The Jose L. Piedra Petit Caballeros is an amazing Corona Extra, 4.75” by 48, rolled with short-filler and comes in a pack of 15 cigars. Released in 2020, it is the latest release from the Jose L. Piedra brand before the planned makeover of the brand by Habanos. The vitola used for this cigar is called Hermoso Especial, only used before for the 2017 Punch Regios de Punch Edición Limitada. Its rather simple flavor profile is dominated by cedar, pepper and peanuts, and its perfect construction makes it the ideal cigar for an outdoor activity or when you cannot focus too much on the flavors. At this price-point, this is a must-have in your humidor.

Jose L Piedra Petit Caballeros Appearance:

The Petit Caballeros is not the most elegant cigar, but for its price it is visually more pleasant than other cigars from the same brand. The band is still plain and simplistic (the brand is expected to be revamped by Habanos in the near future) and the wrapper is rather rustic and has a nice Colorado Maduro color. Few veins are apparent but it is well rolled as there are no soft spots when squeezed.

Jose L Piedra Petit Caballeros Smoking Notes:

Before lighting up

At cold, the wrapper gives off aromas of barnyard, earth, leather, cedar and some freshly ground coffee with some hints of cocoa and sweet spices.

Burn/ Draw

On the cold draw, the most noticeable flavors are cedar, spices, leather, some nuttiness and some notes of chocolate and some sweetness as well. Once lit, the Jose L. Piedra Petit Caballeros offers plenty of wood, coffee and some pepper. The draw is on the tight side of things, but still very good and each puff creates plenty of thick and white smoke. The burn starts off very sharp and very even.

Initial third:

The first third is very pleasant, the construction is spot-on and the draw is good. The flavors are not that varied, which is expected from this short-filler cigar, we get mostly pepper, cedar and coffee. There are also some secondary notes such as light peanut butter, vanilla, cinnamon, a bit of leather and earth. There are also some slight bitter notes, which is appreciated in order to balance the overall sweetness of the cigar. The strength is about mild to mild-medium by the end of the first part.

Middle third:

In the middle third, the Petit Caballeros, the main flavors are still of wood and pepper, while the nuttines has increased. We can also notice some notes of damp earth, leather, sourdough bread and espresso. There is still plenty of smoke at each puff, which can be retrohaled in order to enjoy the sweetness of the smoke. The draw remains amazing while the burn line is still even and trouble-free. Strength-wise, the cigar got slightly more powerful and is just below the medium mark.

Final third:

In the final third, the flavor profile doesn’t change much and is still very enjoyable. Its great construction allows the Petit Caballeros to burn slowly, without overheating. In addition to the cedar and peanut butter there are some flavors of pepper, vanilla, leather, hay and some floral notes as well. Great smoke production until the end. The strength has barely changed and is just hitting the medium mark when we have to put the nub down.

In summary, the Jose L. Piedra Petit Caballeros is a surprising smoke, in the good sense, as it can be easily mistaken for a long-filler cigar from a brand of higher category. Do not expect lots of complexity, but it is a cigar that is great to have in your humidor rotation.

Jose L Piedra Petit Caballeros Smoking time:

30 minutes – 45 minutes