My Father Cigars celebrates a milestone with the release of the Don Pepin Garcia 20th Anniversary Limited Edition.
It’s hard to believe I was in the cigar industry longer than the brand Don Pepin Garcia was around. I remember when a rep whom I believed was named Glen Gutin came into the store I was a partner in. He was pushing a cigar and said, “This guy is going to change the industry.” We smoked them, loved them and ordered them. There were three brands and within two weeks of their arrival they all unraveled on the shelf. Definitely not the first impression to have. Thankfully this was an anomaly and My Father Cigars was born.
Originally released in 2003, the Don Pepin Blue would change the cigar industry with a blend for the new cigar smoker. It offered strength, spice and a hearty profile that didn’t exist at the time. While the cigar boom happened in the 90s, the cigar revolution didn’t begin until the 2000s as smokers moved away from tired old brands looking for something new and exciting and Don Pepin Garcia was one of those brands.
Cigar Review: Don Pepin Garcia 20th Anniversary
Size: Toro Extra (6.5 x 52)
Wrapper: Nicaraguan Habano 2000
Binder: Nicaraguan
Filler: Nicaraguan (Including Pelo de Oro)
Debut: August 2023
Box Count: 20
Final Smoking Time: 2 hours 23 minutes
The Cigar: Featuring an oversized stylish version of the Don Pepin Garcia blue label, the band has a myriad of colors. A blue ribbon foot band denotes the year, 2023. The Habano 2000 wrapper has a slight reddish hue to it with a few notable thin veins. In the hand the cigar is firm a hefty weight a swirl of dark tobacco at the foot believed to be the Pelo de Oro.
The Taste: The cold draw of the Don Pepin Garcia 20th Anniversary has a cayenne pepper and an old bay seasoning taste profile to it with a little bit of kimchi thrown into the mix. Meanwhile, the aroma from the foot is more traditional with hints of mocha, brown sugar and cedar. Talk about contrast!
Once toasted and lit the cayenne pepper hits quick but it fades to that quintessential Pepin spice that his cigars are known for. As things settle down around the first half inch notes of caramel and cocoa intertwine over a cedar base canvas. The first third closes out with some kimchi like flavors that I attribute to the Pelo de Oro. The retrohale is smooth with a subtle spice and caramel that elongates the finish.
Moving on to the 2nd third the cigar begins to become even more complex. There are notes of red pepper, coffee, caramel and cocoa over a cedar base note. As we cross the halfway point the spice kicks it up a notch and the notes are joined by peanuts, cinnamon and a rich espresso. The retrohale has some cacao and subtle pepper that creates a dry finish.
As we smoke the final third notes of cayenne pepper make an another appearance with hints of cedar, earth, nuts and mocha making this an extremely flavorful and complex cigar. The retrohale still offers subtle pepper with cacao and wood.
Conclusion: The Don Pepin Garcia 20th Anniversary is limited to 5,000 boxes with only 3,900 available in the US with the rest going to international markets. As with most of the My Father Cigars limited editions it contains the storied Pelo de Oro tobacco in the filler. This tobacco is one of my favorite tobaccos but it rarely produced as it is susceptible to blue mold making it risky to grow for tobacco farmers. However it seems the Garcia family has mastered growing this in small quantities for the limited edition cigars. As a fan of this strain of tobacco this cigar fires on all cylinders for me. While I do question the price of the cigar it was definitely worth the price of admission.
Score: 94
Price: $40.00 (Before Local & State Taxes)
