The cigar:
My Father is easily my favorite brand. Not only do they make great cigars under their own label but they produce tobacco and roll cigars for other companies as well. Nearly everything they make is fantastic. This cigar is to celebrate the 10th anniversary of the brand.
- Wrapper: Ecuadorian habano rosado
- Binder: dual binder of Nicaraguan habano and corojo 2006
- Filler: Nicaragua including some of the highly sought after pelo de oro leaf
- Size: 6.5″ x 52
- Price: ~$23
First Impressions:
- Impeccably packaged in an individual cedar coffin with beautiful banding.
- Very firm throughout except for the foot which fills very loose. Feels heavy for its size.
- Chocolate brown wrapper with a few mottled spots and a few of the edges lifting off the cigar.
- I’ve had 5 of these in the last few months and this is the worst looking specimen of them all but is still a well-made, attractive cigar
Pre-light:
- Foot smells of cedar, fermentation, and dried fruit
- Cap was cut with a v-cutter
- Pre-light draw is open and free flowing, tasting of chocolate and red pepper
First third
- First few puffs are purely black and red pepper
- Settles down into a spicy blend
- Top note is clearly spicy black and red pepper with everything else playing a distant second
- There is a taste of cedar, grilled meat, a bit of cilantro and a distinct, tongue-tingling minty after taste on the finish
- Aroma is spice, leather and cedar with a bit of burnt coffee
- Construction is flawless
Middle third
- Aroma of toasted marshmallows, caramel, and light roasted coffee
- Pepper has died down considerably, minty aftertaste is still somewhat present but subdued
- This is now spiced chocolate with some subtle woodsy, earthy, nutty flavors in the background
- Of the 5 I’ve had in the last 2 months, this one is the most mild. My memories of the others are a spicy pepper bomb all the way through. I kind of miss that. I like to be thrilled and entertained when I smoke a cigar and this one just isn’t doing it like the others
- Ash is holding on into the 2nd third. It could probably hold even longer but I don’t want it to land in my lap so I tap it off. It actually requires a pretty firm tap to release
- Razor sharp, straight burn line all the way around
- As I near the end of the middle third, some of the intense flavors start to return, thankfully. The peppery notes have intensified and that minty, tongue-tingly finish has returned
Final third:
- Aroma has changed considerably. The sweet, caramel and marshmallow are now gone and replaced by aromatic pine (maybe pinion wood?) and pleasantly burnt milk chocolate
- The pepper and mint are the key flavors now with undertones of wood, earth, and coffee
- Wow… a little bit of nutmeg and charred tomato suddenly
- It’s becoming incredibly complex with flavors of charred lamb with Thai curry seasoning and a distinctly minty aftertaste
- The flavors are intense and satisfying
- Black pepper in the front of the tongue with red pepper capsaicin in the back of the throat
- The minty aftertaste is undeniable. I have that fresh brushed cooling sensation in my mouth when I inhale cool, fresh air
- I get a warming sensation on the soft palate and nasopharynx as the cigar finishes similar to a warm scotch or brandy
Impressions:
- Strength: medium
- Taste: 9
- Aroma: 9
- Construction: 9
- Value: 7
Overall Score: 9
This is a fantastic cigar. There were only a few things holding it back from a perfect score. First of all, the price is very steep but considering it’s one of the best cigars on the market, I gave it a moderately-high value score. Unfortunately, of the 5 of these I’ve had in the last 2 months, this particular stick was the least of them. If I had reviewed one of the other previous smokes, it very well may have landed a perfect 10 score. The construction, in terms of smoke-ability, was flawless but, aesthetically, it has some flaws including the seams of the wrapper lifted off the cigar in a few places. This did not affect smoke-ability but did detract from the construction score a bit. Also, the foot of the cigar was slightly under-filled which made it burn too quickly at first and shortened the time of enjoyment slightly. Also, the middle third of the cigar was very lackluster which is highly unusual for this particular cigar and I can’t explain what happened. Granted, I’m being a bit nit-picky here but, after all, it is a $23 cigar. I expect perfection!
All in all, it’s a great cigar and well worth the price of admission. Smoke it if you can find it!
Oklahoma Cigars 