Tracking the release of cigars globally can be a frustrating exercise because getting my hands on some of them is, at times, a complicated process. Cigars remain niche in this country; as a result, manufacturers generally do not prioritise the South African or broader African markets. I am dependent on it making financial sense for my cigar contact to bring them in. With others, friends who travel will often receive small requests from me for a specific smoke, often a limited edition.
Recently, I have had the opportunity to enjoy two cigars that stand out.
Don Pepin Garcia – ERH
In 2003, the Cuban master roller Jose “Don Pepin” Garcia settled in Miami, US, and opened El Rey de los Habanos/“King of the Havanas (cigars)”, a small cigar factory, with Jaime, his son, and Janny, his daughter. In 2009, Don Pepin opened the My Father Cigars manufacturing operation in Nicaragua, where they control the entire process from seed to shipping.
In addition to serving as master blender and manufacturer of Tatuaje, San Cristobal and La Aroma de Cuba cigar brands, Don Pepin — and My Father Cigars — has gone on to launch a range of lines, including My Father, Flor de Las Antillas, La Promesa and Jaime Garcia (created by his son). Many of these — like The Judge, Blue, Le Bijou, La Gran Oferta and Opulencia — continue to have a regular presence in my humidor.
The Don Pepin Garcia ERH is one of the most recent in the Don Pepin Garcia line, which includes the Original, the Cuban Classic, and the Vintage Edition. The ERH pays homage to that original Miami factory. It comes with a Sumatra Rosado Oscuro wrapper from Ecuador, and the binders and fillers come from Esteli, Jalapa and Condega. It is a medium-bodied smoke in three vitolas, namely a 5x54 Robusto, a 6x52 Toro and a 6x60 Toro Gordo.
I sampled the Robusto, which is well-balanced, has ample character and burns evenly. There isn’t a great deal of variation across the thirds, but the heavy dose of spice and black pepper with an undercurrent of earth and wood makes an enjoyable smoke. Definitely one that I will come back to often as an easy afternoon cigar.
El Año del Caballo (Year of the Horse)
On the other end of the availability scale is Plasencia’s limited edition El Año del Caballo to commemorate this year’s Chinese Zodiac/Lunar New Year. They have been releasing New Year cigars since the Year of the Ox in 2021, followed by Tiger, Rabbit, Dragon and Snake.
With only 6,000 boxes of 10 produced for the globe, I was fortunate enough to be gifted a single stick. The El Año del Caballo comes in a single vitola, namely a 7x58 Parejo Gordo, which was intimidating at first glance and had me considering my schedule over a couple of days to figure when I could devote the necessary time to savouring the cigar. It took me close to two hours to smoke, but the time went by a little too quickly for my liking.
Full bodied and well aged, it has organic Nicaraguan tobacco from Jalapa wrapped around a Nicaraguan binder and a blend of Nicaraguan and Honduran fillers. It also has a distinct braided piece of tobacco extending out of the cap, sealed with a “dual pañuelo wrap“, symbolising the horse’s tail.
The fifth generation of Plasencia, Nestor Plasencia, is quoted as saying that a third roller was needed to make the cap, with the process taking twice as long as it would for a standard cigar and requiring precise humidity control “to maintain the cap’s structural integrity”. I can attest to this. The cap and tail did not fray in the slightest throughout the smoke. It is a truly harmonious and smooth smoke from beginning to end.
I got hints of dark chocolate, cocoa, some leather and wood, and spice with white pepper. It was extremely balanced without stark variations between the thirds. The only word to describe it is “luxurious”, which was also reflected in the bands and the box.
Draped in red and gold, the colours of prosperity and fortune, the inside cover is in shades of blue around an embossed wax-like stamp with the Flying Horse of Gansu as an emblem in the centre. The Flying Horse is an Eastern Han dynasty bronze sculpture from the second century CE said to represent “vigour, speed and spirited character”. The Flying Horse is also on the outside top of the box.
Definitely a cigar to have in one’s collection.
