Jameson La Resolución Toro (Prerelease)

In July 2012, just a few weeks before the IPCPR Convention and Trade Show, Jameson Cigar Co. announced that they would be adding a new single-vitola line to their portfolio named La Resolución. The cigar’s name comes from a Cuban brand that existed in the mid-1800s but that not much else was known about, other than it used tobacco from the Vuelta Abajo region of Pinar del Río in Cuba and was the creation of a man named J. Pablo Valdes of Habana. Jameson’s Brad Mayo came across the name when he saw an old box label that had been posted in the National Cigar Museum.

I reviewed that cigar in September 2012 just before it began shipping to retailers. Just a few months later, it became known that there would be another vitola added to the line.

On December 11, Mayo announced via Jameson’s Tumblr page that he would be producing a very limited run of a new size for La Resolución, a 6 x 52 Toro. Mayo told me that the 6 x 52 vitola is a test run for a new size of La Resolución, noting, “the blend performs well in that vitola and it happens to be a popular size for us.”

The cigar isn’t being made available to retailers yet, as Mayo only had a few hundred made and is keeping them under wraps at the company’s headquarters in Huntington, W. Va. At last check, there wasn’t a timetable to produce more of them, as Mayo wanted to thoroughly try out the La Resolución blend before offering it for sale. While the Jameson La Resolución is a regular production cigar in the Robusto size, it hadn’t been decided whether the Toro would join it as a staple offering in the Jameson catalog.

• Cigar Reviewed: Jameson La Resolución Toro (Prerelease)
• Country of Origin: Dominican Republic
• Factory: La Tradicion Cubana
• Wrapper: Dominican Republic
• Binder: Dominican Republic Habano
• Filler: American Broadleaf, Dominican Republic & Nicaragua
• Size: 6 Inches
• Ring Gauge: 52
• Vitola: Toro
• Est. Price: $8.00
• Release Date: n/a
• Number of Cigars Released: n/a
• Number of Cigars Smoked For Review: 2

*As these are not for sale yet, the price has not been set and is an approximation from Brad Mayo of Jameson Cigar Co.

The Jameson La Resolución Toro is firm throughout its length with the slightest exception at the foot, and has a fairly uniform earthy brown with just slight variation in color from top to bottom, lots of texture and a bit of toothiness. The pre-light aroma is for the most part dry with notes of whole wheat toast and a bit of spice, but lingering in the background is that same saucy note I recall so vividly from the Robusto – almost like Worcestershire or something with notes of mesquite in it. The cold draw is easy and shows that same saucy flavor, though not quite as pungently as what the nose picks up. It’s a bit sweet with some wood and faint chili pepper notes.

A good amount of smoke comes off the La Resolución Toro as it leads off the first third with a wood-laden and slightly peppery mouthful of flavor. A sweet tea note starts to develop in the ambient smoke fairly quickly, adding a very pleasant new dimension to the cigar. By the time the burn line gets about a half an inch in, a chalky note starts to develop on the palate and gives the La Resolución a bit more of a soil note and a sense of terroir.

The second third of the Jameson La Resolución Toro starts with the chalky and slightly mineral note from the first third carrying over and begins a flavor that almost identically repeats what I found in the Robusto size: what was rich and saucy has become almost dry and bristly, at least to start. The smoke in this middle segment does seem smoother and even a bit creamier than I recall from the Robusto – whether it’s the slightly bigger ring gauge or just some added rest to further mellow out the leaves, it’s working. Just past the middle point, a very Cubanesque note starts to come out, and while it stops short of full bore twang—it does come pretty darn close.

Entering the final third of the Jameson La Resolución Toro, the flavor starts to become a bit deeper and richer about an inch shy of the band with notes of medium-roast coffee coming out along with a heartier note of earth and a spice note that is becoming more along the lines of black pepper and really tingles the nose. There is also the chili/spice/pepper note that I recall from the original La Resolución release, which I described as “unfamiliar, but very enjoyable” and equated to trying a different culture’s cuisine for the first time. The final inches add a solid leather note as the smoke production picks way up and the draw loosens just a bit for the home stretch.

Final Notes

• Sadly there’s no way to capture the entire La Resoulción band while it’s on the cigar in one photo as the printing goes edge to edge. Here’s a photo of it laid out:
  
• I’m still not sold on the font used for the “La” part of the name. Everything else on the band is a winner.
• The more I think about it, the more I really enjoy the flavor progression of the Jameson La Resolución. While it follows the fairly typical pattern of a big start into a slight lull with a big finish, it was executed very well.
• Technical performance was very good in both cigars smoked.
• In late November 2012, Mayo announced the launch of 898Outfitters.com, an online store selling Jameson-branded t-shirts and other cigar-related accessories.
• Final production numbers haven’t been set for the La Resolución Toro. The batch that these came out of was numbered at “several hundred.”
• Likewise, packaging and box counts haven’t been decided. The La Resolución Robusto was packed in 20–count boxes.
• This cigar reminded me what a great site the National Cigar Museum is if you want to dive into the history of cigar brands that aren’t around anymore.
• Besides the La Resolución, Jameson Cigar Co. also released a parejo version of their Santos de Miami line, a 6 x 54 Toro Extra called Haven at IPCPR 2012. Charlie reviewed it here, while Steve Valle reviewed the original box-pressed version here.
• The cigars for this review were provided by Brad Mayo of Jameson Cigar Co.
• Final smoking time is about two hours and 20 minutes.