cigar review
BRAND: Don Pepin Garcia
NAME: Cuban Classic 1979
TYPE: Robusto
LENGTH/RING GAUGE: 5 x 50
WRAPPER: Nicaraguan-grown Corojo 99
DATE OF PURCHASE: 6/1/2007
DATE OF RATING: 7/18/2007
TIME IN HUMIDOR (MONTHS): 1.6
LOOK AND FEEL: 91
FLAVOR AND AROMA: 91
BURN: 91
OVERALL SCORE: 91
STORAGE CONDITIONS: After purchase, these cigars stayed in their original cabinet-style box and went directly into my cabinet humidor. There they have sat, for the past month-and-a-half.
The cabinet is an Aristocrat M+ set at 69%RH and with a summer temperature varying between 69-76 degrees F. This is the first in a series of reviews of this stick.
The cabinet is an Aristocrat M+ set at 69%RH and with a summer temperature varying between 69-76 degrees F. This is the first in a series of reviews of this stick.
TASTING NOTES: Don Pepin Garcia received the rank of Tabequero Maestro while he was rolling and blending cigars in Cuba and before he left Cuba he was considered one of the top, if not THE top, roller in Cuba. He came to Miami in 2002 and founded his now-famous cigar factory, El Rey de los Habanos, and began creating the most exciting and impressive new blends on the market.
The Cuban Classic, also called the Black Label, is made in Pepin’s Nicaraguan factory and, like the Don Pepin Blue label and the Don Pepin Serie JJ, has an all-Nicaraguan blend and uses Pepin’s famous Corojo 99 wrapper.
What is truly amazing, is how many different flavor profiles Don Pepin is able to get out of his all-Nicaraguan blends. And his hybrid Corojo wrappers (i.e., Corojo 99) are absolutely gorgeous and as flavorful as any in the marketplace.
This Robusto possesses a stunning chocolate brown wrapper leaf with barely noticeable veins coursing through the leaf. After clipping the triple cap with my Xikar cutter, I take a few pre-light draws, and they are perfect. So, I torch the foot with my Blazer Torch lighter and proceed to sit back and enjoy what’s left of this beautiful summer day.
Like every other Cuban Classic that I have tried, this cigar starts with an absolute BLAST of sweet spice. The cigar is medium-bodied during the first half and also exhibits some wood and earthy characters along with an underlying spice (the sweet spicy blast subsides after the first few puffs).
By the halfway mark, this cigar is showing medium-full body and flavor and exhibits a stellar burn and draw. The medium gray ash is a bit inconsistent, leading me to tap off in regular half-inch intervals. During the second half I noted a bit of leather and roasted nuts on the palate.
This specimen has performed well and is a pleasurable smoke. This is a great little cigar and I recommend it highly.
~Doc
The Cuban Classic, also called the Black Label, is made in Pepin’s Nicaraguan factory and, like the Don Pepin Blue label and the Don Pepin Serie JJ, has an all-Nicaraguan blend and uses Pepin’s famous Corojo 99 wrapper.
What is truly amazing, is how many different flavor profiles Don Pepin is able to get out of his all-Nicaraguan blends. And his hybrid Corojo wrappers (i.e., Corojo 99) are absolutely gorgeous and as flavorful as any in the marketplace.
This Robusto possesses a stunning chocolate brown wrapper leaf with barely noticeable veins coursing through the leaf. After clipping the triple cap with my Xikar cutter, I take a few pre-light draws, and they are perfect. So, I torch the foot with my Blazer Torch lighter and proceed to sit back and enjoy what’s left of this beautiful summer day.
Like every other Cuban Classic that I have tried, this cigar starts with an absolute BLAST of sweet spice. The cigar is medium-bodied during the first half and also exhibits some wood and earthy characters along with an underlying spice (the sweet spicy blast subsides after the first few puffs).
By the halfway mark, this cigar is showing medium-full body and flavor and exhibits a stellar burn and draw. The medium gray ash is a bit inconsistent, leading me to tap off in regular half-inch intervals. During the second half I noted a bit of leather and roasted nuts on the palate.
This specimen has performed well and is a pleasurable smoke. This is a great little cigar and I recommend it highly.
~Doc
Don Pepin Garcia Cuban Classic 1979
Wednesday, July 18, 2007
