PRE-RELEASE La Dueña by My Father Cigars & Tatuaje

Today's review is a pre-release sample that I picked up on my recent trip to the My Father Factory. La Dueña (translates to The Owner in English) is a cigar line that is blended by Pete Johnson (owner of Tatuaje Cigars) specifically for Janny Garcia, the owner of My Father Cigars. This will be the first line of cigars to be made just for Janny's taste and, I believe, the first cigar Pete has blended for the My Father company.

I got a chance to smoke multiples of this cigar in all the different sizes (except petite lancero), so I think I have a pretty good take on the profile and what Pete and Janny were going for with this release. The sample I used for this review I actually got in Miami at the My Father headquarters, so I am going to guess it had a bit more age on it than all of the sticks I smoked in Nicaragua.

(Due to the size of this cigar, this review is only in two parts instead of the traditional thirds.)

Specifics
Vitola: Petite Robusto 
Length: 4.5
Ring Gauge: 52
Wrapper: Connecticut broadleaf
Binder: Nicaraguan
Filler: Nicaraguan
Price: $?
Smoking Location: New Havana Cigars
Beverage: water

Pre-Light 

The first thing I noticed when looking over my La Dueña were the visual differences in the broadleaf being used on the wrapper. Broadleaf tends to be pretty rough-looking in my opinion, but that was not the case with this cigar. The color was a consistent dark brown with virtually no variance in it at all. There were minimal veins and just a slight bit of tooth. Holding the cigar in the palm of my hand, it had some weight to it; so even with its small format, I didn't think it would be a super short smoke time. The un-lit aroma was very sweet, with hints of cocoa and earth. The cold draw was perfect with just a slight resistance and tasted heavily of dried fruit and sweetness. I actually commented that it reminded me of Fruit Roll Ups snacks.   

First Half   

My La Dueña lit up easily and and produced a lot of flavor from the first puff. The profile started out with a big bang of dark bitter chocolate and earth notes on the front, mixing perfectly with black pepper on the finish. The difference with this cocoa flavor is hard to describe, as it's not the same chocolate profile I tend to get from Mexican San Andreas wrappers. The taste seemed way more refined and clean. Speaking of clean, the peppery finish didn't lay heavy or feel like it was burning my taste buds, but instead left my palate nicely after a minute or so, making me want another draw. The construction was excellent and the the nicotine strength fell in the medium range. I do want to mention that this is not a cigar for a long ash competition. The ash holds strong for a little over an half inch and then starts to break.

Second Half and Final Thoughts

The second half of my La Dueña had some change-ups in the flavor profile which were most noticeable on the front. The dark chocolate turned into a sweet, dry cocoa flavor that really increased the the spice of the black pepper finish. For me, if the first half wasn't good enough, this took it to a whole new level. I love spicy cigars that maintain flavor balance and the second half of this cigar is a perfect example of exactly that. The construction was top notch the whole way, never needing a re-light or correction at any point during the smoking experience. Toward the end of the second half, I felt the nicotine strength of the cigar increased a little and I would put it in the medium- to lower-full range.

Final thoughts on the La Dueña by My Father Cigars? This is my favorite cigar out of all the new releases I smoked on my trip. There are a lot of other good sticks coming out this year from My Father and Tatuaje, but, for me, this blend was the shining star. The rich, deep flavors on the front turning lighter and sweeter in the second half with the addition of classic peppery finish was exactly what I found myself looking for when reaching into the bag of goodies Pete was carrying around. I'm foreseeing the future "Best of 2012" lists and La Dueña will be close to the top, if not the top cigar, for many of them.

Would I buy it again? All day, everyday.

Would I buy a box? Is there a waiting list? I'd like to be on it. Box purchase for sure.

Dan

Dan's Best of 2011 Cigars

Every year most blogs put out a end of the year "best of" list.  I myself haven't ever done one before, so this is my first attempt. All of the opinions in this list are my own and do not reflect my partner's favorites of the year. Maybe I can talk Mario into making his own list but I can't make any promises. So here we go...my top five cigars of 2011.

#5 - My Father El Hijo

The My Father El Hijo was the third release in the Smoke Inn's Micro Blend series made exclusively for their shops in Florida. I was completely blown away by this cigar and I will write it again like I did in my full review: in my opinion, this is the best cigar ever made with the My Father brand name attached to it. Lots of spice, cedar and a robust caramel flavor fill this cigar's taste profile making it flavorful and unique.  Full review here.

#4 - Emilio Cigars Grimalkin

I smoked two different blends from Emilio Cigars this year and, while both were decent sticks, the second one I tried (Grimalkin) gave me what probably was my biggest surprise of the year. I had heard about this cigar and the rumblings of who may or may not have made it, but I never felt any real urgency to smoke the samples I had. If I only knew then what I know now. The Grimalkin had a distinct vegetable-like flavor profile mixed with more traditional black pepper. My smoking partner and I both nubbed these and were equally stunned by our findings.  Full review here.

#3 - Padron SI 15 Maduro

Just like my #5 cigar of the year, the Padron SI 15 comes from the Smoke Inn Micro Blend series. This stick proved just how wrong I could be about my constant proclaiming that smaller ring gauge cigars are always better. Coming in at a 6 x 60 vitola the Padron SI-15 is every bit as massive as it sounds, not only in physical size, but also in flavor. Dark chocolate and coffee notes dominate the flavor profile (and with a lot of strength to back it up.) I would put this stick up against any Padron Family Reserve release and say it would beat it.  Full review here.

#2 - Illusione Epernay Le Taureau

For the last few years, every time I smoked any size of the Illusione Epernay I always asked myself, "Why don't I smoke more of these?" Well in 2011, I did just that and put the Epernay line into the front of my normal rotation of cigars. Toward the end of this year, New Havana Cigars got a small shipment of new sizes of the Epernay and I think one of them (the Le Taureau) is the best vitola yet in the line. This 56 ring gauge cigar has a ton of power, but even more than that, it has a ton of flavor. I will still hold to my statement in the review that the Epernay is the single-most balanced blend on the market today in premium cigars.  Full review here.

#1 - Tatuaje La Vérité 2009

Taking the number one spot for me this year (and on my first ever top 5 list) will come as no surprise if you have talked to me about cigars in the last 6 months, have seen some of my twitter updates when people are talking "best of", or if you happened to catch my guest spot on Kiss My Ash Radio. I've not been able to stop praising this cigar and I honestly think it is well deserved. The Tatuaje Vérité 2009 is clearly the stand out cigar of the year. The blend is extremely complex in flavor and the experience of smoking one of these makes you feel like you are enjoying something special. Pete Johnson and the team at My Father cigars outdid themselves on this one and I am very happy that I have a decent supply. I can't begin to express how much I am looking forward to the 2010 version. Full review here.


Well that's it. Thanks for reading my top five cigars for 2011. I hope that you agree with some and maybe disagree with others.  Please leave a comment and tell me what you think. I'll wrap up this post with a few honorable mentions that just barely missed the list.


Honorable Mentions:
Surrogates Cigars Bone Crusher - Very strong cigar that is perfect when looking for something heavy. Not in limited quantities like a lot of other releases this year, which is a plus.  (review)

Subculture Studios MY UZI WEIGHS A TON - Another 6 x 60 sized cigar, but another easily enjoyed. Easy to smoke and solid medium strength, flavorful cigar.  (review)

Illusione MK Ultra - This is the cigar I was most excited to be released this year and it delivered. Classic Illusione taste ramped up into a  more powerful cigar.  (review)

Dan

REVIEW:: My Father Commemorative 9/11 blend 343

I just received a few samples of this cigar from our friends at Top Quality Cigars. I first heard about them when my business partner Mario returned from a trip to Chicago where he hung out with some of the people involved in the project.

A quote about the project and the cigars form the Top Quality Cigars website: "This whole process has been very secretive; Jeffrey Holst, a Battalion Chief from Firehouse No. 1 in Lombard, IL brought to us the idea of doing something special to commemorate the 343 fallen Firefighters of 9/11. We approached Jaime Garcia with this idea and he graciously accepted to blend and create this highly special extremely limited cigar, each box will contain 9 Ecuadorian Habano Rosado wrapped cigars and 11 Nicaraguan Habano Oscuro wrapped cigars. The size best described as a Toro 5 1/2" x 54. This will be a special size created by Jaime just for this cigar. $40.00 from the sale of each box will be donated to a designated charity of the fallen heroes of 9/11, these cigars are rich complex with medium to full body, everyone will enjoy, so buy them while they last"

For this review I'm trying out the Habano Rosado wrapper version.

Specifics
Vitola: Robusto extra?
Length: 5.5
Ring Gauge: 54
Wrapper: Nicaraguan Habano Rosado
Binder: Undisclosed
Filler: Undisclosed
Price: $10.00
Smoking Location: my back deck
Beverage: Water

Pre-Light 

The 54 ring gauge of this cigar was deceiving because when I held it in my hand it felt bigger. Maybe my hands are shrinking because I seem to be thinking that a lot lately. The wrapper was dry and very smooth with a few decent sized veins that didn't look as if they would have any impact on the burn. The color of the cigar was a medium to light brown with reddish tints. The pre-lit aroma was faint and smelled the most strongly at the open foot of fermented tobacco. Clipping the cap was no trouble and the cold draw had a strong black licorice taste. 

First Third   

When first lit I was blasted with a strong spicy black pepper that I have grown to love from My Father Cigars. The spice most most noticeable on the roof on my mouth and on the sides of my tongue. The finish on the profile was also full of black pepper but left a dry feeling on my palate, not unlike the dry feeling you get after drinking something like apple cider. The draw was great and the construction top notch. About an inch into the smoke, the lovely pepper was still going strong but I started to get some harshness on the finish in the back of my throat. This was not very pleasant. The strength was in the medium range.

Second Third  

The second third of my My Father 9/11 was still dominated by black pepper on the front, but on the finish I got some slight hints of coffee. This was nice, but unfortunately with that coffee came some bitter taste that only added to the uncomfortable harshness on the end of each puff. I started to smoke the cigar slower than I normally would do and this seemed to tone down the harshness a lot, so I would recommend to anyone getting some unpleasantness from this cigar to take it slowly. Just like the first third, the draw was great and the construction perfect. I'd say the strength by this point was leaning more into the full area.

Final Third and Final Thoughts 

It didn't get any better for me in the final third of my My Father 9/11. The pepper that I normally love was being overpowered by the bitterness from the finish and actually made each draw kind of rough to take. I continued to smoke the stick because every now and then I got some nice coffee tastes, but not enough to make me take it all the way to the nub. The strength was definitely in the full power mode and the amount of smoke the stick produced seemed to ramp up even more.

 

My final thoughts on the My Father Commemorative 9/11 blend 343? I'm not sure if these still have some aging to do or if I got a bad stick, but this was not the normal precision flavor blending that I know come out of the My Father camp. The cigar seemed unbalanced and rough around the edges. I have a sample of the Oscuro-wrapped version of this stick, so I look forward to seeing what that will bring and see if is more to my liking.

Would I buy it again? I would buy another single to see if the experience is the same or if something was just off with this particular stick

Would I buy a box? At this point I would not buy a box

Dan

REVIEW: Jaime Garcia Reserva Especial Limited Edition

A few Sundays ago, the Cigar Explorer crew headed to Casa De Montecristo in Chicago for the national release party of the new stick Jaime Garcia Reserva Especial Limited Edition, blended by its namesake, Jaime Garcia. Jamie released the first cigar to carry his name (the Jaime Garcia Reserva Especial) last year, and followed up this year with the Limited Edition version -- which goes hand in hand with what the My Father company has been doing the past 2 years...one regular release of a line and one limited.  The difference between the limited edition and the regular release is the filler used in the cigar. The now-famous Pelo de Oro tobacco is used, as well as a few other slight changes to the percetages of the other types of tobacco included to round out the cigar.

I spoke with our good friends Janny Garcia and Jose Ortega of the My Father Company at the event for a long time about many new projects, but what's funny is we didn't ever talk about this cigar, so I don't have any quotes for the readers. That's not to say that they weren't very excited for the new stick; it's more to say that they have so many projects on the horizon that we could fill hours just talking about the future.

As always, it was a great party at Casa de Montecristo. Let's see if the cigar was just as good.

Specifics

Vitola: Toro
Length: 6 1/2
Ring Gauge: 52
Wrapper: Connecticut Broadleaf
Binder: Nicaraguan
Filler: Nicaraguan
Price:  $16.00
Smoking Location: My Back Deck
Beverage: water

Pre-Light 

The Jamie Garcia is a stunning looking cigar. The wrapper leaf was a near flawless dark brown shade with only one noticeable seam line. The extra band added to this cigar to distinguish it from the normal release was nicely designed. I really like the color choices used in the graphics. There's something about the blue, brown, and gold that gave a sophisticated yet still modern feel. The triple cap clipped easily and the cold draw had a nice dried fruit taste to it. I'm happy to report that after my last two reviews where the draw started tight, this cigar was not showing any of those problems. The pre-lit aroma was of a heavy cedar and wood smell. (Something to note about the photos in this review: I smoked this cigar outside on a windy day. The normal long ash photos weren't possible to capture.)

First Third   

Even with the wind problem, lighting my Jaime Garcia Reserva Especial Limited Edition was easy. A few flicks of the flame and we were off and running. Right out of the gate, the cigar produced a strong black pepper flavor on the front of each draw that really woke up my taste buds. I was expecting this and happily got it. The finish was heavily dominated by the black pepper also, but I did pick up hints of cinnamon spice mixed in. If you've read my reviews before you might remember this is one of my favorite flavors in cigars (and in anything really.) If the flavors came quickly from this cigar, so did the power. I could tell with only a few pufs in that this was going to be one hell of a strong cigar. Full strength from the get-go. A little over an inch into the stick, I started to get some flavors of coffee mixing in. The burn was great even with the wind and the ash was solid.

Second Third  

The second third of my Jaime Garcia Reserva Especial Limited Edition had the coffee flavor pick up in intensity. The front of each draw was no longer completely dominated by pepper, but was more a mixture of a toned down pepper and black coffee. It was an interesting mix of flavors. The finish on the cigar in the second third was where I had a bit of a problem. The flavor of the finish had turned into a deep leathery note that was kind of dirty tasting. I'm not sure how to describe it, but the best I can do is say it tasted dirty and left my mouth feeling unpleasant. None of this flavor was in the first third of the cigar so something must have changed. I must mention again that this is a strong cigar. By this point of the smoking experience, I could feel my heart rate picking up and the nicotine effecting my head. Just like the first third, there were no problems with the burn or construction.

Final Third and Final Thoughts 

The final third of my Jaime Garcia Reserva Especial Limited Edition was a little better than the second third. I have no issues with the front profile of flavors with the pepper and coffee; it was the finish that still troubled me a bit. The dirty taste had subsided for the most part, but I got a taste of it in maybe one out of every seven or eight puffs. It was not enough for me to end the cigar early, but just when I thought maybe it had gone away for good, I would get that flavor again on an exhale. Annoying. I nubbed the cigar and my head was in full spin mode from the power. I didn't get the sick spins, but if I had not eaten beforehand, I bet I would have. Perfect My Father construction with no relights.

My final thoughts on the Jaime Garcia Reserva Especial Limited Edition? Was Jaime trying to hurt someone with this cigar? Phew. This is one powerful stick. If you're a guy who loves full strength, this cigar is for you. Overall, I would say it was a good cigar, but not a great cigar. The flavors in the first third were right up my alley, but the transition the cigar made in the second third and on into the final third were not what I look for in a My Father brand cigar. I love almost everything from My Father brand cigars. This one fell just a bit short for me.

Would I buy it again? I would like to smoke another one of these in the future to see if anything happens with age, but I don't see myself buying more than maybe one.

Would I buy a box?  This is a very expensive box of cigars. I will be passing at this time.

Dan

REVIEW: My Father El Hijo

Today's cigar review is for the third installment of Smoke Inn's fifteenth anniversary celebration releases. A little background: Smoke Inn is a group of shops in Florida that commissioned some of today's top manufacturers to make special releases for their fifteenth year in business. Last November we had the Tatuaje Anarchy (which I reviewed here) and, in April, the Padron SI-15 (which I reviewed here). Now it's July and Abe (Owner of Smoke Inn) sent to me two of the next release -- 'the My Father El Hijo (translates to 'the son' in English).

The My Father El Hijo is a slightly box pressed robusto with a small open brush foot. From what I am told, it's similar to the My Father blend used in the full line releases, but with a specially-selected wrapper.  There were only 650 boxes of these little guys made, so I suggest if you want some to put in a pre-order on Smoke Inn's website very soon.

Specifics

Vitola: Robusto
Length: 5.5
Ring Gauge: 52
Wrapper: 2009 Ecuadorian habano
Binder: Nicaraguan
Filler: Nicaraguan
Price:  $9.75 in full boxes of 15
Smoking Location: New Havana Cigars
Beverage: water

Pre-Light 

The My Father El Hijo is a beautiful looking cigar. The wrapper is a nice medium brown tone with minimal veins and a perfectly-hidden seam. The slight box press reminds me of what Padron does to a lot of their cigars and it felt nice in my hand. I know they left the foot of the cigar unfinished intentionally, so you can "get the taste of the blend without the wrapper", but with about an eighth of an inch unwrapped, how much of that is just going to burn off while lighting the cigar? It looks interesting though, so no harm, no foul. The pre-lit aroma was earthy and leathery. The cold draw tasted like cedar with a touch of spice. The wrapper had a great cold draw flavor that reminded me of dried fruit, or a citrus-y orange flavor. Very tasty.

First Third   

Lighting my My Father El Hijo was easy, and yes -- maybe I did get one or two puffs of the unfinished foot part of the cigar before hitting the wrapper. The flavors blasted out from the beginning were some classic Pepin spice (which was most dominate taste-wise on the roof of my mouth) mixed with a nice sweet cedar flavor on the finish. The spice and sweet played nicely with one other and had a perfect melting point where they met on the flavor profile. The cigar produced a lot of smoke with each draw and quickly filled the room where my smoking partner and I were sitting. The strength was in the medium to full range and was very relaxing. No construction problems and no burn issues at all.

Second Third  

The second third of my My Father El Hijo was where the cigar, in my opinion, went from good to really great. The flavors took a switch up and the overall feel of the smoke got thick and slick smooth. There were still hints of the peppery spicy flavor I love (especially when mingling with my sinuses), but now the front end of the profile was dominated by a robust caramel flavor. My smoking partner described it to me as a Hershey's Rolos taste. Mixing along with this caramel taste was a sweet cedar, which seemed to pick up in strength on the finish. This was a fantastically delicious part of the cigar. I really felt like I was smoking a new classic. The strength of the cigar picked up slightly and reached more into the full range, but not enough to make me uncomfortable.

Final Third and Final Thoughts 

The final third of my My Father El Hijo didn't have much more to report in contrast from the second third (for which I can gladly say that I was happy.) The flavors from the second third -- the spice, caramel, and cedar -- were all in perfect balance and tasted great. As I neared the nub, it started to heat up a bit so I put it down because I didn't want to ruin the great flavors I had going on. The strength stayed right about the same in the lower end of full, and the construction/burn was never anything to be worried about from start to finish.

My final thoughts on the My Father El Hijo? This is the best release in the My Father line of cigars to date. I've smoked most of the releases in this line (including both years Limited Editions) and I think they all are sub-par to this one. The flavors in this stick were so strong, yet not overpowering, which made for a fantastic and enjoyable smoking experience. I would even go so far as to suggest making it the regular release blend, as Smoke Inn really has a winner on their hands here. Once these hit the market, I don't think they will last long.

Would I buy it again? I will be buying more of this cigar. This is a stick that I could smoke on a weekly basis. I love the size, too. Great for just over an hour of smoking time.

Would I buy a box? With the limited amount of these being made, I would hate to miss out on them. These are box-worthy.

Dan