J.C. Newman La Unica No. 100 Natural – Blind Cigar Review

Cigar Info

Back in the 1980’s, before the cigar boom, J.C. Newman Cigar Company patriarch Stanford J. Newman asked his good friend Carlos Fuente, Sr. to create a premium cigar that was also affordable. The idea was that it would be presented in inexpensive cellophane bundles without costly boxes and trimmings to keep them down in price. Until then, only “seconds” were found in bundles, so this was somewhat of a new idea. The cigar that came out of this idea was the J.C. Newman La Unica.

Carlos picked the vitolas and Standord approved the blends, of which there were two. A Connecticut Shade wrapper and a Connecticut Broadleaf on the maduro version. The rest of the blend uses Cuban seed Dominican long filler tobaccos. Since their original 1986 release, the cigars have evolved into a more premium offering and are now packaged in custom cedar cabinets of 20. The blend remains the same and the price remains competitive. La Unica comes in 6 sizes: No. 100 8 1/2″ x 52, No. 200 7″ x 49, No. 300 6 7/10″ x 44, No. 600 6″ x 50, No. 500 5 1/2″ x 42, and No. 400 4 1/2″ x 50.

Vital Stats:

Vitola: Presidente
Length: 8 1/2″
Ring Gauge: 52
Country of Origin: Dominican Republic
Wrapper: Connecticut Shade
Binder: Dominican Republic
Filler: Dominican Republic
Factory: Tabacalera A. Fuente y Cia
Blender: Carlos Fuente Sr.
Number of reviewers: 5 – Sean F. (fullermaine) Randy B. (randobush) Angel M. (Angel) Chris M. (Chris) Noah S. (Noah)
Price: $8.70
Age: 4 Months
Release Date: 1986
Contributed by: J.C. Newman

Initial Impressions – J.C. Newman La Unica No. 100 Natural

Appearance: 89

“Very light hay-colored wrapper. The wrapper at the foot has come apart a tad bit, and there are a few blemishes. This is a very large stick measuring almost 8 1/2 inches in length. It appears to have a decent sized double cap and small visible veins, along with large visible seems.” –Angel M. (Angel)

Aroma: 90

“Very subtle and natural notes of leather emanate from the wrapper while the foot provides a ton of cedar and floral notes that are much more pronounced.” –Noah S. (Noah)

First Third

Flavor: 93
Strength: Mild-Medium
Body/Complexity: Light-Medium

“The first third of the cigar is starting off very mild in strength and body. As for flavors, those are also very light with mild notes of vanilla, cedar and a tad bit of leather, followed by an ever so mild amount of white pepper on the tongue accompanied by a fairly creamy smoke texture.” –Angel M. (Angel)

“The cigar itself has several soft spots within its 8.5” frame, however after first light, it seems to be smoking like a champ. Good flavors and a nice draw right off the bat. Smooth buttery retrohale, compliments the toffee, graham cracker, dry toast, savory baking spice, and smoked paprika. Full and satisfying mouthfuls of smoke. The finish is medium to long, with salt and oak being the final flavor sitting on the palate until the next draw. Burn is slightly wonky, but not horrible.” –Randy B. (randobush)

Second Third

Flavor: 93
Strength: Medium
Body/Complexity: Medium

“The flavors present entering the second third are almost that of a completely different cigar. Charred oak is long gone and thankfully so is the tannin-rich finish. Dried fruits, a nice mix of cherry and apricot are most noticeable upfront. The finish gives way to supremely nutty flavors, very similar to a rich, buttery, creamy cashew accompanied by subtleties of mocha with its delightful mix of coffee and chocolate. The lingering mouthfeel is now creamy with a certain saltiness that lingers on the lips. White pepper continues to dominate the retro that has tamed down a bit but is still plenty interesting and enjoyable. Mocha also peeks through on the retro from time to time adding to its complexity.” –Noah S. (Noah)

“Creamy nuttiness and vanilla cake up top to start this third. Alfalfa and the pepper mix follow. The pepper mix is currently giving the smoke a bit of a dry quality. Light wood and coffee make up the background at this point. Around the midpoint, the wood creeps up, almost a birch/oak mix. The spice from the pepper mix picks up nearing the final third.” –Chris M. (Chris)

Final Third

Flavor: 92
Strength: Medium
Body/Complexity: Medium

“Mixture of notes with each puff. Notes of anise, leather, and cinnamon.” –Sean F. (fullermaine)

“Another third and another round of flavors that are quite different than what has come before. Generally speaking, the flavors have become quite a bit more homogenized and muddled, no longer sweet but rather bitter with a lingering spice. Mineral-rich earth and white pepper dominate upfront while charred oak returns with the tannin latent finish although the finish is nowhere near as dry as it was with the initial puffs. The retro seems to be the only constant of this smoke as it finishes right where it started with a lingering white pepper spice that continues to tingle the nostrils, by far the most interesting part of the final third.” –Noah S. (Noah)

Overall Impressions – J.C. Newman La Unica No. 100 Natural

Draw: 90

“Given the length of this stick, the draw is spot-on perfect! The cold draw yields copious amounts of floral notes.” –Noah S. (Noah)

Burn: 93

“Slightly wonky burn in the first third, however, it worked itself out and was relatively razor-sharp the remainder of the cigar.” –Randy B. (randobush)

Construction: 86

“In regards to construction, the cigar was put together fairly decently. It appears the wrapper is a little more on the thin side, making for a brittle foot and the cigar felt a bit spongy. However, to my surprise the ash would hold on fairly tightly through each third, and never fell off on its own.” –Angel M. (Angel)

Overall Strength: Medium
Overall Body/Complexity: Medium
Experience Overall: 92

“Not an enjoyable cigar from beginning to end. Very veiny and bumpy along with the dents and cracking. Hit and miss draw. Gritty in spots. Burn needs multiple touch ups. The ash either forked or curved. In some instances, both. The overall notes are okay. Notes of cedar, leather, oak, licorice, black pepper, and anise. Not a cigar I’d seek out and smoke.” –Sean F. (fullermaine)

“From the initial light through the first third, the cigar surprised me with some nice mellow flavors in its complexity. The Retrohale was immediately noticeable as smooth and flavorful, as was the smoke output, equally satisfying. Ash fell at 2.5” in with a wonky burn. Going into the second third, it’s clear that this is a respectable morning cigar with coffee smoke, but it can hold its own after a hearty Mexican burrito (trust me here) The retrohale makes this cigar for me. It’s easy on the sinuses, while delightfully adding to the bouquet of transitioning flavors. The wonky burn corrected itself in the second third. The final third begins with a pleasant cedar, citrus zest, baking spice, with a hint of caramel and paprika. Overall, I find myself enjoying the cigar, and would smoke it again. With this cigar being number 1408, I expected some paranormal activity, nothing bizarre detected though.” –Randy B. (randobush)

“I have to admit, this cigar turned out much better than I thought it was going to, never judge a book by its cover. The other surprising was the time it took to smoke coming in at about an 80 minutes, considering the length of the cigar it smoked fairly quickly, probably due to the wide-open draw. The flavors, although nothing spectacular were balanced very well. The vanilla, cedar, leather and mild white pepper, all married very well together, and the addition of cashew in the final third made for a great finish. I would definitely suggest the cigar to people who appreciate a more mild and delicately flavored cigar. It would pair well with just about any white wine or light beer.” –Angel M. (Angel)

“Though the flavors were simple, they were quite good, and very well balanced until the end. There were enough transitions that it never got tedious to smoke. The only real drawback was how thin the wrapper is. A few issues popped up due to it cracking or splitting due to veins in the binder. I would still smoke one again, but this is one I’d probably pick up to smoke at the B&M as opposed to picking up to add to my stash due to the fragility of the wrapper.” –Chris M. (Chris)

“I think what I liked most about this cigar is that it serves as a reminder of how enriching the blind review process can be. Preconceived notions influence so many decisions and I find it to be a breath of fresh air when I get to experience something that I never would have chosen for myself in a completely subjective manner. I never would have picked a cigar of this length to smoke. Not only do I think that it looks silly, such a lengthy cigar never feels comfortable in the hand. Although the overall experience wasn’t my favorite, it was far from awful and there were a handful of things that I truly liked about this cigar. In addition to a stellar draw and burn, the number of transitions that took place made it seem as though a different cigar was being smoked with every third making for a truly unique smoking experience. With regards to flavor, this cigar really shined the most throughout the latter part of the first third all the way through the second. Not only were the flavors balanced, complex and enjoyable but the smoke was buttery smooth. Had the initial puffs and final third been a little less harsh and more inline with my palate it certainly would have been given higher remarks. Although I wouldn’t seek out this particular vitola, I am interested for the reveal as I would certainly give this blend another shot assuming it is offered in a different size.” –Noah S. (Noah)

Smoking Time (in minutes): 79

To view the complete scores and notes, click here.

J.C. Newman La Unica No. 100 Natural – Blind Cigar Review