Losing some love for Pepin lately

[gomeitsmybday]

Okay so I feel the need to revive this thread because after 5 months or so of resting, I have some new results...

DPG JJ - these are among the best of the bunch currently, all they needed was a little more time to rest, nice burn and flavor

DPG Black - okay so these are pretty good now too, the Toros have been better than the robustos generally but have had some exceptional robustos too...

DPG Blue - and here is where things literally sheet the bed....Like the Blacks, the Blue's Toros are better than the robustos for sure...but then that is not saying much because the robustos are just god awful...they burn evenly but the best of them are only mediocre in terms of flavor...WHAT IS GOING ON WITH PEPIN BLUES????

I wouldn't be so critical if I hadn't had such AMAZING Blues in the past...I'm frustrated because I can't figure out if I just got really lucky before, or maybe I'd just had extremely aged Blues before, or if it's simply that their quality has recently plummeted...
Of course, last time I looked at the boxes I either didn't see them or they were smudged so I wasn't able to ascertain box dates
But please, if anyone buys recent boxes of DPG Blues, of any size, please post here with your results because I am very curious...
Meanwhile I will continue to age/rest the Blues that I have and will try to make a point to come back here and report the results in the future.

[Weelok]

Interesting. I’ve had all cigars go up or down depending on year but Pepin cigars changed quite a bit when he went to his own farm tobacco but I wouldn’t say worst, just different. I would say Blue problems are likely weather related and not Blend related but it’s been a while since I smoked a Blue and the few I have are older.

I do love the Blues and smoked many a box so maybe I will snag a fiver next time I’m buying to taste test them.

[Jbailey]

Need to dig deep but I know I still have some 10+ aged stock of random pepins. Still got a bunch of the different sized original el centurions which I use to love. Curious to see of those are doing. Will do some research and report back.

[gomeitsmybday]

Originally Posted by Weelok

Interesting. I’ve had all cigars go up or down depending on year but Pepin cigars changed quite a bit when he went to his own farm tobacco but I wouldn’t say worst, just different. I would say Blue problems are likely weather related and not Blend related but it’s been a while since I smoked a Blue and the few I have are older.

I do love the Blues and smoked many a box so maybe I will snag a fiver next time I’m buying to taste test them.

Yeah I just remember them being such a great cigar, and the box I've had for a while is just really missing the mark by a lot...
Btw I dug up the offending box and while smudged, I believe it reads July 2018...so I suppose it's possible they need some more time but they don't taste young/like they have potential to me, just more dud like. So I definitely like your idea about it being weather related, it would match up with my past experience with the brand.
So yeah definitely everyone feel free to post back here about DPG quality going forward, I'm eager to pick up a box of Blues once they get a good harvest!

[Razorhog]

Had a cuban classic that was in the humi for 10 years and it was AMAZING. Bought some new ones to age for a while. Maybe I'll try one in 6 months. Although I read somewhere that a year+ is where a lot of Pepin Garcia smokes hit the intended flavors stage.
If I could go back in time, I'd have the younger me buy several boxes of those Cuban Classics.

[RevSmoke]

When I buy them, I usually let them sit 12- months...6 months does not do it.

I was never really a big fan of the blue, the only black I really like was the petite corona which is no longer made.

I do get a bunch JJ maduros though when I find a deal on them, and then let them sit.

Peace of the Lord be with you.

[gomeitsmybday]

Originally Posted by Razorhog

Had a cuban classic that was in the humi for 10 years and it was AMAZING. Bought some new ones to age for a while. Maybe I'll try one in 6 months. Although I read somewhere that a year+ is where a lot of Pepin Garcia smokes hit the intended flavors stage.
If I could go back in time, I'd have the younger me buy several boxes of those Cuban Classics.

Yeah I definitely have no problems with the Blacks, each one I've had seems better than the last!! I should consider doing the future me a favor and stock up on more Blacks.

@ RevSmoke yeah I'll definitely revisit the Blues when I hit about the year mark...I don't have my JJ box on hand so I'm not sure if they are older, but they definitely started smoking well after hitting about 6 months....

Do the original DPG lines out out their cigars young intentionally? I've heard that is the case with Cubans, if for no other reason than to keep up with demand. I know DPG cigars aim to be in line with Cuban tobacco tradition but, sheesh!

If I remember correctly, the My Father lines are rolled in the same factory as DPG lines, no? Under that assumption, I figured the DPGs would be ready to smoke at around 4-6 months like most My Fathers. Of course, everything smokes better with more age, so I'll be looking forward to trying the Blues again in a few more months!