In my crusade against gigantic cigars my juices really get flowing when I find new blends in sizes that are traditional and exciting to me. I have been hearing from many, many friends about this smoke and the reviews have been all good, so I was anticipating this. Now as part of that anticipation I did some analysis. Were my friends just telling me about this cigar because they know of my proclivities towards Don Pepin (he makes this cigar)? Or were they really just telling me because they thought it was great? I believe, looking back on the evidence, that it may have been a little bit of both. Knowing that I have a tendency towards hyperbole when I describe a Pepin experience I think I may have biased some friends judgements when they evaluate a cigar for me.
The cigar is a Pepin attempt at something mild, this is probably the first problem I have. Why make something out of your swim lane Master Pepin? You are known for robust and complex flavors and those usually don't go well with mild. The next problem I have is that the cigar has Connecticut wrapper, I am not often a fan of this type of cigar.
The cigar itself presents very well. The band work is interesting and stunning. The wrapper is smooth, with a dusty texture. There are some prominent veins, but I don't think they will be an issue. The construction appears to be excellent and I am not worried here as Pepin is the master at the traditional Cuban sizes, no one does it better. The pre light aroma is spicy with some cinnamon hints. The pre light draw is thin, but shows some nice light wood and spice complexion.
The cigar opens with bitter slaps of spice that toss the palate around. This is not a mild start, hell this isn't even medium in the first half inch. This is hold on to your seats bold in the opening moments and my senses are confused from this kind of power from the get go with a Connecticut wrapper. At the back of the palate there is a dry, woody tone that is not necessarily pleasing and adds to the bitter flavors from earlier in the profile. The burn is exceptional and the draw is superior sending out booming clouds of smoke.
The first half of the cigar blessedly slows itself down. The bitter flavors have been muted in favor of a more straightforward spice presentation. It is hard to put my finger on what is going on here, but I will go with nutmeg and clove. The depth and complexity are not what I would expect from a Pepin blend. At the back of the palate wood flavors abound, mostly balsa but some light hickory here as well. The draw and burn stay exceptional to this point.
The final half of the cigar continues to wallow a bit for me. The profile morphs into a strange floral note coupled with some odd tobacco flavors laced with spice. At the back of the palate there are some grassy tones jousting with the wood flavors and the cigar nearly derails here. The burn and draw remain strong.
The finish was a touch bitter and showed some light wood flavors. This was all in all pretty disappointing in all areas except draw and burn and I will not hesitate to say my least favorite Pepin in years.
Appearance- 92 very nice looking cigar
Taste- 82 below average and lacking depth and complexity that I expect from the master
Construction- 94 no one makes classic vitolas like Pepin
Strength- 81 supposed to be a mild to medium, but more medium to full and the strength does not help the profile
Overall- 87.5 above average due to constructed attributes, below average when considering blend
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