Juan Clemente: Churchill

It has been a bit of time since my last blog post. I think this is down to several things – 

1) National lockdown restrictions are easing post-COVID-19, so I am venturing out and about more, less time relaxing.

2) I am finding writing a blog post about each cigar takes away the relaxation side of cigar smoking. I spend far too much time reading up about the cigars and focusing on all the different nuances of the cigar, rather than sitting back and watching the world pass by.

3) When I don’t enjoy a cigar that much, I find that I can’t be arsed to write up about it afterwards.

However, I have committed to a challenge, and I am keen to complete it. In fact, I am exactly halfway through it! Some stats… there are 74 different cigar brands I need to try as part of my cigar challenge. This cigar will be number 38. I have smoked 23 different cigar brands so far. 15 cigar brands have been pretty much impossible to track down. It is also worth noting that I have smoked many other cigars during this time, those that I stumble across from the online cigar community (you lot are a bad influence 😎).

Anyway, I digress. The next cigar I will try as part of my cigar challenge is from the Juan Clemente cigar brand. I will be smoking the Juan Clemente Churchill.

The stats:

Length: 6 7/8
Ring Gauge: 46
Strength: Medium
Country of origin: Dominican Republic

Wrapper: USA (Connecticut Shade)
Binder: Dominican Republic
Filler: Dominican Republic, Brazil

Background:

The Juan Clemente brand launched in the early 1980s in the Dominican Republic by Frenchman Jean-Clement.

Cigar Aficionado magazine tells us more about his background…

‘Clement was born in the Champagne region of France and moved to Latin America as a young boy. Before the Dominican Republic was a major producer of premium cigars, Clement was inspired to begin making cigars in that country. In April 1982, he launched his cigar brand in France and Switzerland, using a Latinized version of his name. Jean-Clement became Juan Clemente. While the cigars were sold in the United States, their biggest following is outside the U.S., and Juan Clementes claim wide international distribution. The cigar’s markets include Canada, Spain, France, Switzerland, Japan, Hong Kong and many Latin American countries.

His cigars were immediately recognisable by their footbands and foil that covered the foot of each cigar.’

Clement died in 2010.

This particular cigar, the Churchill, is part of the Juan Clemente Classic series of cigars. It is wrapped in a fine-veined Connecticut Shade wrapper. A binder from the Dominican Republic and a Dominican-Brazilian insert ensure the mildness and balance of the Dominican cigar.

It was one of the first premium cigar brands from the Dominican Republic.

My experience:

The Juan Clemente Churchill cigar is long, thin and complimented by two cigar bands, one in its usual place and one at the foot of the cigar. The wrapper is incredibly light.

This cigar reminds me of those cheap tubed cigars you can buy inside airports (back in the day when we could pass by those). The look of this cigar doesn’t shout out quality to me.

This cigar felt very mild upon lighting, probably best suited for those folk that enjoy a morning/afternoon cigar. The build-up of ash was excellent, which suggest it is a well-made cigar.

My rating: 5 out 10 – This was way too light for me. Not gonna lie, it made me crave a Davidoff Late Hour cigar.

Next up a Juan Lopez cigar!