Don Pepin Garcia "cuban classic" black 1970

[Don Fernando]

The Don Pepin Garcia black series is the first blend Jose Pepin created in his factory in Estelí, Nicaragua and I think it’s the least expensive of all the lines that carry Don Pepin’s name. The different vitolas all have a year to their name instead of the vitola type, the 5 x 54 belicoso that I smoked is the 1970.



The small belicoso has a nice wrapper, almost without veins, and oily. The construction feels good, I can’t detect soft spots of plugs upon inspection. The cigar has a sweet aroma. The predraw is fine and leaves a peppery flavor in my mouth.



A fruity peppery coffee with wood flavor is what I taste when I light the cigar. The pepper and the coffee fade away quickly and I can taste some wood with wild fruit. For a moment I can also taste some sal ammoniac candy (a kind of liquorice that I love) with a fresh minty aftertaste. The flavors are very uncommon but also very nice.

Halfway the sal ammoniac disappears and the wild fruit flavor is getting milder, but I can still taste it on the background of the wood. This is the flavor I keep tasting towards the end, but the flavors pick up and get a bit spicier towards the end.



The draw is fine and the cigar has light colored firm ash. I did get a bit of a crooked burn and lots of nice smoke. This cigar is full flavored and medium to full bodied.



Would I buy this cigar again? Yes, I liked it a lot, but I must admit, the robusto will stay my favorite of the Don Pepin Garcia black blend, but if I want the same flavor palate with just a bit less peppery power, this is the stick.

Appearance: 7 / 10
Construction: 7 / 10
Draw: 8 / 10
Smoke & ash: 7 / 10
Burn: 7 / 10
Aroma (first part) 8 / 10
Aroma (middle part) 7 / 10
Aroma (last part) 7 / 10