Jas Sum Kral Nuggs Kine Puro Selection Jack Herer

Amongst the list of “interesting cigars” from the last couple years, few would rival any of the entries from Jas Sum Kral’s Nuggs line.

In early 2019, Jas Sum Kral became the first known company to sell a premium cigar infused with cannabidiol, more commonly known as CBD. In between the original Nuggs—which used 20mg of CBD—and the Nuggs Maduro—which uses 100mg of CBD—the company announced the third version of Nuggs.

That cigar is the Jas Sum Kral Nuggs Kine Puro Selection, which is infused with 25mg of tetrahydrocannabinol, better known as THC.

CBD and THC are both cannabinoids, one of the hundreds of different molecules that can be found in marijuana. THC is believed to be the reason why people have a psychoactive reaction to marijuana—i.e., it’s the one that gets you high—where as CBD is believed to be useful in treating a variety of ailments. In 2018, Congress made hemp-derived CBD legal on the federal level as the plant contains less than 3 percent THC. That opened up a the market to a flood of products offering to deliver CBD in forms that range from edibles to drops to dog treats.

The Jas Sum Kral Nuggs Kine Puro Selection Jack Herer is the THC-infused cigar. It’s a 4 1/2 x 48 Rothschild that uses an Ecuadorian habano wrapper over an Indonesian binder and Nicaraguan fillers from Estelí and Jalapa.

 

Buc’s Reserva—the online storefront that Jas Sum Kral is using to sell the cigar—indicates that this cigar uses the Jack Herer strain of hemp for the THC, more specifically:

Kine Puro Selection first release is a Jack Herer. A great strain that promotes creativity while a nice head high sets in . A great wake and bake combo for the morning smoker.

The Jack Herer Collection is 25mg of thc infused into each cigar.  Which is derived from the cbd hemp plants of the strain. The thc derived is separated and infused into the cigar.

Jack Herer was a famous marijuana and hemp advocate who has strains named after him.

Unfortunately, things get pretty confusing from there.

First, the cellophane on the cigars indicates that there is “20mg,” not the 25mg that is listed on the website. Riste Ristevski, founder of Jas Sum Kral, confirmed that it’s 25mg.

He also indicated that the description of exactly what type of THC—and yes, there are types—might not tell the full story. The box says that it is made with Delta-8, a specific THC molecule that is known to produce psychoactive results. It also references Delta-9, which is believed to produce a stronger psychoactive reaction. It’s unclear how much Delta-8 or Delta-9 might be in each cigar, just that it’s 25mg of THC.

• Jas Sum Kral Nuggs Natural (4 1/2 x 48) — 20mg CBD — $12 (Box of 25, $300)
• Jas Sum Kral Nuggs Maduro (4 1/2 x 48) — 100mg CBD — $24 (Box of 25, $600)
• Jas Sum Kral Nuggs Kine Puro Selection Jack Herer (4 1/2 x 48) — 100mg THC — $20 (Box of 10, $200)

• Cigar Reviewed: Jas Sum Kral Nuggs Kine Puro Selection Jack Herer
• Country of Origin: Undisclosed
• Factory: Undisclosed
• Wrapper: Ecuador (Habano)
• Binder: Indonesia
• Filler: Nicaragua (Estelí & Jalapa)
• Length: 4 1/2 Inches
• Ring Gauge: 48
• Vitola: Rothschild
• MSRP: $20 (Box of 10, $200)
• Release Date: December 2020
• Number of Cigars Released: Regular Production
• Number of Cigars Smoked For Review: 3

The first thing I notice is that the cellophane is quite a bit different than most cigars. Rather than running the full length of the cigar and then being folded over—closing the bottom of the cellophane—it’s just left open, meaning the bottom of the foot is exposed. The aroma from the wrapper is quite weird. Despite the cellophane covering, I can’t pick up much, though what I do smell reminds me of parchment paper and a fruit-scented household cleaner. The foot is much stronger and more pronounced, around medium-full. There’s an herbal sensation that reminds me of a marijuana tincture, as well as something that reminds me of a low-end enchilada sauce with tomatoes and meatiness. It’s different, but I’m not sure I would immediately think this is THC-infused. The cold draw is a lot more pedestrian with earthiness, cedar, floral touches and something that reminds me of marijuana butter, though it’s pretty mild. Given that some cigars have more pronounced marijuana-like sensations, I’m not sure I’d immediately think THC infusion if I was smoking this blind.

While there were hints of the THC infusion before lighting, the first puff of the Jas Sum Kral Nuggs Kine Puro Selection Jack Herer is quite normal. There’s lots of cedar as well as some earthiness over a citrus sensation that varies between oranges and lemon. After a few more puffs, I can begin to taste what I believe is the THC infusion. As with the cold draw, my best description of it is a flavor that reminds me of a marijuana butter. It sits below earthiness, nuttiness and a bit of black pepper. The finish has more of the marijuana butter sensation joined by some earthiness. Retorhales have earthiness, creaminess and herbal flavors, though none of them remind me of marijuana. What’s more noticeable is that the retrohale is full, compared to the main flavor which is medium-full. Retrohales finish with a bit of a Sprite sensation alongside earthiness, muddiness and wheat pasta. Body is full, strength is medium-plus and my level of being stoned is at zero. The smoke production is hardly consistent and I need to make touch-ups to help keep the cigar burning.

The second third of the Nuggs Kine Puro Selection Jack Herer seems like a logical progression flavor-wise. It has an earthy core joined by some teriyaki sauce and some of the weed butter. The finish has earthiness, white pepper, creaminess and some generic fruit flavors. Retrohale produces black pepper, white pepper, earthiness, meatiness and some saltiness. Retrohales finish with creaminess, a stronger version of the marijuana butter, white pepper and creaminess. Flavor is medium-full, body is full, strength is medium-plus and my level of being high is still zero. If I was forced to guess between a THC or CBD infusion, I’d say it seems more like CBD though it’s extremely mild. Construction remains a bit of a struggle thanks to the burn, which isn’t great.

Once again, the marijuana-like flavor isn’t present among the main mouth flavors; instead  There’s earthiness, Ritz crackers and creaminess. The flavors seem to be more vibrant than they were before even if they are more or less the same level of intensity. While there isn’t much of the marijuana butter flavor on the main flavor, it continues to show up on the finish. It’s now joined by some more generic herbal flavors and earthiness. Retrohaling produces the marijuana butter flavor, though no matter how many consecutive retrohales I take, I don’t get a psychoactive sensation. There’s also earthiness, leather, creaminess over black pepper. After retrohaling, it leaves behind a finish of white pepper, creaminess and fruitiness, though nothing is in the way of the marijuana butter. Flavor is medium-full, body is full and strength is medium-plus, though getting close to medium-full. I continue needing to make the occasional touch up to keep the smoke production at a decent level and avoiding having the Nuggs go out.

Final Notes

• The following 10 bullets points are written by someone who is neither an expert in marijuana’s effectiveness nor an expert in drug laws. These are simply opinions, they are neither medical nor legal advice. If you are concerned about the medical or legal effects of a product like this, just don’t buy it and/or consume it.
• The obvious question is: will this get me high? The answer is probably no. I wanted to give the cigar every chance I could to see if it could get me high, so I smoked one of these on an empty stomach. I felt a bit odd afterwards, but not high. I then smoked another one right after, and just kind of felt tired—I’m guessing the result of smoking two cigars after not eating for 15+ hours. I feel pretty confident that had I consumed a 10mg edible on an empty stomach, I probably would have gotten high and I am really not sure I’d want to know what 25mgs, let alone 50mgs, of Delta-9—or Delta-8—would be like without some food.
• That being said, if you inhale the cigar—which I wouldn’t recommend for the same reasons I wouldn’t recommend inhaling cigars in general—25mgs should get most people quite high. Much like with any chemical, the variability is the delivery method and the way that most consumers smoke cigars—even while retrohaling—just doesn’t seem like a very efficient method.
• I asked Ristevski about this, because I was curious if people were claiming to have gotten high off smoking these cigars. He told me that he had “been messaged by a lot of people that the feeling is very mild and relaxing in the lounge. A good body high.”
• Another way to look at this is: if you smoked a marijuana blunt in the same manner that most people smoke a Macanudo—taking puffs and leaving the smoke in your mouth, an occasional retrohale, but no inhalation—you probably aren’t going to get high.
• That’s an explanation I can understand, though I’d also be curious to do blind tests where people were given a placebo cigar that they were told was infused with THC. My experiences with other people have been that the same level of THC has varying effects, just like how some people can get very drunk off of a certain amount of alcohol, while others will seem quite sober.
• To be clear, this cigar is not said to contain any marijuana. There are some products made with marijuana that are larger cigar-like shapes, though I don’t know of any product that is made with marijuana that is constructed like a premium cigar.
• Then there’s the question of whether or not this is legal. Jas Sum Kral’s position with the CBD-infused Nuggs has been: we’ve filed all the paperwork with FDA, they haven’t said no. While that might be true, I have a hard time believing that FDA would actually approve of a product like this. FDA’s current position on CBD on its own is that the agency is studying CBD. The complicating factors for the Nuggs are that while FDA approves of premium cigars (on their own) and FDA might approve of CBD products, FDA has not yet approved of any CBD-infused cigar to my knowledge. For the record, the agency claims to have only approved of one CBD product, a drug used to treat certain forms of epilepsy.
• It should also be noted that just because CBD is federally legal, states and other municipalities can have their own rules further regulating CBD.
• One difference between the CBD-infused Nuggs and this THC-infused Nuggs is that the CBD versions are being sold by other retailers. Ristevski told me he does not plan on selling the THC versions in cigar shops. While there’s not an explicit declaration one way or the other, I think that tells you all you need to know about the perceived legal risks of this cigar versus the CBD-infused versions. I suspect that the fact that it is only being sold directly and currently only offered in boxes also helps to explain why this is offered in 10-count boxes as opposed to 25-count boxes.
• The Buc’s Reserva website makes it quite clear that smoking this cigar will lead you to fail a drug test for marijuana. My understanding is that most drug tests only evaluate the chemicals that are found leftover and not the ability to test for the compounded ingredients. The fact that this has THC in it will lead you to fail the drug test. This is the same reason why it’s possible to fail a drug test for certain opioids after consuming poppy seed bagels.

• With all that out of the way, the box design for the Nuggs is quite interesting in that it has holes open at the bottom. Ristevski told me that’s to allow people to better smell the product without having to take the cigars out of cellophane. This would make a bit more sense if the cigars were being sold in stores.

• That would also explain why the cellophane is cut at the foot instead of being closed and folded over.
• For what it’s worth, these don’t have that strong of an aroma and I don’t think you need to store them in a separate humidor.
• I think the issues like the 20mg versus 25mg on the packaging, as well as the Delta-8 versus Delta-9 messaging would be a problem if there was a more competitive market. To my knowledge, only Jas Sum Kral is selling infused cigars like this and so it can get away with the inconsistencies. If there were other companies trying to sell the same products, the lack of consistency would seem like a glaring red flag that would lead me—and I imagine other consumers—to buy products that didn’t have the messaging issues.
• Cigars for this review were purchased by halfwheel.
• Final smoking time was one hour and 40 minutes on average.