Cigar Info
In September of 2022, JR Cigar announced a new exclusive luxury cigar: JR Pure Origin: Gran Vulcano. JR Cigar is has established itself as a go-to for budget focused lines like JR Alternatives and JR Ultimate, and has not released many premium cigars under its own name, until recently.
This cigar was reviewed blind (no bands) by a panel of at least 4 reviewers. They did not know what they were smoking beforehand. The scores are an average of all the reviewers' scores with outliers removed. All of our cigars reviewed are shipped to the panelists with Boveda packs to ensure optimal smoking experience.
For this project, JR collaborated with industry legends Rafael Nodal and Nestor Plasencia for the blend. The blend uses a Habano wrapper from the Jalapa valley, aged Ometepe Habano tobacco for the filler and binder, and some additional fillers from Jalapa.
JR Pure Origin: Gran Vulcano gets its name from the use of tobaccos from the volcanic island of Ometepe in Nicaragua. Because of the ash from two active volcanoes, Ometepe has dark and nutrient rich soil. Cultivated under extreme conditions, the tobaccos create bold, complex and distinctive flavors.
JR Pure Origin: Gran Vulcano cigars come in 10-count boxes, all made from 100% recycled, sustainable materials. It comes in three vitolas: Robusto5 x 50 ($120 per box, $12 per single), Toro 6 x 50 ($130 per box, $13 per single), and Toro Grande 6 x 56 ($140 per box, $14 per single). This cigar is available exclusively at www.jrcigars.com.
Vital Stats:
Vitola: Toro
Length: 6″
Ring Gauge: 50
Country of Origin: Nicaragua
Wrapper: Nicaragua
Binder: Nicaragua
Filler: Nicaragua
Factory: Plasencia Cigars S.A.
Blender: Rafael Nodal, Nestor Plasencia
Number of reviewers: 5 – John A. (Bostoneo) Jason H. (Jokey Smurf) Mickey T. (irratebass) Doug S. (Unpossible_1) Alan (Eulogy)
Price: $13.00
Age: 4 Months
Release Date: September 2022
Contributed by: JR Cigars
Initial Impressions – JR Pure Origin Gran Vulcano Toro
Appearance: 91
“A really beautiful looking stick here. Medium dark brown in color like Root Beer that has a nice oily sheen to it. The wrapper is a bit toothy, but nothing extreme….It does seem to be well packed. ” –Mickey T. (irratebass)
Aroma: 91
“It’s amazing how a cigar’s visual appeal is reminiscent of something sweet as chocolate but the aroma ends up being a complete 180 with nose-tingling notes of barnyard, leather, and oak. ” –Doug S. (Unpossible_1)
First Third
Flavor: 93
Strength: Medium
Body/Complexity: Medium
“A mixture of nuts ( like a variety pack you would see around the holiday seasons) and wood on the cold draw. This cigar is starting out with a mild to medium strength profile. I am picking up salt and tea notes. The aromatics give me a popcorn aroma. This cigar has a nice open draw with plenty of smoke which is a plus in my book. It’s a nice start so far. “-Mickey T. (irratebass)
“After cutting and lighting I was greeted with a huge cloud of smoke…like an amazing amount. Not only was the smoke thick but it was also rich and oily, with tons of flavor including creamy almonds and nougat. The strength is definitely light at this point but the flavor is jumping and really nice. Through the nose, the smoke is sharp but pleasant and is a nice contrast to the creamy profile.” –Jason H. (Jokey Smurf)
Second Third
Flavor: 91
Strength: Medium
Body/Complexity: Medium
“The level of spice and red pepper has toned down a little bit but that may be due to how overwhelmed my palate has become. I getting more cedar and a touch more sweetness this third. ” –Alan (Eulogy)
“About halfway through the cigar, I lose the citrus but gain some dark cocoa. Between this and the delicate profile of almonds, I’m reminded of those addictive almonds that have the dark chocolate dusting that is such a delight! This combination really overshadows the white pepper to the point where I can barely detect much of it at all.” –Doug S. (Unpossible_1)
Final Third
Flavor: 90
Strength: Medium
Body/Complexity: Medium
“The last third begins with a smooth profile of predominately earthy leather with a touch of pepper, medium-bodied tobacco with a slightly sweet finish. Sweetness and pepper notes compound on top of each other never becoming overwhelming but more and more savory through until the end. ” –John A. (Bostoneo)
“As the cigar heads into its final destination I am getting more salt and some salsa-type flavors….that’s a new one for me. This cigar stayed the course by letting out some more wood and sweet notes all the way to the nub. ” –Mickey T. (irratebass)
Overall Impressions – JR Pure Origin Gran Vulcano Toro
Draw: 94
“Great amount of resistance and awesome smoke production. Nothing to complain about. ” –Alan (Eulogy)
Burn: 93
“This sample required only one brief touch-up to keep it basically razor sharp. Additionally, the rate of burn allowed me to squeeze out tons of flavor!” –Jason H. (Jokey Smurf)
Construction: 95
“Very good construction on this one. It burned cool until the very end when it was too hot to hold. I did get about an inch and a half of ash with each tap, and the ash fell off in one big chunk. ” –Mickey T. (irratebass)
Overall Strength: Medium
Overall Body/Complexity: Medium
Experience Overall: 91
“Overall, a wonderful medium-bodied smoking cigar. Flavor… check… construction, burn, and draw… check check check… this was a wonderfully consistent cigar that did not stray in any way. Now I am fairly picky anymore with what a good cigar is… this was a solid smoke for just about anyone who would want to settle into a nice warm fire during a cold season. Sit back and relax as this cigar takes you on a relaxing journey to flavor town.” –John A. (Bostoneo)
“I really enjoyed the profile in the first two-thirds. There is something about a cigar with a nougat profile that just hits me the right way. The finish was not stellar for me but still wasn’t bad. I would gladly smoke this again and feel it’s a good cigar to recommend to others.” –Jason H. (Jokey Smurf)
“This was a very good cigar. It stayed in my wheelhouse in the mild to medium strength. This cigar gave me some interesting flavor notes that I appreciated with a mixture of nuts, cedar and other wood notes, root beer (?), salt, and even a salsa note at one point as well as some popcorn aromas on the aromatics. Very enjoyable cigar for the 2 plus hours that I smoked this. I highly recommend picking up a fiver at least. I know I will be picking up more once I know what this is. ” –Mickey T. (irratebass)
“Everything really came together for me with this cigar. Sweet notes of dark chocolate and almonds, and the gentle bite of citrus and white pepper, it gave me a wonderful experience. In the end, the subtlety truly felt like a nightcap in how perfectly ready for bed I was. ” –Doug S. (Unpossible_1)
“This is a very strong cigar and I wouldn’t recommend it as a first cigar of the day or having it on an empty stomach. There is an almost overwhelming amount of red pepper that never lets up and ends up frying a palate by the end. If you like big, bold, and powerful cigars it would be a real winner. ” –Alan (Eulogy)
Smoking Time (in minutes): 105
| Reviewer | Appear. | Aroma | 1/3 | 2/3 | 3/3 | Draw | Burn | Constr. | Overall Experience |
| John A. | 92 | 92 | 92 | 92 | 92 | 100 | 88 | 97 | 92 |
| Jason H. | 90 | 92 | 92 | 90 | 88 | 95 | 95 | 95 | 90 |
| Mickey T. | 90 | 90 | 90 | 90 | 90 | 95 | 88 | 90 | 90 |
| Doug S. | 90 | 90 | 92 | 92 | 90 | 93 | 97 | 95 | 95 |
| Alan | 92 | 90 | 92 | 90 | 90 | 95 | 95 | 93 | 90 |
To view the complete scores and notes, click here.