Don Pepin Garcia My Father No. 4

I’ve often considered lanceros, but I’ve never tried one due to the fact that they always seem so delicate. I’m afraid I’ll break it just in handling. So it’s kind of good that there are two cigars on the CotM list that specify a lancero vitola. Though the Cohiba Lancero review will have been posted first, this is the first one I am actually reviewing. I’ve had the My Father 1922 le Bijou line before, but not the traditional My Father blend, but I hear it’s spicy and flavorful.

Statistics

CotM: June 2013







Chosen by: myfirstandlastname

myfirstandlastname





Shape: Parejo







Size: 7 “1/2 x 38

7





Country of Origin: Nicaragua







Wrapper: Ecuadorian Habano-Rosado







Binder: Nicaraguan







Filler: Nicaraguan







Color: Rosado







Strength: Medium-Full



Medium-Full





Price Paid: $8.87







Smoke Date: 8/05/2013

8/05/2013





Age: 1 month

Accessories Used

Cuban Crafters Perfect Cutter (Silver & Carbon Fiber), Bugatti B-2002 lighter with “pyramid” double-flame torch, Handmade English walnut ashtray made by wedgewoodrings, and a “Waiter’s Friend” bottle opener.

Pairing

New Belgium 1554 Enlightened Black Ale served in a pilsner glass. This beer is an obscure Belgian style black ale made from a recipe found in an old Belgian book written in 1554. It has some wine-like character. Fairly complex, but not too heavy. The complexity of the beer and the cigar played off each other. It was like watching two chess masters battle, only tastier.

Appearance/Nose

Everything about this stick was lovely. The wrapper is flawless, oily, and chocolate-brown. It has a neat triple cap and pigtail. The band is fairly ornate, with lots of gold leaf and delicate embossing on a background of varying shades of pink. It is almost floral in its design. The nose was peppery and bready.

Construction

This cigar looked to be constructed immaculately. The seams were barely visible, and the triple cap was on perfectly. I’ve heard that some lanceros have draw issues, but I had absolutely no issue with the draw on this one. The ash fell off suddenly after the first 3/4 inch, then held on for over an inch, then fell early again. Very unpredictable ash.

Cold Draw

A cold draw was very tight. It revealed some bready, almost yeast flavors.

Smoking

First third

The first few puffs were very powerful. A big blast of black and red peppers, coffee, cocoa, all balanced out by a caramel blanket.

This flavor set continued well into the first inch. The draw opened up a bit, but remained on the tight side. Not tight enough to cause any problems. The smoke production was huge after each puff, pouring out of both ends.

Between puffs, it settled down to medium smoke production. At this point, I absolutely loved the flavors coming off this lancero. There was a sweet floral taste that replaced some of the cocoa and red pepper notes, leaving a satisfying blend of black pepper, caramel, flowers, and coffee.

The retrohale burned with strong pepper, and made me feel alive.

Second third

Up to this point, the ash had been rather unpredictable, alternating between hanging on for over an inch, and falling off at half an inch.

The burn was razor-sharp the whole time, owing largely to the slim ring gauge. The flavor transformed into a milder mix of cream and black pepper.

The smoke production increased a bit here. Towards the end of the middle third, an earthy, bready note reminiscent of the cold draw joined the mix. Sublime!

Final third

Moving into the final third, a sweetness re-emerged, reminiscent of honey and flowers.

The retrohale still stung with a powerful black pepper. The ash continued to be unpredictable, and I found myself dropping it off at the 3/4 inch mark to avoid letting it land in my lap. For a 38RG, I think it was pretty respectable.

The smoke remained creamy, sweet, and peppery until the (not bitter) end.

Notes

Draw: Tight

Tight





Body: Medium-full

Medium-full





Primary Flavors: Black pepper, caramel, cream, fresh bread

Black pepper, caramel, cream, fresh bread





Smoke Output: Medium-full

Medium-full





Smoke Time: 1 hour, 50 minutes

Overall

This was an excellent transformative stick. I don’t know if it was the length that contributed to its many transformations, but either way, it was thoroughly enjoyable from beginning to end. The flavors started off strong and spritely, and gradually grew more mellow and creamy down the seven and a half inches of the cigar. The length definitely led to a nice long smoke time, and the thinness made for a flavorful and even burn. The lancero vitola in general is very elegant feeling, and the construction on this one was elegant as well.

Rating