 The story of an outstanding brand . . . that’s still outstanding
Los Angeles, July 8 – Before the Cigar Boom of the mid-to-late 1990s, Juan Clemente was one of the best-respected brands in the business.
Introduced in 1982 by Jean Clement, a longtime cigar lover and a distributor of fine spirits, the brand was noteworthy not only for its quality, but also for its unique packaging, which featured a band on the foot and none at the head!
Writing in 1990, Paul Garmirian’s The Gourmet Guide to Cigars noted that Clement’s “dream was to produce the best cigars made from the most expensive Dominican leaf available.”
Garmirian continued, “Juan Clemente achieved instant success in 1986 because of its mild flavor and fragrant bouquet. This cigar achieved a great deal of recognition among connoisseurs as a result of superb promotional efforts by its national distributor, Kay Stephan of Club Imports.”
Sadly, this boutique brand was overwhelmed by the Boom and the tidal wave of brands which came and went. In addition, the brand’s prime distributor, Club Imports, downsized and its ability to promote the brand diminished considerably.
Davidoff of Geneva took the lead in distribution for a short period in 2000 and 2001, but the results weren’t strong enough to continue and it is now available from the F&K Cigar Co. of St. Louis, Missouri as well as Nyack, New York-based Club Imports.
It’s a shame because the cigars are excellent. From the original line in 1982, two additional lines have been added:
• Juan Clemente Club Selection, in 1992, and
• Juan Clemente Reserve, in 2001.
All are made in a small factory in Santiago, Dominican Republic and feature Connecticut-grown wrappers and Dominican-grown binders and fillers. To keep up with the times, all now sport a band at the head with “Juan Clemente” written in script, but retain the unique foot band.
The Classic (yellow) and Club (white) foot bands say “Juan Clemente” (shown above) while the Reserve line foot band is in deep red with the word “Reserve” printed in gold type.
All three lines are worth your attention:
• Juan Clemente Classic:
Our tasting of the Juan Clemente Classic showed no change over its heritage: a mild, classy cigar that was airy, easy to smoke and just delightful.
Its excellent construction was confirmed by how easily it drew and it offered an even, mild, slightly sweet taste with just a hint of fruitiness on the finish. The light, toasty aroma makes this cigar a dignified pleasure to be patiently enjoyed.
It’s easily one of the best mild-bodied cigars on the U.S. market and will make the top 10 in our next ranking of mild-bodied cigars, to be released later this summer. It’s offered in an incredible variety of 13 sizes and packed in all-cedar boxes of 24 in most of those sizes.
• Juan Clemente Club Selection:
The Club Selection was introduced to celebrate the 500th anniversary of the “discovery of tobacco” by Columbus in 1492. It’s mild-to-medium in body, showing more character than the Classic line, but it is not assertive or aggressive toward the smoker.
There’s an understated, toasty aroma and the taste is fuller on the palate with a light taste of toast with a hint of caramel on the finish of every puff. It’s an excellent cigar, but not as plainly outstanding as the Classic line.
There are five shapes in the Club Selection, including the elegant Obsequio, a 6-inch by 52-ring torpedo.
• Juan Clemente Reserve:
This is the strongest of the three lines, right on the borderline between medium-bodied and medium-to-full in body.
The quality is evident from the first puff, in which the excellent construction becomes apparent, along with the increased intensity in flavor. The Reserve features a deep flavor which brings to mind roasted caramel, finished by a slight sweetness.
Like the other Juan Clemente lines, this is not an aggressive cigar, but relaxed and nice, just like Clement himself. Even-tempered, it calms the smoker and is best enjoyed when you can concentrate on it and recognize its gifts.
It’s available in four sizes, also in boxes of 24.
These are quality cigars, made with care and perhaps a little behind the today’s rush for powerful flavors and extra-large sizes. But they have a place in the market and to see this brand disappear would be a true loss.
So the next time you’re considering a calmer cigar following a lighter lunch, or for a late afternoon on the patio, take a chance on Juan Clemente. Jean Clement will thank you.
Davidoff Anniversary Cigar has familiar components:
Sharp-eyed readers of our story on the Davidoff Anniversary Cigar to celebrate the 25th anniversary of the Davidoff store in London inquired about the composition of the blend.
No worries, however, as Edward Sahakian confirmed the usual Davidoff formula of using only genuine Connecticut-grown wrappers, Dominican-grown binder and a combination of Dominican-grown filler leaves.
In addition to our congratulations to London for its Olympic victory for the 2012 Games, our condolences to all injured or killed in the transit bombings yesterday.
~ Rich Perelman
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