Where quality has no boundaries…

And neither does Steven Royston…… To say that I am getting harassed by my My Father Cigars rep is an understatement. Steve is constantly in my shop…. drinking my espresso, eating my food, smoking my cigars…. And if I didn’t love him so much, and love the Don Pepin Garcia line, I’d charge him a lounging fee! (haha)

Steve is my rep for the entire Don Pepin Garcia line, which has consistently put out some of the best cigars on the market since the company’s inception over 10 years ago. One of their newer offerings, the La Antiguedad, has a beautiful reddish brown Ecuadorian Habano Rosado Oscuro wrapper with a double Nicaraguan binder consisting of a Criollo and Corojo. The filler is two Nicaraguan tobaccos which leaves the cigar at a medium to full bodied profile, making it a top seller in the shop. Let’s dive into the tasting notes.

Pre light tasting notes – a Chinese apple (pomegranate in Layman’s terms), that’s just a bit young. Raw un-homogenized, un-pasteurized yogurt with coco puffs grounded up and sprinkled on top. It was the start of my day so breakfast was probably on my mind. There was also a hint of cherry Big League Chew, finishing like a wad of Bazooka Joe.

Time to light EM up.

My initial thought was that it was like gunpowder, almost the aroma of the fireworks I used to buy at Ben Franklin down in Lavallette, NJ in the summer. Frank’s Red Hot on Hot Fries came into play as I imagined the guy on the Hot Fries bag handing me a Ligne 2 DuPont as I stuffed my face and lit up the cigar. There is definitely some depth to the smoke, with an almost stale Cheerio-like component and a certain boldness I couldn’t figure out. After my third La Antiguedad in a row, the Ecuadorian Habano Rosado Oscuro wrapper really began to open up on me. The oiliness of the wrapper began to create the feeling of bread crumbs soaked in olive oil and finished like the ginger piled high alongside a sushi platter.

The cigar truly has a beautiful wrapper and the slight box press is alway nice touch to a cigar. I would describe this as a spicy complex stick with a strong earthy component. In my opinion, if this cigar aged a few more years, the oils in the wrapper will be even more intense. And if my rep Steve was wondering, I’d give this stick an 89. Anyway, till next time boys and girls, and don’t forget #smokeifyagotem.

– Mike Duch

Wrapper: Ecuadorian Habano Rosado Oscuro
Binder: Nicaraguan Criollo and Corojo
Filler: Nicaraguan
Medium to Full Bodied
Cigars Smoked For Review: 3