La Jugada Habano Review/UG Goodfellas Guest Review

I recently had the honor of being approached by several members of the elite secret cigar charity group the Underground Goodfellas.  The Underground Goodfellas asked me if some of their members could do a few cigar reviews, and spread the word for an up coming cigar auction to raise money for charity.  Here is a little more information written from a Underground Goodfellas member. "The Underground Goodfellas is a secret society of the Underground Cigar Shop & Lounge dedicated... to improving the lives of UG members through random acts of charitable kindness with no expectation of notoriety, repayment or retribution while maintaining an atmosphere of good will, brotherly love and good times for all members including the brethren of the society."

The Auction is on Sunday March 16th at 8:00 pm EST on the Underground Cigar Group on Facebook.

Stats:

Cigar: La Jugada Habano

Size:  6 1/8 x 52

Vitola:  Belicoso

Wrapper: Habano

Binder: Nicaraguan

Filler: Nicaraguan

Factory: La Zona in Esteli, Nicaragua

By: Undergound Goodfellas Member

 

First off, I would like to thank Ryan from 2 Cigar Guys And A Humidor for the opportunity to do a review and to Don Wiggins from the Underground Cigar shop for providing the La Jugada Habano.

 

I don’t usually read reviews because I think every ones palate is diverse and could change based on what you ate, drank or smoked that day. I smoke all types of cigars, because you will never know what cigar you might like until you smoke it. So this is going to be a blue collar review. I am not a professional. I just know what gives me the sense of “damn that’s a good cigar”. I like a complex cigar with a lot of smoke, ornate bands and good construction. The La Jugada Habano has all of them.

 

I headed to the casino to fire this up in peace and irritate all of the cigarette smokers. Upon removing the cellophane, I notice the dull brown Habano wrapper. The seams are well hidden and no veins are apparent. I do like the ornate band. I found the La Jugada to be superior in construction with no soft or hard spots. I did get a little spice from the Habano wrapper on the pre lite draw.

Lighting and the first third:

I toasted the foot with a match, and continued to light. I like a lot of smoke and the La Jugada Habano didn’t disappoint. I filled the surrounding area with a large cloud of wafting smoke. This cigar right off is a creamy spicy pepper bomb. The retro hale was nice and surprisingly didn’t burn as I thought it would, I did pick up some peat and hints of chocolate. The pepper continued through the first third. The ash was like a brick and the cigar burned razor sharp.

The second third:

The cigar still put a good amount of smoke out. It was a consistent medium cigar through the second third. The complexity did change, the pepper transitioned into woody earthy flavor with hints of coffee and chocolate on the retro, which was still nice and didn’t burn my nose. If you cannot retro hale, you should try it, you will pick up many more flavors of your cigar.  The ash held firm until I broke it off as I think to myself; Damn that’s a good cigar.

The final third:

The flavor profile again transformed to a spicy peppery goodness. I never thought the cigar made it to full body, it was a consistent medium to me and creamy to the end. The retro hale still gave hints of coffee and cocoa. The smoke stayed strong, the ash was still amazingly intact and would have lasted from start to finish without a doubt. The burn was still razor sharp. I think to myself damn I wish I had another one.

Final thoughts:

The La Jugada Habano satisfies in every way. The flavor profiles change to challenge the palate; the construction and appearance are superb.  The ash is strong and it produces a good amount of smoke. The burn is razor sharp and never needed to be touched up. The La Jugada series would be a great addition to your humidor if you only smoke the larger name brands. I would put this cigar up against any of them as an alternative. I was going to Krump it but the casino was calling my name, as I set the nub in the ash tray, I think to myself “Damn that was a good cigar”. Finally, my recommendation, in the words of George St-Pierre “Buy it, which your money”.