Jaime Garcia Reserva Especial
The cigar I am reviewing today was blended by Jaime Garcia, the son of Don Pepin Garcia. Jaime blended the My Father cigar in tribute to Don. I really enjoy that cigar, so when I ran across this one, I had to pick up a few sticks to review. I am an admitted Pepin whore, so with a glass of water I reviewed the Jaime Garcia Reserva Especial.
Wrapper: Connecticut broadleaf
Binder:Nicaragua
Filler: Nicaragua
Size: Toro 6 x 54
Price: Around $7.00
Pre-smoke & Construction:
The wrapper had minimal flaws, and the medium to large veins gave it a rugged look. It had a light earthy, hayish odor, while the foot had a mild sweet natural tobacco smell. There were a few soft and hard spots when squeezing the cigar, but nothing of concern. The pre-light draw was free, and had an earthy and woody taste.
The burn required a few minor corrections, and the ash held firm for an inch. At about the half way point, the cigar swelled, causing the wrapper to separate at the seam. I burned though it without issue.
Flavor:
The first third began with a smooth earthy flavor. When passing smoke through the nose, there was that familiar blast of pepper. Although strong, it wasn’t over the top. Up next was black coffee and a dark sweetness. The smoke volume was thick yet crisp. As this third came to an end, I started to pick up slight woody notes.
The second third: Way in the background I could detect slight fruity notes. Like before, the coffee was present and had that common coffee bitterness (not the bad kind). The spicy pepper smoothed out a bit, but kept it’s bite. The sweetness became similar to chocolate. Notes of earth would come and go. Some draws had it, some didn’t. Like the first third, there was a woody aftertaste. The smoke feel was still crisp but somehow took on a slight creamy feel at the same time. When taking a draw, billows of cloudy smoke filled the room.
The last third: There wasn’t any major change. The pepper did not go anywhere, but it did smooth out and become a little more tame. Other then that, there was coffee, earthy notes, chocolaty notes, woody aftertaste. It was all there and blended nicely.
Conclusion:
This was a good medium to full bodied cigar. It wasn’t a wow cigar, but delivered a relaxing smoking experience. The flavor profile was complex enough to keep things interesting. Taking the price into consideration, I think it is easily worth it. I’d smoke more of these, but I won’t go out of my way to fine them. I say give the Jaime Garcia Reserva Especial a try.
