I received my recent order from you in a short time and in good condition.

I must tell you that the humidor cigar combo was a great looking box of cigars; couldn't wait to show it to friends. 

Couldn't wait to smoke some Cadets and Diplomats either, so I did.  Altho' I have had the diplomat in both wrappers before, I think I  had the Cadet only in Natural wrapper - the Maduro Cadet is a winner too.  Your offer of mixing the 20 cigars to the customer's choice makes this one swell deal.

I have not tried your Anniversary cigars yet, but I am looking forward to it, because, plainly said,  I enjoy your cigars.

By the by, you included a lighter with my shipment, as a bonus i guess.  thanx very much!  I appreciate it.

Talk to you again some time.  Oh hey, it doesn't hurt to say it again:  I enjoy smoking John Hay cigars.

Sincerely,    Frank J

 

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First, my thanks to Torpnubber for making me aware of these cigars. I was intrigued enough by his suggestion to order a 5-pack from their web site.

They offer a variety of flavored cigars, I selected the Diplomat Maduro, a 6 X 46 from their PA maduro series.
It is a slightly pressed medium-firm cigar with a dry, PA broadleaf wrapper from Lancaster Co., PA binder, and CT, MD, and PA filler, machine made.

The appearance is slightly rustic, but not ugly. No prominent veins and no soft spots. The clip was clean with no raveling. Pre-light, the draw was firm, but not tight, little flavor, but with that wonderful aroma of rich earth and tobacco curing barns. It lit easily and drew well delivering plenty of smoke with a pleasant aroma.
The flavor was exactly as promised, rich sweet (not sweetened) maduro tobacco with a long, pleasant finish. It picked up some baking-spices as it progressed, but never lost that "this is why I love maduros" quality.
The cigar burned evenly, if not razor straight, with a grayish ash which held for an inch and a half. I smoked it to 1 inch without touch-ups or re-lights.

I dry-boxed the second one for 2 days, and the lower RH made the draw a little easier, but did not affect anything else.

Conclusion: A real sleeper. An excellent smoke, delicious flavor, at a good price. Highly recommended for a good everyday cigar, way above the "yard gar" catagory.
I smoked the first one with some Tennessee whisky and the second with a lightly roasted Ethiopian yergacheffe coffee. The cigar went well with both, neither overpowering nor being overpowered by either.
I plan on ordering a box of 50. (maierar--cigarweekly.com)

(and he did). Thanks. Maier

 I just want to say, I smoked the Ambassador, and it was excellent!  Perfect burn, perfect draw, and the exhale through my nose was smooth and didn't have a typical burn that most cigars will give you.  It was creamy and full of subtle flavors.  Like I told Dave, this is a cigar I want to smoke as my first cigar of the day, allowing my palate to absorb all the flavors.  It was excellent. (eherf)

 

John Hay Ambassador Maduro. I bided my time with smoking this cigar but I can’t wait any longer. It was my first smoke of the day, lit it up around 10AM. First the look, dark brown, almost oscuro in places. The way it's wrapped is unique. Bumpy and toothy. The cut was easy and pre draw was smooth. First draw was quite flavorful, I knew right off the bat that this is going to be a good cigar. Loads of blue white smoke, Good taste on the tongue. About 2/3rds into it and the smoke got more powerful, loads more taste. Very consistent taste, even burn and no re-lighting needed. I nubbed this cigar until my fingers burned. All in all, a very enjoyable smoke. I will have to purchase more. I highly recommend this cigar.  (Atlasm)

 

John Hay Cigars Ambassador Line. Wrapper leaf very nice veiny texture. Nice deep brown color. Toasted end and torched. A puff of beautiful smoke fills the Smoke Ward. Smooth draw, not over powering. Burn is even and the ash continues to hold over 1/4 of the way into this wonderful cigar. Producing a beautiful gray ash, set the cigar in my cigar lounge and watch ash drop , well over a 1/4 of the way into this tasty smoke.

Flavor continues to build very nicely. Hint of pepper and spice, but not over powering. I am pass the 1/2 way point and I must say, the complexity of the cigar continues to amaze me. Large clouds of lovely gray smoke continue to swirl around me.

Nearing the end, time to bring in the 'Ram Clip' ! ! Over 3/4 done and no harsh flavor, a continued smooth even burn. WOW what a treat. Without my Ram Clip I would be burning my fingers at this point.

As the smoke continues to fill the Smoke Ward, I regret to say, I must let this wonderful smoke rest in my Cigar Lounge or I will be burning my lips ! !

Even at this point, cigar continues to burn slow and taste continues to remain smooth and full.

One hour of pure enjoyment. ! ! !

Thank you Dave & Lauren, for this wonderful cigar.  (Ron)

 

Congratulations on the new line.  I know this must be an exciting time for all of you at John Hay. I enjoyed your maddi and natti line and look forward to the new arrival.  Let me know when I can put in that order.   (Country)

 

Smoked one of the Ambassadors a few days ago. Great smoke, burn and taste. Fantastic smoke in my book. Keep up the great work.  (Hunter)

 

John Hay Ambassador Connecticut Robusto

Cigar: John Hay Ambassador
Size: Robusto 5 x 50
Appearance: Khaki in color, and a couple of prominent veins
Construction: The cap is a bit rough looking, as if it was applied in a rush. The cigar also sports a slight bend, or crook, in it. It also has a few very unique bends or presses, like someone started to box press it, but at different times, as if to make a hexagon type shape.
Cut used: V
Lighting Method Used: Triple-flame torch
Pre-Light Draw: Perfect, it doesn’t get better than this

I did already have the pleasure of enjoying one of these John Hay Ambassador Series cigars, but felt it was time to enjoy another. I recall some of the traits I liked about my first, and anticipate their reoccurrence again this time. This will be my first cigar of the day, joined by a glass of ice water.

A slight torch of the foot and a couple of draws quickly brings life to this cigar. The smoke is plentiful, and creamy. As I recalled from the first Ambassador I smoked, the smoke is sweet and easily exhaled through the nostrils. This cigar reminds me of pipe tobacco, light and sweet, yet bold and flavorful.

Immediately I try and call out the flavors I am sensing, but the complexity of the cigar makes it difficult to determine. The flavors of the palate conflict with those I sense from my nostrils. Toffee notes combined with cocoa is the best way to describe it, but there is a third trait I can’t put my finger on. The finish is short, and clean.

Just beyond one inch smoked and the burn is uneven, but appears to be correcting itself. The foot is swelling some, so I slow down the pace of smoking this cigar. The last thing I want to experience is a blow out. The ash is firm and light gray in color.

Beyond the halfway point the ash did get a bit flaky as the cigar burned. The wrapper also started to split leaving about an inch tear. The complex tastes are more faint at this point, and a dominant woodsy flavor develops on my palate.

The remainder of the cigar was great, with the exception of the last inch. The woodsy flavors intensified and the sweet tastes from the beginning slowly dissipated. All in all, this is an excellent cigar. I can’t wait to sample the Brazilian Maduro.   (Blues)

 

The John Hay Ambassador Series Brazilian Maduro

I finally got around to trying the John Hay cigars. I've read so many good things about them, especially their new hand rolled lines, I thought it was about time I saw what all the fuss was about.

Since I'm a maduro lover, I decided to try the new Brazilian Maduro first. The company says "The new line of cigars are hand made in the Dominican Republic. These premium, long filler cigars use Cuban Seed tobacco that has been aged a minimum of four years . . . (with) a Brazilian Maduro wrapper with Dominican and Nicaraguan fillers. The cigar was a Robusto size, at 5x50.

I smoked the cigar right off the truck, without waiting for them to stabilize or age. Since I had already smoked a few cigars that day, I cleansed my palate by brushing my teeth and using mouthwash. I wanted to see what this new smoke was all about without any other influences. I had also just finished a nice dinner. I enjoyed it with an icy cold Seven Up.

Looking it over I immediately liked the old style classy band with nice art work. The construction is a little rough, kind of a Clint Eastwood type of cigar. It's not perfectly smooth like some super premiums, and had a distinct vein and a couple of raised places, but nothing to prevent the enjoyment of the smoke. I didn't experience any leaf separation or other construction problems while smoking the cigar. I liked the generous cap, making it easy to clip without problems.

The pre-light aroma was good. It smelled of premium tobacco with just a hint of that chocolately maduro taste that I like. The Brazilian Maduro wrapper was a very dark chocolate brown with just a little tooth. The stick was quite firm, like I like them, with no soft spots noted. I hate a soft squishy cigar, so this one was just right for me.

I used my large table V-cutter to open the cap, which clipped nicely without mashing the head together or unraveling anything. I toasted the foot lightly and lit it with my table torch lighter. My son gave me both for Christmas and they do an excellent job.

The immediate impression was quite strong and a little harsh Whoa! An immediate tobacco hit. I sat it down for a moment and let it settle down, and noticed it had a long finish, quite good.

Resuming smoking I found it to be not strong at all, more toward a medium, smooth, with any harshness gone. The draw was very good, and produced huge volumes of very white smoke, and the long maduro finish continued. I found myself puffing slower than normal for me, enjoying the finish on my tongue and the back of my mouth. I also enjoyed holding the smoke in my mouth for a bit before exhaling, to enhance the finish. I was noticing a distinct bittersweet chocolate taste, with hints of a real earthy background. There were other hints of flavors in the background, but I couldn't distinguish what they were.

One fourth of the way I was tasting some complex flavors. The tart chocolate was still in the forefront, with the earthy tones coming through, and a slight taste that reminded me of the way freshly turned dirt smells. Overall a very good, satisfying taste. The ash was interesting, it was very white and smooth, and very firm. It resembled chalk, with very few ridges or lines in it.

Halfway down and I'm really liking this cigar. It's actually reminded me of the CAO Brazilia, one of my favorites. Maybe a "Brazilia Lite." The chocolate had receded, evolving to an earthy taste of very good tobacco, with hints of other tastes far in the background. The burn was spot on, with a fine burn line, and the ash wasn't even thinking of dropping off. I went ahead and knocked the ash off, just didn't want to risk it ending up in my lap. The whole ash stayed together in the ashtray, one big chunk.

Two thirds down and I had decided I liked this cigar very much. No burn problems, tons of smoke on every draw, and a consistent and complex flavor. I nubbed it and hated to see it go, wishing it had been a churchill. The aftertaste continued, and mixed with the cold Seven Up, left a very pleasant taste in my mouth.

This is definitely a cigar for maduro lovers, that semi-sweet maduro chocolately flavor tapers into a fine tobacco blend, which stays consistent throughout the cigar. This one is probably not for mild cigar smokers or beginners, but even the smokers of the strongest of cigars won't be disappointed with this one. I only had the one of this type, so I can't speak to their consistency, but I'll sure find out. And it seems like the perfect cigar to see what a little aging will do for it. I'm betting they will get even smoother and tastier with six months on them.

So my first experience with a John Hay handrolled was a good one. Very good. I'll definitely be wanting some more of these soon.   (Larry)

  

I went to JR cigars here in N.J. with a friend, and sat down in the lounge area and pulled out a John Hay Brazilian wrapped cigar. At first I was disappointed because the on the ring it stated "mild" and I really wasn't in the mood to smoke a mild cigar, but I figured  what the heck it's already out just smoke the damn thing. I used a punch (what luck, it came with it's own punch) did a pre-light draw and found this beautiful nutty taste. I smiled to my friend and told him that I was in for a treat. Well, I could tell you how I lit the thing and how the ash didn't fall off for almost 2 whole inches!!!! yada, yada, yada... but what blew me away was the flavor! WOW, is this the most flavorful cigar I have ever smoked! I kept remarking how great this cigar was to everyone around (I told them your name and actually one person wrote down your info) Tons of smoke, and the burn was dead perfect.

Well, my birthday is coming up and I told my wife what I really want is a box of Ambassador Series cigars from John Hay!!! My friend Kevin told me he was going to order a sample pack from you today, so hopefully he does and when he gets his I'm sure you will get another box sold. Great job on a great cigar!!! (Randy)

 

Just a note to tell you I've smoked all the JHC cigars, and really enjoyed them. Believe it or not I didn't find one I hated, while I love the Brazilian the best, I like several really well. I don't know how you did it, but you've really produced some fine sticks. I even liked the regular lines much better than I anticipated. (Larry)

 

This review was written and posted by a fellow cigar forum user. Thank you Mike for the great review. January, 2005.

"I had the pleasure of meeting two of the owners of John Hay Cigars (Dave and Lauren) at a snowed out trade show here in PA yesterday. After getting more of the history of John Hay Cigars and talking about our common addiction CBid, I picked up and paid for one if each of the cigars they had to offer. I also may have helped relieve a bit of marital pressure explaining to the wife how I’m more out of control on cigar spending then Dave. Please always attempt to do this when you’re around the spouse of a fellow BOTL.

Anyway, on to the cigar…. I grabbed the Diplomat Natural and headed downstairs to start my first wave of snow blowing. After getting my cheesy little two-stroke snow blower idling happily in the driveway I cut this cigar and lit it up. These cigars only come in one size kinda like a corona and are very chewy. I took a couple puffs made sure that it was burning well and already knew this was likely the best PA grown cigar I’ve tried. After about 10 minutes of one handed snow blowing this cigar put up with a tremendous amount of abuse and just kept on producing quality smoke. I finished up the snow blowing (which was quickie just staying ahead on the next storm) then sat down in my garage to work more on the cigar.

When smoking a cigar made with all Pennsylvania grown tobacco you can’t use all the cliché terms like nutty, creamy, or ‘rich bouquet of flavors’ because they are more simple then those terms. Instead of flavor, I got something else from this cigar. Because of this cigar’s American history it made me start thinking of the ways things used to be. It made me think of my Grandfather, it also reminded me on how people several generations ago were in many ways stronger and better off then we are now. And thank God I was basically snowed in because I would have likely gone directly to the new Cabela’s store and bought my first black powder rifle in an attempt to relive the past.

If you’ve never tried an Amish or Pennsylvania grown cigar and are curious what American cigars of yesterday were like, then I recommend you research and try John Hay."