For those of you that don’t know…

Around April of this year, J. Fuego started releasing a new cigar onto the market in very small quantities, called the “Origen Original”, a new vitola in the Origen line…The idea behind this vitola was quite different then his other cigars, (and truth be told, quite different then most other manufactures cigars as well)…

From an article on Cigar Aficionado comes the explanation, related thusly:

“Jesus explained that the Originals cigar was based on a technique that he, his father, grandfather and everyone else in his family has used since they were in (and even before) the tobacco business.  When it was time to test a blend or leaf or any new component they would grab a raw natural leaf and place tobacco in the middle, as this is the only area of the leaf that would actually hold tobacco, and roll it up.  It would create a smoke that was fat in the middle and very thin on both ends. After pinching off the excess ends they would then smoke and evaluate the combination before sending it off to the rollers for the initial test run. Jesus explained it created quite the “ugly little stick” but it got the job done.

Now fast-forward to the end of 2009 and Mr. Fuego has just gotten back from a trip to the farm.  Unable to sleep due to the jet-lag he called up a friend in the cigar industry to have breakfast.  Forgetting to bring any cigars with him Jesus, being the kind gracious host that he is, was embarrassed he didn’t have a smoke to offer his friend.  However he remembered that he still had some of his Origin “ugly sticks” in his shirt pocket he had rolled to test the consistency of his tobacco from previous releases. Hesitantly pulling it out Mr. Fuego apologized for not being prepared and offered it away.

Upon smoking this oddly shaped, smaller, yet very tasty cigar his friend posed the ultimate question of why Fuego just didn’t release this stick as the next size in the Origin line.”

Now, I am quite the sucker for a cigar with a great story, and this one is a great example of how the process in releasing a cigar works…When I heard the above info, I knew I had to review it for myself…

Here is what the cigars are sold in, a soft pack of 5 cigars, unbanded…

But enough of that, let’s get down to business, shall we?

• Cigar Reviewed: J. Fuego Origen Originals
• Country of Origin: Honduras
• Factory: Tabacos de Oriente
• Wrapper: Brazilian Corojo
• Binder: Costa Rican Corojo
• Filler: Honduran Corojo & Nicaraguan Corojo
• Size: 5 Inches
• Ring Gauge: 44
• Vitola: Cheroot
• MSRP: $2.50 (Soft Pack of 5, $12.50 & Bricks of 60, $150.00)
• Number of Cigars Smoked for Review: 3

The first thing you notice about this cigar is the packaging…as seen above, the soft pack is quite cool looking, and when you open it up, there are 5 unbanded cigars inside…the cigar itself is not the prettiest of sticks, with a very gnarly and rough wrapper that is covered in bumps and veins…both ends of the cigar are open, and while it is almost a Double Perfecto vitola, one end is noticeably smaller then the other (and this would be the end you draw from)…

I also noticed that the Origen Original look almost identical in size (although not in shape) to the My Father El Picador (reviewed HERE), and by extension, the La Flor Domincana “Icepick”…Here is a photo of the two side by side (Origen Original on the left, El Picador on the right):

The First Third started out with a small amount of spice, along with notes of cedar, leather and coffee…the burn is great so far, and there is just a touch of sweetness on the tongue…

The Second Third has the cedar note turn spicy (although the sweetness is still underneath, just diminished) and the coffee flavor is replaced by more of an espresso note…

The Last Third does not change much from the former two…The flavors were pretty much the same, but the spice increased a bit at the end, which was a welcome change…

Final Notes:

• While I did enjoy the Origen Originals quite a bit, I honestly liked the My Father El Picador (sold at Empire Cigars) just a touch more (mostly due to the creaminess that was present)…However, having said that, the El Picador is about $3 more a stick…
• Despite the smaller size, the Origen Original never turned hot on me at the end, not matter how close I smoked it to the nub…
• The Burn and draw were perfect for the entire cigar…
• The Final Smoking Time was exactly 55 Minutes…
• Although I knew these would not be the easiest to find, I was taken aback at how difficult they were to track down for sale (most places are sold out)…However, If you would like to buy some, the best price I found (online) was over at Atlantic Cigars (whom I have purchased from, and have had nothing but good experiences with)…The price is $10.95 for a 5 Pack, $19.00 for 2 5 Packs, or $94.50 for 12 5 Packs (60 cigars)…You can find them for sale HERE…

The Bottom Line: People I smoke with (and talk with online) are always complaining about different things in the cigar world, but one of the main things I hear is that there are no good sticks around $2…Well, I am here to tell you that has officially changed…While this cigar is fairly ugly to look at, the flavors that come from it are quite good and the construction is top notch…While this is not the best cigar in this size (to me, the El Picador was a bit better), this IS the absolute best cigar I have smoked at it’s price point, and I will be picking up more of them to enjoy…

Final Score: 88