Cigar Info
Jake Wyatt Cigar Co. came out with the Jake Wyatt Lithium line in 2020. It was a limited edition and only one size, a 6 x 50 toro with pigtail cap and closed foot. Earlier this year, the company added three new sizes, a Robusto 5 x 50 (MSRP $10.80), Corona 5.5 x 44 (MSRP $10.60), and Belicoso with a 109 head (MSRP $10.90). The name comes from the drug used to treat many psychiatric issues, and the company is hoping that this cigar will provide a calming effect.
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.
The blend for Lithium is composed of an Ecuadorian habano wrapper, and Dominican binder and fillers. The cigars originally only came in 10-count paper bundles, but all will now come in boxes of 22. This review is from that original release of bundles. Owner, Neil Garcia, also said in a press release that he is working on a Lancero vitola but not date when that will come out. Unlike many other Jake Wyatt releases, the Lithium does not have any extra flourishes or embellishments of another tobacco leaf. It is rolled at their factory, Tabacalera JVM in the Dominican Republic.
Vital Stats:
Vitola: Toro
Length: 6″
Ring Gauge: 50
Country of Origin: Dominican Republic
Wrapper: Ecuadorian Habano
Binder: Dominican Republic
Filler: Dominican Republic
Factory: Tabacalera JVM
Blender: Neil Garcia
Number of reviewers: 4 – Sean F. (fullermaine) Matt Cade (CadeTNCC) Allison T. (The Yoga Ash) Vance T. (Vance)
Price: $11.00
Age: 4 Months
Release Date: November 2020
Contributed by: Jake Wyatt Cigars
Initial Impressions – Jake Wyatt Lithium Toro
Appearance: 93
“This tight closed foot toro with a folded over tight pigtail reminds me of Reese’s peanut butter cup in color with a slight toothiness.” –Allison T. (The Yoga Ash)
Aroma: 88
“As there is no open foot to smell, what I can get from the wrapper is is fresh fall leaves, roses with a mixture of black & green tea leaves.” –Allison T. (The Yoga Ash)
First Third
Flavor: 90
Strength: Medium
Body/Complexity: Medium
“Cold draw feels nice. A bit snug, likely from the closed foot. Nice notes of hay and wheat cereal. As expected the draw loosens up as soon as the wrapped foot burns off, and I’m met with a tantalizing mix of butter cream, black pepper and oak. There’s also a faint tartness, like lemon peel, that comes and goes. An inch into it and the burn and draw are solid.” –Vance T. (Vance)
“Due to the closed foot of the cigar, there is nothing flavor-wise detected on the cold draw (obviously). The twisted cap breaks off fairly easily and leaves a large enough opening that I decide to forego cutting the cap for now. Upon torching the foot, there’s a medium strength black pepper present through the nose and a prominent leather note via the draw. The draw is a bit tight so I move forward with cutting the cap. The draw remains a bit tighter than I prefer but I march forward. Around the one inch mark, a light coffee note joins the pepper on the retrohale and a touch of mineral begins to make itself known on both the retro and the draw.” –Matt Cade (CadeTNCC)
Second Third
Flavor: 89
Strength: Medium
Body/Complexity: Medium
“Transition into the second third finds the profile holding strong with butter cream, white oak and black pepper on the retro. Not much change but smoking well and balanced. Sweetness picks up at the midway point with notes of brown sugar. The construction is solid on this. Nice tight ashes with a perfect draw.” –Vance T. (Vance)
“The bourbon and oak notes don’t go away. A nice combo during this portion of the cigar.” –Sean F. (fullermaine)
Final Third
Flavor: 91
Strength: Medium
Body/Complexity: Medium
“While this isn’t a complex cigar by any means, the consistent notes of leather, mineral, and just a touch of light coffee continue to provide a pleasant smoking experience here in the final third. Towards the finish line, a slight sense of cream enters the overall profile and it’s a pleasant surprise for a cigar that doesn’t feature too many surprises. Construction, especially the increased smoke production and straight burn line, is very good in this last portion of the cigar.” –Matt Cade (CadeTNCC)
“A lot of notes coming through with each puff. Notes of maple, cinnamon, licorice, and peanut. A very interesting combo.” –Sean F. (fullermaine)
Overall Impressions – Jake Wyatt Lithium Toro
Draw: 93
“The draw was unfortunately very tight in the first third but it opened up to an acceptable level of airflow before the halfway mark.” –Matt Cade (CadeTNCC)
Burn: 96
“Minor touch up due to reviewer error, but a nice even burn with a dark grey ash.” –Sean F. (fullermaine)
Construction: 90
“Other than the tight draw in the first third, the cigar featured satisfactory construction in all other categories. Smoke production was particularly impressive.” –Matt Cade (CadeTNCC)
Overall Strength: Medium
Overall Body/Complexity: Medium
Experience Overall: 92
“The oak and bourbon notes pair well with the sweet and spiciness of this cigar. Nice touch of peanut at the end makes this a well rounded cigar. A cigar I’d smoke on an occasion.” –Sean F. (fullermaine)
“While this cigar wasn’t great by any means, it wasn’t bad by my definition of the word either. While a tight draw was not the first impression I was hoping for when lighting up, once that situation was resolved itself the cigar delivered a consistent profile of simple but enjoyable flavors that worked well together. It’s a good cigar and, this time around, good was enough… ” –Matt Cade (CadeTNCC)
“Tightly wrapped, overfilled, bad burn, dark gray ash, bitter and menthol notes would be the cliff notes.” –Allison T. (The Yoga Ash)
“It was a great smoke without “a lot going on”. There weren’t any mind bending flavors or significant transitions but the cigar smoked beautifully and the butter cream note throughout was pleasant and well balanced with pepper and occasional tartness.” –Vance T. (Vance)
Smoking Time (in minutes): 82
Reviewer | Appear. | Aroma | 1/3 | 2/3 | 3/3 | Draw | Burn | Constr. | Overall Experience |
Sean F. | 88 | 92 | 90 | 90 | 90 | 100 | 100 | 88 | 95 |
Matt Cade | 92 | 88 | 88 | 88 | 90 | 85 | 93 | 88 | 88 |
Allison T. | 92 | 90 | 75 | 70 | 70 | 70 | 70 | 70 | 70 |
Vance T. | 92 | 88 | 92 | 90 | 92 | 95 | 95 | 95 | 92 |
To view the complete scores and notes, click here.