar was the same for me, at times (while driving to a business meeting), I too lost my place, I was taken away by it's enjoyable flavour and for a moment, I was peacefully sitting on the beach with the utmost peace and quiet and beauty of my natural surroundings, only to be slapped in the face upon "finding my place," LOL. I however do not know the date of this cigar, yet I still try and test my ability only to be incorrect, but I would say it came from a box dated 2002, no later than the early part of 2003. Which, to my palate would indicate another two years of age will make this cigar a brilliant smoke? I enjoyed the first part of the review. He did a good job describing the cigar and flavors. He had me uninterested in the "book" part of the review. Where he actually was talking about the cigar did make me interested in trying one. Reviewed by: Dan Hanson Score: 5 out of 10 I found the reviewers comments a bit confusing. After proclaiming it perfect, he states it's very well made. To me, if it's perfect, of course it's well made. Also, I did not understand how he knew the cigar would be trouble-free just because the pre-light draw was good. His descriptions seemed very repetitive, "extremely woody, sweet woody flavour, predominantly woody flavour, semi sweet wood." I get it, sweet and woody! Finally, the last two paragraphs of the review seem filled with illogical conclusions and a strange simile of comparing this cigar to a good book. Although I have heard good things about JL's, this review would not sell me on the cigar. Reviewed by: Scotty J Score: 5 out of 10 This was a pretty good review. It started with an effective visual description. The body of the review was more subjective than descriptive, relating the "experience" of the smoke more than straight facts. That's not my favorite kind of review, but it's useful. Reviewed by: Steve S Score: 7/10 OVERALL SCORE: 17/30 Reviewed by Bob Bentley (July 2000) Imagine my surprise when I received the email telling me I was to be one of C.GARS Ltd taste testers. I couldn't wait to find that package sticking out of my mailbox. When it arrived only a few days later, I was like a kid on Christmas opening a gift. Out came three of the nicest looking unbanded cuban sized corona gorda's I've seen in a while. Very little veining, nice construction and firmly rolled. I put them down in my humidor to let them settle from their long journey over the pond. Well, the first one only made it about 3 hours before being sacrificed. Only one semi-visible vein running the length of it. Solid feel all the way down. Pre-light aroma was fantastic. Something about the smell of a cuban cigar excites me. Talk about aromatherapy. I was instantly relaxed, but anxious to give it a try. A clean clip of the cap with my Xikar and I'm off. Hmm, could be trouble. Looks like there might be a runner up one side. First impressions were of an earthy, deep coffee flavor with subtle hints of spice. Very enjoyable. As I make my way through this cigar, the coffee flavor mellows some, and the spiciness becomes more complex. Good, the runner doesn't continue. Burn is pretty even, with a dark, firm ash. Halfway through and the coffee has changed to more of a chocolaty taste, spiciness is still there. Smoked this one down to the nub, nearly burning my fingers in the process. All in all, what I would consider a mild/medium strength cigar, but with loads of flavor. Definitely a keeper. I hope the others hold as much promise. Cigar number two was consumed a couple days later after returning home from work. Upon inspection, I noticed that wrapper by the foot had split in a couple of spots, which I attribute to shipping. It however did not affect the smoking of it. The first third seemed a bit one dimensional. Not much in the way of good flavor. The remaining two-thirds however smoked very much like the first cigar, if maybe a bit milder, exhibiting many of the same flavors. Cigar number three was the best of the bunch. It started off with some fruity notes. That lasted for only a short while then exhibited the same characteristics of cigar number one. The burn was nearly perfect, I didn't need to once relight it. Ash was a medium dark gray and fairly firm. Even though it was kind of mild in strength, the flavors that it had paired well with the Guinness I was drinking. Thanks you very much C.GARS Ltd

Date Added: Thursday 23 October, 2014 by David

One of my favourite smokes. I'm a novice so I don't feel qualified to give an opinion on flavours save to say that this has a distinctive and pleasant cedar wood taste to it. Well made quality cigar.

Date Added: Monday 07 October, 2013 by Andy

Ordered after a recommendation on Facebook as I must say I really enjoyed this cigar. As others have said, the draw is nice and effortless and the smoke thick and creamy. Yes, there isn't as much of a "development" of flavour as you're smoking as perhaps you would find on other cigars but the flavour is consistent right from the first lighting. A sort of chocolatey and slightly earthy flavour with a very subtle spice note. It's a fine looking, fine smoking cigar which still leaves you feeling "functional" after smoking. One I would definitely order again.