J. London Telephone Booth Series is from the mind of Jonathan Fiat.
The cigar company was launched in 2014 and despite being in the business from 1998-2023 I never heard of the brand or the person. The story goes when Mr. Fiant would travel the world on business he would make frequent trips to London where he fell in love with the city and the cigar culture.
It was here his mission would be to create J. London cigars to produce an ultra-premium cigar that was on par with the vintage, aged, and rare cigars he fell in love with.
According to their webpage, the J. London Telephone Booth Series are short-run, limited production cigars being made by a family with 4 generations of experience growing and processing tobacco. The first blend premiered from the factory starting December 2022, and each subsequent release occurs every 4-6 weeks.
Cigar Review: J. London Telephone Booth Series 7
Size: 5.5 x 52
Wrapper: San Andres
Binder: Dominican Republic Olor
Fillers: Criollo Medio Tiempo (Origin Not Disclosed), Dominican Republic Olor Medio Tiempo, Pennsylvania
Factory: Not Disclosed (Dominican Republic)
Release Date: August 2024
Box Count: Packs of 5 (800 in total made)
The Cigar: The color scheme of the band is atrocious with gold writing on a plum background.The Series 7 is referred to as the gold and as a result it features a gold telephone booth from the U.K. The San Andres wrapper has a nice brindle effect to it with an abundance of oils and it is seamlessly rolled. In the hand the cigar is a bit light with no voids of tobacco in the roll.
The Taste: The cold draw which is very loose/fluid features notes of chocolate, espresso and earth while the aroma off the foot has a subtle molasses. Once we toast and light the cigar the loose draw is even more so duly noted with initial notes of earth.The cigar is so loosely packed that the ash falls off before we can get our tradition picture.
As we smoke the first third of the J. London Telephone Booth Series 7 there is a unique flavor. As we mention in the filler the cigar contain two different types of medio tiempo tobacco. What is medio tiempo? Medio tiempo refers to the top two leaves of a tobacco plant, which grow above the ligero leaves. These small leaves are considered rare because they only appear on a small percentage of plants. These leaves receive the most sunlight resulting in a stronger tobacco in terms of strength and flavor. The notes of the cigar are espresso, earth and a touch of chocolate with a delicious floral retrohale.
As we move into the second third I have worn a lot of ash as it drops every few puffs. The only reason I am putting up with it because of how good this cigar tastes. The floral from the retrohale makes it way to the palate with a touch of leather and cashews. As we near the halfway point the cigar loses the floral notes and becomes leather dominant with subtle espresso and nuts. The retrohale is salty with a touch of hard pretzel before becoming black pepper heavy.
The final third of the Telephone Booth Series 7 sees the cigar develop a touch of hickory but the primary profile is that of leather and espresso. Occasionally there are nuances of chocolate but none stay around long enough to be appreciated. The retrohale continues to serve up an abundance of black pepper but some floral sweetness returns at times.
Conclusion: While the company doesn’t disclose who makes this cigar it is believed to be William Ventura and you can see the similarities to the ADVentura line. The cigar is incredibly flavorful and in the past I might have been inclined to chase these. However, I am limited edition numb and am doing my best to avoid them (with some exceptions, such as ongoing limited releases) in 2025. While I don’t expect this to last as I try to smoke everything that comes out.
But back to the cigar that was in hand. The J. London Telephone Booth Series was an extremely flavorful, although underfilled cigar that cost it some points. It is something I would definitely smoke again.
Score: 88
Price: $14.60 (Before any local or state taxes)
