Protocol John Doe 3.0 – Blind Cigar Review

Cigar Info

Near the end of 2021, Protocol Cigars announced the third installment in their John Doe Series: John Doe 3.0. John Doe is the name given to unidentified males by police and medical workers until identification can be made at a later time. John Doe 3.0 is a robusto that measures 5 x 52 and comes paper bundles of 10 cigars. Each bundle sells for $95.00. The band is just plain white paper with black printing that says John Doe 3.0. We previously reviewed the cigars sister counterpart, Jane Doe 3.0 here and gave it a 91.

For the blend, like an unidentified male, the wrapper, binder, and filler are undisclosed. The only available information is the “birthplace,” which is the La Zona Factory in Estelí, Nicaragua. Only 200 bundles were made, and will never be sold again. This release was done exclusively through Omertà Cigar Company at their in-store event and Puro Cigar House for online sales.

Vital Stats:

Vitola: Robusto
Length: 5″
Ring Gauge: 52
Country of Origin: Nicaragua
Wrapper: Undisclosed
Binder: Undisclosed
Filler: Undisclosed
Factory: La Zona
Blender: Juan Cancel, Hector Alfonso Sr.
Number of reviewers: 5 – Ryan H. (Ryan H.) Quinn (quinnpins269) Joseph S. (Bearded Bastard) Jai P. (Jai) Isaac M. (The Nothing)
Price: $9.50
Age: 1 Year
Release Date: November 2021
Contributed by: Protocol Cigars

Initial Impressions – Protocol John Doe 3.0

Appearance: 88

“5 x 50 triple cap, medium brown wrapper with some tooth and a little more than moderately veined. The bunch is very uniformly firm throughout.” –Ryan H. (Ryan H.)

Aroma: 88

“Aroma was leather and barnyard affair and reminded me of an old Western movie saloon. Just leather and dust and old wood.” –Isaac M. (The Nothing)

First Third

Flavor: 90
Strength: Medium
Body/Complexity: Medium

“Leather, black pepper, mineral.” –Joseph S. (Bearded Bastard)

“It came out swinging hard with a fair amount of black pepper. It was going to be a long smoke if that kept up. After a handful of puffs a wonderful coco profile was able to subdue the heavy black pepper and made for a pleasant transition into the second third.” –Quinn (quinnpins269)

Second Third

Flavor: 89
Strength: Medium
Body/Complexity: Medium

“The second third brought on wheat and rye grains and a fair bit of graham cracker. I also picked up on some flavors that reminded me of dry, fallen autumn leaves.” –Isaac M. (The Nothing)

“Black pepper and silky earth notes.” –Jai P. (Jai)

Final Third

Flavor: 88
Strength: Medium-Strong
Body/Complexity: Medium-Full

“Chocolate does reappear but sporadically for a draw then absent for a couple of draws then returns again. Pepper and smokey wood are there all the time and dominate the profile spice are only through the nose and a nice acceptable amount.” –Ryan H. (Ryan H.)

“The end of the cigar brought on a much better coffee flavor than earlier. There was also a whole-grain toast taste. The body was much thicker and quite an excellent way to finish the experience.
“-Isaac M. (The Nothing)

Overall Impressions – Protocol John Doe 3.0

Draw: 91

“The cigar might have been a tad loose on the draw, but it wasn’t worrisome.” –Isaac M. (The Nothing)

Burn: 89

“The burn was nice and consistent. The cigar didn’t seem to smoke too quickly.” –Quinn (quinnpins269)

Construction: 89

“I could find no problems with the construction of this cigar.” –Isaac M. (The Nothing)

Overall Strength: Medium
Overall Body/Complexity: Medium
Experience Overall: 88

“The draw was acceptable and remained so for the duration of the experience. The burn was only fair needing multi touch ups and a little extra attention. I would smoke again as it was an enjoyable cigar.” –Ryan H. (Ryan H.)

“Would I reach for this again? Yes. The strength and the profile were there for this to be a great later-in-the-day smoke. The final third of bitterness could have been the after-effect of the tunneling in the second third. I am always willing to give a cigar a second chance.” –Quinn (quinnpins269)

“The flavors were good, but the peeling wrapper and burn issues took away from the experience ” –Joseph S. (Bearded Bastard)

“A good tasting cigar that had a very tight draw and questionable construction.” –Jai P. (Jai)

“In the end, this was quite enjoyable. They were great flavor transitions and it was a cohesive mix. There are plenty of flavors to be found, and I appreciated how the body progressed throughout the cigar. I can see some people smoking this too fast and missing some of that but otherwise, it’s a good cigar.” –Isaac M. (The Nothing)

Smoking Time (in minutes): 79

To view the complete scores and notes, click here.

Protocol John Doe 3.0 – Blind Cigar Review