Archive for the ‘don_pepin_garcia’ Category

El Tiante Habano Rosado

Thursday, May 10th, 2012

Recently I Skyped with the Stogie 411 show on their first anniversary. I hung around in the chat room, and before I knew it, I somehow won a sampler from El Tiante. So thanks to Stogie 411 and El Tiante for the cigars! If my information is correct, this cigar was blended by Don Pepin Garcia, and is made in the My Father factory.

 

Wrapper: Ecuadorian Habano Rosado

Binder & Filler: Nicaraguan

Size: Toro 6 x 50

Price: $7.98

 

Pre-Smoke & Construction:

The wrapper was oily and shiny, real shiny. No flaws were noticed, just some medium sized veins here and there. The smell of the wrapper reminded me of hay. The foot had more of an earthy, spicy odor. The cigar was evenly packed, and was rock solid. Despite this, the draw was good, with slight resistance. The pre-light flavor was hard to pin down. I’d say it was leathery and earthy.

The ash held for around an inch, and the burn required only one minor correction.

1 El_Tiante_Habano_Rosado cigars

Flavor:

The first third opened up with a woody flavor. It wasn’t the usual cedar though. Retrohaling revealed a nice peppery spice that had a tinge of sweetness. The aftertaste was earthy with hay. Simple but good.

2 El_Tiante_Habano_Rosado cigars

The peppery spice mellowed out a bit in the second third. Woodiness remained, but fell to the background. It was mostly noticeable in the aftertaste. The smoke took on a creamy feel, mixed with a sweet spice. At times, I could swear there was a floral component, but it was illusive and I never pinned it down. Overall the flavor profile seemed much more refined than in the first third.

3 El_Tiante_Habano_Rosado cigars

The last third saw an uptick of the sweet spice. It reminded me of tingly cinnamon and pepper. As a result, the aftertaste was very sweet and clung to the mouth and lips. There still was a woody and earthy component, as well as that elusive floral note.

4 El_Tiante_Habano_Rosado cigars

Conclusion:

This was a very good medium to full bodied cigar. It had a nice build of flavors, body, and strength. The flavors were simple, yet there were complexities that were challenging at times. There is nothing to complain about. I could smoke more of these, and would recommend them.

El Rey de los Habanos by Don Pepin Garcia

Thursday, March 24th, 2011

This cigar was Don Pepin Garcia’s first blend when he came to the United States. I obtained a couple recently while attending a Pepin event at St. Pete Cigar. I was first introduced to this cigar a couple years ago when Jerry treated Matt, Reg, and me to one. As always, I paired up with fine Florida tap water.

 

Wrapper: Corojo Rosado Claro

Binder: Nicaragua

Filler: Nicaragua

Size: Churchill 7 x 50

Price: Around $7.00

 

Pre-Smoke and Construction:

The wrapper was a little bumpy and toothy, with a few small to medium sized veins. The wrapper had a mild woody odor, while the foot had almost no smell at all. The cigar was pretty well packed with tobacco, and had a hard spot. This probably explains a draw that was on the snug side. The pre-light draw had a faint earthy/woody flavor.

The ash held for about an inch, and the burn required no corrections. The snug draw turned out to not be an issue and loosened up a little as I smoked.

1El_Rey_De_Los_Habanos_Cigar

Flavor:

The first third had good but simple flavors. Out in front was earthiness, some nuts, and a mild sweet woodiness. Through the nose there was an easy spicy pepper.

2El_Rey_De_Los_Habanos_Cigar

The second third kept the same earthy, nutty woodiness. The smoke became creamier and stuck to the inside of the mouth. The pepper I had in the second third turned into more of a sweet spice with a little kick. As this third came to an end, the dominant flavor was mocha-ish, but those core flavors didn’t go anywhere.

3El_Rey_De_Los_Habanos_Cigar

The last third pretty much remained similar as before. One difference was the sweet aftertaste that left a tingly sensation on the lips. At times the flavor profile was exactly like it was in the first third. Other draws were just like in the second third. It basically flip flopped between the two.

4El_Rey_De_Los_Habanos_Cigar

Conclusion:

This was a good medium bodied cigar. Jerry may have eluded to this in his review… It is simple enough for a beginner, but refined enough for a seasoned smoker to enjoy. There certainly is no WOW factor, but there is nothing bad to report here. I don’t see myself pursuing more of these, but I would recommend to anyone to try these and see for yourself.

La Reloba Seleccion Habano

Thursday, March 17th, 2011

The La Reloba Seleccion Habano is a product from Don Pepin Garcia. I obtained this cigar from a Pepin event at St. Pete Cigar not long ago. This cigar is offered with a Sumarta wrapper or the Habano, which I am smoking today. As usual, I don’t have a ton of information about this cigar. All I can offer you are my thoughts. I paired this cigar with water.

 

Wrapper: Nicaraguan Habano

Binder: Nicaragua

Filler: Nicaragua

Size: Robusto 5 x 50

Price: Around $5.50

 

Pre-Smoke & Construction:

Overall, the cigar looked like it was well constructed. The wrapper had small veins with no major flaws. The wrapper and foot had a mild cedary odor. When squeezing the cigar, I found it to be very tightly packed. This probably explains why the draw was a little stiff. The pre-light draw had an interesting dark, almost musty, earthy tobacco flavor.

The burn required several small corrections, and the ash held for about an inch. The stiff draw opened up a little and wasn’t a problem.

1La_Reloba_Seleccion_Habano

Flavor:

The first third didn’t really have a build up. It started right away with a mainly dark earthiness, wood, and a decent spicy pepper. The spice was mainly noticeable when passing smoke through the sinus. A sweetness developed a little later on in this third.

2La_Reloba_Seleccion_Habano

The second third had a significant decrease in the peppery spice, but it did not go away by any means. The core flavors were wood and a sweetness that was somewhere in between cocoa and caramel. Earthy notes were noticed, but only occasionally, and far in the background.

3La_Reloba_Seleccion_Habano

The last third kept pace with the second third. The main differences was a reduction in sweetness. In turn, cedar became the dominant flavor. The peppery spice became more noticeable as well.

4La_Reloba_Seleccion_Habano

Conclusion:

This was a good medium to upper medium bodied cigar. At times the flavor profile seemed unbalanced. But most of the time it was pretty smooth and good. In the end, I enjoyed this cigar. 
This is definitely is not Pepin’s best blend, but I think it is worth a try.

March 11th, 2011 – My Father/Pepin Cigar Event

Monday, March 7th, 2011

 

Make sure to mark your calendar now for the Pepin cigar smoker event at St. Pete Cigar on March 11th, 2011 from 5PM to 8pm. See you there!

St Pete Cigar logo v2

Note from Ed:

We are launching the “First” cigar event of the year on Friday, March 11th from 5:00 pm – 8:00 pm.  We have a new line of cigars from Don Pepin Garcia and the My Father cigars.  They are very excited to be doing the first event of the year for us.

As we have done in the past, buy 3 cigars and get 1 free, buy 5 cigars and get 2 free.  When you buy a box you get 7 free cigars along with 15% off the price!  There will be great door prizes and we will be serving food.  The food is being sponsored by The Law Office of Ron Croft in Seminole Florida.
Tell all your friends to come and enjoy the event in the new cigar lounge.
Thank you again for your support.

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