Three high-quality cigars that never disappoint

In a recent conversation, while standing in a walk-in humidor, with someone who is at the very beginning of their journey with cigars, I was absolutely envious of him. He has the opportunity to experience so much for the very first time and there are so many cigars for him to try as he discovers his palate and his preferences.

In my early days, I had the bad habit of going slightly overboard when I found a cigar I liked, smoking it so much that there are some that I have never smoked since.

But looking at what I have been enjoying lately, I am glad that there are still three that I never left behind:

My Father Flor de las Antillas

Flor de las Antillas translated is “Flower of the Antillas” and the cigar is named for the island of Cuba, which is the largest of the Greater Antilles islands that include Jamaica and Hispaniola (consisting of Haiti and the Dominican Republic). It is, in a way, an honouring of the roots of the My Father Cigars patriarch Don Pepin Garcia, and was blended by his son, Jaime Garcia, and released in 2012. It won Cigar Aficionado’s Best Cigar of the Year that same year with a rating of 96.

Though it is listed as medium to full-bodied, I find it leans more toward medium, but doesn’t skimp on flavour. The Corojo wrapper is sun grown from the brand’s Las Marias farm in Esteli, Nicaragua and while the binder and filler are also Nicaraguan, the tobacco blend comes from Cuban tobacco seeds.

While I usually indulge in My Father Cigars’ The Judge and La Gran Oferta Robusto, I find myself coming back to the box-pressed Flor de las Antillas Toro, with its six-inch length and 52-inch ring gauge, every couple of months for its spiciness and smoothness. The hints of spice, cinnamon and pepper creep up on you from the first draw and evolve as you go through the thirds. The wrapper is light with a reddish tinge and the band blends in perfectly with an old-worldly picture prominently featured.

It never disappoints and it helps that I give myself time in between smoking to appreciate it all over again, each time I light one.

EP Carrillo Pledge Prequel

In 2014, EP Carrillo released La Historia, first of a trilogy of cigars in its Perez-Carrillo series celebrating the Perez-Carrillo family. This was followed by the Encore and the Pledge Prequel in 2020, which was Cigar Aficionado’s Cigar of the Year 2020, with a rating of 98. It’s interesting to note that the Encore Majestic was Cigar of the Year in 2018, while La Historia was ranked no. 2 in 2014.

Box-pressed, the Pledge Prequel is a Robusto with a ring gauge of 50 inches and a length of five inches, making it a relatively quick smoke but by no means boring. From beginning to end, it is full of character and flavour with a lovely draw that allows you to enjoy it without feeling like you are working. It is complex with bold and distinct flavours including liquorice and black pepper. Whenever I smoke it, I find myself rolling the smoke over my palate to try to determine what else I am tasting. And there are lingering notes on the palate once you exhale. To be honest, I can’t quite put my finger on what I am tasting but it is pleasing, regardless.

The dark, maduro-coloured tobacco wrapper is grown from a Cuban seed in the US, specifically in Connecticut, hence the name Connecticut Habano, while the binder is from Ecuador and the filler from Nicaragua, all brought together lovingly at the Tabacalera La Alianza SA factory in the Dominican Republic.

Other awards the Pledge Prequel has received, deservedly, are Cigar Journal’s Best Dominican Cigar of 2021, Tobacco Business’ Best Dominican Cigar of 2021 and Cigar Dojo’s 2020 Cigar of the Year.

Tatuaje Reserva J21

I was drawn to Tatuaje by two things. First, the word “tatuaje” is Spanish for tattoo of which I am a fan, and, second, that it is created by Pete Johnson, who is said to have gone from being a heavy metal bass guitarist to a cigar manufacturer. He worked closely with Don Pepin to develop his brand and his cigars are manufactured at the two My Father cigar factories, namely El Rey de los Habanos in Miami and Tabacalera Cubana SA in Nicaragua.

The J21 is a medium-bodied five-inch x 50-inch robusto made with a USA Connecticut Broadleaf wrapper and Nicaraguan binder and filler. It starts off gentle and earthy, retaining smoothness from beginning to end with the spiciness kicking in halfway through the first third. It is billed as a Cuban-style cigar and has a Cuban triple-cap, which is a Don Pepin signature.

While I found there wasn’t much variation in flavours as I worked my way through the thirds, the flavours are consistent and make for an easy, straightforward smoke. I believe it would be great with an XO Cognac, but didn’t have any on hand the last time I smoked it.