This was September’s cigar pick for our monthly club. I was excited to see that it was a Don Pepin Garcia pick this time, and one that I had not had before.
I smoked 2 of them before writing this post, one Saturday afternoon, and one Sunday evening. The first one started out a bit hot and very spicy, but quickly mellowed into a mild-to-medium smoke with hints of leather. The second one wasn’t hot at all, was smooth all the way through, and I got the same hints of leather and some earth tones to it. There was plenty of smoke and the flavor was quite good, but I think that I still liked the Blue Label better.
The cigar burned a bit unevenly towards the end, but this didn’t affect the flavor or quality at all, in my opinion. I look forward to smoking the other 4 sticks I got.
Don Pepin Garcia, Herfers.com Club
Don Pepin Garcia Vegas Cubanas
This one has been sitting in the humidor for a couple of months now. I bought it because it was a Pepin Garcia cigar, and like all of his others ones, I thought it was really good.
The previous night before I smoked this black-banded classic, I smoked a Tatuaje Torpedo, probably my favorite or 2nd favorite of his cigars, so in my opinion the Cuban Classic didn’t quite measure up. Don’t get me wrong, it was a great smoke, but I didn’t care for it as much as I liked the Tatuaje. I will probably pickup another one of these to try again at some point, especially if I find a deal online for a 5-pack or something. My tastes weren’t all that on-target this night, I couldn’t really taste anything specific, perhaps some nutmeg but I am not too sure. Definately leaves room for me to smoke another one at some point.
Don Pepin Garcia
don pepin garcia cuban classic
I’ve been wanting to try these smokes for a while now, and I am glad that I finally ordered some. I got them from www.joecigar.com
The cigar started strong with a lot of smoke. It stayed strong all the way to the end, giving good tastes of wood and perhaps some nutty flavor that I couldn’t place. The draw was near perfect. The only thing that disappointed me was that it kept going out. I had to re-light it literally about 10 times during the course of the smoke. I was waiting only 1-3 minutes in between puffs, so it should have stayed lit much better, in my opinion. It could be the fact that I smoked the cigar right when I received it in the mail and if it had been kept in a very moist place, it could have been too humid. So the other 2 sticks I got, I am going to leave in the humidor for a couple of weeks before trying to smoke them again.
Don Pepin Garcia
cigar reviews, Don Pepin Garcia
Every since I read the article in this month’s Aficianado Magazine about Don Pepin Garcia and all the different cigars he wraps, I’ve wanted to try one of these San Cristobals. These smokes are wrapped by Don Pepin and produced by Ashton. Click here for some more info on that relationship.
This was a great smoke, just like almost every other Pepin Garcia cigar I have had. It started smooth and ended very smooth, I smoked it down to the very end. It did start to get a little hot towards the end, but it wasn’t too hot to smoke. There was plenty of smoke and the draw was very easy. I rate this cigar at an A-.
Now having said all that, I don’t think that I would smoke this cigar on a regular basis. I’d like to try 1 or 2 more of the Vitolas but frankly after I try them I probably won’t buy any more. They are great smokes, but they taste very similar to the Don Pepin Garcia Black-Label Line or the Tatuajes. And since the San Cristobals are $2-$3 higher than the other 2, I will probably stick with the cheaper ones.
Ashton, Don Pepin Garcia, San Cristobal
cigars, Don Pepin Garcia, grapevine, San Cristobal
Since I have been so impressed with the Tatuaje and Don Pepin brands of cigars, I decided to try yet another Pepin signature Cigar. For those who don’t know “El Rey do los Habanos” translates in spanish to King of the Cuban Cigars, and is also the name of Don Pepin Garcia’s Cigar Shop in Miami, FL. There was an article about it in the latest issue of Cigar Aficianodo.
This cigar started out bitter and stayed that way through the first 1/3 of the smoke. After that it developed a taste that would be like any old $2 cigar that you might buy in a gas station humidor. Being that is was from Pepin, I was not at all impressed. The thought crossed my mind that it might have been stored improperly from the shop I got it from, but it is a good shop in Arlington that has a good reputation, so I can’t imagine that is the case. I might go ahead and try another, just to give it the benefit of the doubt, but I expected alot more from a Pepin Cigar. Right now, I’d rate it at a C-
The vitola I smoked is the one at the bottom on this photo.
Don Pepin Garcia, El Rey De Los Habanos
Don Pepin Garcia, El Rey De Los Habanos, Tatuaje
I know that I have said this before, but this cigar was one of the smoothest smokes I have ever had. This Don Pepin Garcia Black Edition (“Black Label”) 1950 Toro, 6 x 52 started cool, smooth and tasty and it stayed cool almost all the way to the end. At the very last it did start to warm up a bit, but it never got too hot, IMO. There was PLENTY of smoke also, which made for a thick and spicy aroma. Compared to Pepin’s Tatuaje line, I think this Black Label rates just beneath it, but it also costs $1-$1.50 less than the Havana VI Nobles. I would rate this cigar at an A-.
Don Pepin Garcia
Don Pepin Garcia, Tatuaje