BRAND: Don Pepin Garcia           

NAME: Cuban Classic 1979 (Black Label)           

TYPE: Robusto           

BOX DATE: MAR 2007           

LENGTH/RING GAUGE: 5 x 50           

WRAPPER: Nicaraguan-grown Corojo 99           

DATE OF PURCHASE: 6/1/2007           

DATE OF RATING: 2/24/2008           

TIME IN HUMIDOR (MONTHS): 8.9           

LOOK AND FEEL: 93           

FLAVOR AND AROMA: 89           

BURN: 88           

OVERALL SCORE: 89.4                       

URL: http://www.elreydeloshabanos.com/           

 

The cabinet is set at 68%RH and with a winter temperature varying between 64-72 degrees F. This is the second in a series of reviews of this stick.

TASTING NOTES: The Cuban Classic, also called the Black Label, is made in Don Pepin Garcia’s Nicaraguan factory, Tabacalera Cubana (TACUBA). 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.

 

The wrapper leaf on this little stick is absolutely gorgeous. I always marvel at how perfect these wrappers look. It is a chocolate brown, with tiny veins and a ton of oil oozing at the surface. 

 

One thing different I noticed this time around, when I plucked the cigar out of its original box, I noted some traces of ammonia still present in the batch. So, these little doggies have been continuing to ferment and are slowly but surely ridding themselves of the byproducts of this fermentation. Beyond this escaping steam of ammonia, the wrapper and filler tobacco show hints of alfalfa and an underlying spice. They have a box date of March 2007, so they’ve got a year on them, but I have them stashed away in their original box in my humi and they don’t take in too much air, except when I’ve pulled them out for review.

 

Dispensing with the foreplay, I proceeded to the  clipping of the triple cap with my Xikar cutter, and lit the stick with my Blazer Pocket Torch lighter.

 

There are certain things you can count on in this life: the sun will rise in the east and set in the west, the gophers will continue to terrorize Doc’s Neighborhood, and every Cuban Classic, that I have tried, will begin with a BLAST of sweet spice, which really gets my salivary glands working overtime. The sweet spice fades quickly, however, and cigar then starts to display some alfalfa, tobacco and earthy characters. It’s medium-bodied in the first half and shows plenty of spice on the retrohale. This is a cigar that you HAVE to retrohale to get the most out of it. Trust me, the technique of retrohaling really brings out the spicy and woody characters.

Below: a “Mouse Hole in the Sidewall”

By the halfway mark, this cigar was still medium in body and flavor. The medium gray ash was a bit flaky, leading me to tap off in regular intervals. In fact, the first stick had a significant burn issue. It first displayed a “mouse hole” in the sidewall and then developed a long, sharp spike in the middle of the ash. This rock hard spike, presents an area that does not combust completely.

 

I decided to purge the cigar and I was met with a huge brushfire of colored flame, indicating that it was burning off a lot of impurities. As is my usual practice, I always smoke two cigars of the cigar I am reviewing/rating. In most cases, if the two cigars smoke similarly, I don’t mention it, but in the event that I get a real difference, I have to make note (and average the scores). In this case, the second stick burned just fine and there were no issues.

 

However, it brings up a regular gripe from me; and that is that the cigars made by Don Pepin, whether in the Miami or Nicaragua factories, exhibit too many burn issues. In my opinion, Don Pepin smokes have not yet achieved the consistency of construction as is found in, say, Fuente, Padrón or Davidoff. Hopefully, this is an issue that will be successfully addressed over time, since so many of Don Pepin’s blends are oh so good.

Below: A Sharp Spike in the Ash

During the second half I noted a bit of leather and roasted nuts on the palate with continued spice on the retrohale. The Cuban Classic continues to be my favorite of the Don Pepin Garcia brand, rivaled only by the El Centurión. When these cigars perform well, they are rich and flavorful and display truly great flavors. On the other hand, they sometimes can be flat and evil tasting if they don’t have proper age or construction.

 

~Doc_