Pre-light Experience

The wrapper is a uniform dark brown with a fair number of slightly raised veins. The seams are smooth but slightly visible due to vein placement. The head is finished off with a well applied double cap. The band is gold with a fair amount of detailed embossing along with the line name in white. The band is pretty tall, but looks right at home on this Churchill sized cigar. The aroma from the wrapper is a jammy stewed fruit that reminds me of pipe tobacco. The foot brings a nice stone fruit sweetness. The pre-light draw is a mix of white pepper and stone fruit sweetness which makes up an interesting spicy fruit note.

Pre-light Experience

The Jas Sum Kral Kralot Robusto Extra has a thick and hearty maduro wrapper shade. Veins are well pressed, seams tight, bunch and roll even without any soft spots and head is finished off with a well adhered thick cap. Aromas from the wrapper give campfire, cedar and hay. Aromas from the foot tell more pronounced campfire, hay, cedar and white pepper. Cold draw tells cedar, chocolate and hay.

First Third

The cigar begins with a dark and heavy earthiness along with some baking spice and cream. At a quarter inch in, I’m getting a short burst of horseradish at the beginning of each retrohale. At a half inch in, the profile has lightened up drastically with creamy earthiness and the baking spice going away. At an inch in, it’s hard to get smoke without taking a few quick draws which then is keeping the very light creamy earth profile going. At an inch and a half, the draws are getting better and the profile is getting a bit fuller as the baking spice also returns. As the third comes to a close, the earth, cream and baking spice are all at equal levels. The strength in this third was slightly below medium.

First Third

The first third delivers cocoa, sharper raw cedar, dry earth, soil/dirt and hint of sweet cherries. Retrohaling gives sharper raw cedar and white pepper. The finish is very long and namely earth driven (dry earth, soil/dirt) accompanied by a lightly charred wood. Strength and body is medium.

Second Third

As the second third begins, the creamy earth and baking spice are working well together. The retrohale still shows hints of horseradish up front with some creamy earth following it. At a half inch in, I’m running into the light draw issue again and frequent draws are providing a musty wood note with a light baking spice. At an inch in, the draws get back on track and the profile is now creamy earth. As the third comes to a close, some cedar and black pepper join in with the creamy earth. The strength in this third bumped up to medium.

Second Third

The second third gives a sharper cedar note. Flavors of cocoa, dry earth, soil/dirt and waves of sweet cherries still comes through. Retrohaling also gives a sharper edge to the cedar as well as white pepper but the sweet cherries are no longer available. The finish is still quite lengthy with dry earth and soil/dirt now with added stale coffee. Strength moves to medium-full while body stays medium.

Final Third

As the final third begins, the cedar has transitioned to oak and gained some char while the cream has morphed into mustiness while the earth is continuing on. There is a still a bit of black pepper in the background. At a half inch in, the charred oak is up front with the mustiness right behind. The earth and black pepper notes have left the profile. The retrohale carries this same profile. At an inch in, a slight bitterness joins the charred oak and mustiness. As the cigar finishes out, the bitterness leaves and the charred oak and mustiness wrap it up. The strength in this third remained at medium.

Final Third

There really isn’t anything to say for the last third because it’s the same as the second third. Still flavors of sharper cedar, cocoa, dry earth, soil/dirt and waves of sweet cherries all wrapped up in medium-full strength and medium body.

Burn

The burn was perfect until the start of the final third went the cigar went out and required a re-light. The ash held on in inch and a quarter increments.

Burn

Picture perfect burn. Sturdy ashes averaging 1.5 inch increments, cool burn and sharp burn line.

Draw

The draw was fairly snug and there were half inch increments in the first and second third where I was barely getting any smoke production and had to take frequent draws.

Overall

The cigar started with dark earth, cream and baking spice and then lightened up as it progressed. Later the baking spice left and some charred oak appeared and the cream transitioned to mustiness. The construction was a bit problematic, especially the draw and I feel it affected the flavor profile. There was a time between the second and final thirds where the flavor profile was pretty good and I wonder if better construction might have lent to that profile being present through more of the cigar. I want to revisit this in hopes of better construction to see what the cigar can actually offer, and until that time, I’d have to hold of on recommending this to others.

Draw

The draw was a bit tight on the two samples smoked but nonetheless very good.

Overall

This is another good cigar from JSK. I especially enjoyed the leveling sharpness of cedar throughout the cigar as it intermingled with cocoa, dry earth, soil/dirt and hints of sweet cherries. Although I did enjoy the Jas Sum Kral Kralot Robusto Extra, there is tough competition of some excellent (new) Mexican San Andres cigars I smoked this year (La Barba Richochet, JSK’s own Toothpick Maduro, Crowned Heads Court Reserve XVIII, to name a few). Stacking against those mentioned, the Kralot falls short (I actually prefer the much cheaper JSK Toothpick Maduro). I’m not saying it’s a bad cigar by any means (the score shows it is a good cigar) but my preference goes to some of the others.

Aaron Loomis

SCORE

5.40

Cost/Point

$2.59

Scoring System

Jiunn Liu

SCORE

7.02

Cost/Point

$2.00

Scoring System

Team Cigar Review: Jas Sum Kral Kralot Robusto Extra