Pre-light Experience

The wrapper on the Jas Sum Kral Stateline is a marbled dark brown and the lightly raised veins carry a slightly darker color which creates a bit of a turtle shell effect. The seams are slightly raised in some areas while the head is finished off with a well applied triple cap. There are two bands, with the primary being the standard Red Knight design and the secondary strip band being blue and designating the shop and year of release. The aroma from the wrapper is a mix of light damp wood and stone fruit sweetness. The foot brings a mix of wood, earth and tobacco sweetness. The pre-light draw is light cedar with a bit of a floral note.

First Third

The cigar begins with wood, baking spice and a light floral note. At a half inch in, a bit of chalkiness joins in. At an inch in, the wood is up front while the baking spice, floral note and chalkiness are all light in the background. The retrohale consists of wood, mustiness and light chalkiness. As the third comes to a close, a mix of chalkiness and mustiness is right behind the wood while the baking spice and floral note are in the background. The strength in this third was slightly above medium.

Second Third

As the second third begins, the baking spice picks up and is even with the musty chalkiness right behind the wood. At an inch in, the wood and baking spice are even while the musty chalkiness is now in the background with a faint floral note remaining. The retrohale remains wood and musty chalkiness. As the third comes to a close, the wood, baking spice and musty chalkiness are all even as the floral note is still light in the background. The strength in this third remained at slightly above medium.

Final Third

As the final third begins, the wood and baking spice are up front with the musty chalkiness a bit behind. The floral note has departed from the profile. The retrohale is now musty wood with baking spice right behind. At three quarters of an inch in, the wood gains some char. The cigar wraps up with musty and charred wood with baking spice right behind and light chalkiness. The strength in this third bumped up to medium-full.

Burn

The burn was a bit wavy throughout and near the halfway point the cigar went out twice in rapid succession, requiring re-lights. The ash held on in inch and three quarter increments.

Draw

The draw was slightly tighter than I prefer, but didn’t cause any issues with the smoking experience.

Overall

The Jas Sum Kral Stateline had a nice combination of flavors through the first two thirds and then dropped to average in the final third when char joined in. Chalkiness can sometimes be a bit off-putting in a cigar, but in this scenario, it added some nice body to the profile. To me, most store exclusives tend to be a bit of a letdown, but in this instance, I felt the cigar was a nice surprise. There was a nice balance between flavor and strength which is always appreciated. I’d recommend people seek this out and give it a try.

Aaron Loomis

SCORE

6.37

Cost/Point

$1.57

Scoring System

Personal Cigar Review: Jas Sum Kral Stateline