Pre-light Experience

Aaron: The oval pressed Jaime Garcia Reserva Especial Sucesor Limited Edition 2024 Torpedo has a wrapper that is light brown with some darker marbling along with some lightly raised veins. The seams are exceptionally smooth and the tapered head is well finished. There are two bands, with the primary being the traditional design for the brand. The secondary band is gold, blue, red and creamy white and denotes the line. The aroma from the wrapper is a mix of cedar and hay while the foot brings bread, cedar and some crushed red pepper spice. The pre-light draw brings stone fruit sweetness, cedar and a bit of anise along with a light spiciness on my lips.
Seth: The Jaime Garcia Reserva Especial Sucesor Limited Edition 2024 Torpedo is a nice looking cigar. Been a while since I have smoked a pressed belicoso/torpedo. Firm in hand, the cigar is finished with an oily wrapper. Small to medium sized veins throughout. Natural to Colorado coloring. Rich aromas of spices, leather, earth and tobacco.
John: The Jaime Garcia Reserva Especial Sucesor Limited Edition 2024 Torpedo came in cellophane but did not have a UPC sticker, and did have a QR code sticker which I assume is from the retailer. The cigar has a primary Jaime Garcia band, a Successor secondary band, and has a soft box press shape to it. I weighed the cigar at 16.9 grams and measured the humidity to 61.5% with the HumidiMeter Pro. Aromas from the wrapper included sweet tobacco and bread, specifically a sourdough. From the foot, I was picking up sweet tobacco and musty wood.
Jiunn: The Jaime Garcia Reserva Especial Sucesor Limited Edition 2024 Torpedo has a Colorado wrapper shade. The wrapper looks and feels of good quality, providing a nice, natural, oily sheen. Veins are well pressed, seams tight, bunch and roll even and the torpedo head is well pointed. Pre-light aromas consist of jerky, cedar and a hint of salted crackers.

Jaime Garcia Reserva Especial Sucesor Limited Edition 2024 Torpedo

First Third

Aaron: The cigar begins with toasted cedar, earth and vibrant black pepper. At a half inch in, the black pepper is showing an extremely long finish. The retrohale is toasted cedar, earth and mild black pepper. At an inch and a quarter in, the black pepper mellows a bit. At an inch and a half in, the toast level increases a bit and the earth becomes a bit dusty and dry. As the third comes to a close, the toasted cedar is just ahead of the dry, dusty earth, with the black pepper a bit further behind. The strength was right at medium.
Seth: The first third opens up with warm spices, leather and earth. There are some tobacco, coffee and mineral notes present as well. Not overly complex, and somewhat dry. Medium-full in strength and body.
John: The first third begins with bread and wood followed by medium-plus strength spices that linger into the post draw. Medium strength dry wood comes into the post draw after a few puffs. That wood has a toasted quality to it. Light-plus dark chocolate moves into the retrohale as it continues. The spices calm down to light-plus approaching the 20 minute mark. By the halfway point, there is a toasted earth and wood combination through the finish.
Jiunn: The first third is rich in flavors. There’s an unapologetic dried red pepper spice, but this is a good thing, as there is creamy coffee and natural and sweet roasted nuts to match the spice. The spice also brings an oily mouthfeel, which is always a big plus in my book. Retrohaling is mainly about that ripping spice though. The finish is medium with lasting cedar. Strength and body is medium.

Jaime Garcia Reserva Especial Sucesor Limited Edition 2024 Torpedo

Second Third

Aaron: As the second third begins, the black pepper mellows a bit more. At a half inch in, the black pepper picks back up a bit. The retrohale remains toasted cedar, earth and mild black pepper. At an inch and a quarter in, the black pepper becomes a bit dull. At an inch and a half in, the earth becomes even with the toasted cedar up front. As the third comes to a close, the toasted cedar and dusty, dry earth are even up front, with the dull black pepper a bit behind. The strength remained at medium.
Seth: The second third is in line with the first. Warm spices, leather, earth and tobacco. Coffee and mineral notes present as well. Still on the dryer spectrum and smoking at that medium-full level for strength and body.
John: I’m greeted by bread here with medium strength spices to follow and finish, as wood joins on the post draw. The spices recede to light-plus strength as it approaches the halfway point. Wood is driving the post draw here.
Jiunn: The first third to second third flavor experience is vast. The second third transitions to less complexities and overall less enjoyable experience. The profile is now just focused on a leveled down dried red pepper spice mixed with the same great oily mouthfeel. The sweetness and nuttiness from the first third is entirely gone. Strength ramps to medium-full, while body remains medium.

Jaime Garcia Reserva Especial Sucesor Limited Edition 2024 Torpedo

Final Third

Aaron: As the final third begins, the earth loses the dustiness. The retrohale remains toasted cedar, earth and mild black pepper. As the cigar wraps up, the toasted cedar and earth are even up front with the black pepper a bit behind. The strength remained at medium.
Seth: The final third is in line with the second, but it does not go downhill in this third. Tobacco, coffee and warm spices. Leather, earth and mineral notes on the finish. The cigar continues to smoked at a medium-full level and cool through the tapered finish.
John: The last third kicks it off with spicy wood at medium-minus strength. As the last third settles, toasted wood comes into the finish and lingers into the post draw. By the halfway point, bitterness joins the wood on the finish.
Jiunn: The final third mirrors the second third such that it’s still the same toned down dried red pepper spice and oily mouthfeel. It feels even less enjoyable mainly because I’m missing the flavor experience of the first third and scratching my head on how it can be so different (and disappointing). Strength and body remains medium-full and medium, respectively.

Jaime Garcia Reserva Especial Sucesor Limited Edition 2024 Torpedo

Burn

Aaron: The burn was a bit wavy at times, but never needed any attention. The ash held on in inch and a quarter increments.
Seth: Burn was good from beginning to end.
John: The burn was straight through the entire review process.
Jiunn: Flawless burn performance providing an even burn, cool burning temperature, and tight ashes.

Jaime Garcia Reserva Especial Sucesor Limited Edition 2024 Torpedo

Draw

Aaron: The draw was perfect, with just the right amount of resistance that I prefer.
Seth: Great draw from start to finish.
John: The draw was at most 1/2 to 1 notch towards the resistant spectrum which puts it in the ideal range between open and resistant.
Jiunn: The draw was also flawless, giving the ideal balance between air flow and resistance.

Overall

Aaron: The cigar began with toasted cedar, earth and vibrant black pepper. The toast level increased and the earth became dusty and dry in the second half of the third. The second third saw the black pepper become a bit dull and the earth became even with the toasted cedar up front. The profile remained the same through the final third. The Jaime Garcia Reserva Especial Sucesor Limited Edition 2024 Torpedo had a good start as the vibrance of the pepper really showed itself off. When that mellowed and dulled in the second third, it took the profile down a notch for the remainder of the cigar. The pepper really drove things, which I don’t find that typical, but it was unfortunate that it couldn’t play a better role longer. This cigar didn’t do enough to make me want to really come back to it with any real frequency.
Seth: The Jaime Garcia Reserva Especial Sucesor Limited Edition 2024 Torpedo was an average cigar. Nothing about the cigar really stood out, and it really came off as a basic Nicaraguan puro. More on the dryer side of the flavor department. Average. Construction and draw were solid, but the cigar itself was lacking overall. I guess the price is in line with most cigars on the market, and that goes for flavors delivered as well.
John: The Jaime Garcia Reserva Especial Sucesor Limited Edition 2024 Torpedo started out over the medium strength mark with some intense flavor combinations through the first third. As the cigar continued, some of the balance was lost, but the cigar remained pleasant to smoke. Both the burn and the draw were perfect. I enjoyed the cigar, but it didn’t quite get there for me in the second third to make this something I’d seek out in the future, despite the better than average price point for the current 2024 market. Total smoking time was 2 hours and 1 minute.
Jiunn: I’d like to make a case to only smoke the first third of cigars. Is it wasteful? Perhaps. But I’m into cigars for the flavors so I’m going to go with that (for today). The first third of the Jaime Garcia Reserva Especial Sucesor Limited Edition 2024 Torpedo was one of the most rewarding smoking experiences of new releases I’ve had in a while. So to go from that to just wtf just happened is incredibly disappointing. Sigh…

Aaron Loomis

SCORE

6.00

Cost/Point

$2.33

Scoring System

Seth Geise

SCORE

5.25

Cost/Point

$2.67

Scoring System

John McTavish

SCORE

6.10

Cost/Point

$2.30

Scoring System

Jiunn Liu

SCORE

6.10

Cost/Point

$2.30

Scoring System

Team Cigar Review: Jaime Garcia Reserva Especial Sucesor Limited Edition 2024 Torpedo