La Reloba Seleccion Habano

Today's review is another new cigar by Don Pepin Garcia, the La Reloba. This cigar is available in two wrappers, a Sumatra, and the one reviewing today, the Habano. These are available in 4 basic sizes, a Robusto, Corona, Toro, and Torpedo. I am reviewing the Toro, which measures in at 6 X 52.

The La Reloba Habano has a fairly non descript brown wrapper with a silky smooth feel to it. Being made by Pepin, it is topped off with a nice triple cap. The predraw shows a slightly open (but not too open) draw with a dusty cocoa and slightly mustly flavor. This cigar starts out with typical Pepin spice with a hardwood undertone. After getting into this cigar a little more, a slight hay flavor shows up, but recedes quickly. The spice also recedes, leaving that hardwood/cedar flavor as the dominant characteristic to this cigar. This definitely tastes like a Pepin, almost like a lighter version of the Cuban Classic, but not as complex. The ash is nice and white, and just a little flaky. The burn is strait, even in the slightly breezy smoking conditions. A slightly vegetal undertone has shown up, but isnt necessarily unpleasant. There is also a slightly sweet flavor going on here.

This is a solid cigar, but doesn't quite "get there." It seems like something really good is just out of reach in the flavor profile. The flavors that are in the La Reloba aren't muted or anything, I just feel that some other component to the blend would have pushed this to the next level. It doesn't have that "wow" factor like some of the other newer Pepin cigars like the My Father Le Bijou or Jaime Garcia Reserva Selection. That being said, this is still a good medium bodied cigar. I picked this cigar up for right around $6, which seems fair for this cigar.

Side note: I smoked the La Reloba Sumatra at the Pepin event last week and liked it more than the Habano. That aspect to the blend I thought was missing seemed to be present in the Sumatra. It had a little more spice and complexity, so if you see either of these, definitely give the Sumatra a shot. I might grab another Sumatra to review in the future....

Have you had a chance to try either of the La Relobas?

Jaime Garcia Reserva Especial

Today's review is of one of the new cigars out of the My Father factory in Nicaragua, but this one is not blended by Don Pepin Garcia, but by his son Jaime. The Jaime Garcia Reserva Especial is available in 5 sizes, a Petite Robusto, Robusto, Toro, Belicoso, and Toro Gordo. The one I am reviewing today is the Robusto, measuring in at 5 1/4 X 52. This is a Nicaraguan Puro with a broadleaf wrapper.

Since this cigar is coming out of the My Father factory, its not surprising that this cigar looks and feels very well made. The wrapper is perfectly applied with a triple seam cap. This dark wrapper shows a little bit of oil and just the slightest amount of tooth and no major veins. I like the new band design. The Pepin family has been coming out with some great new bands for their cigars lately.

The predraw shows some dank earth and cocoa, and a little barnyard that I actually enjoy in a cigar. The aroma off the foot also shows that very nice barnyard characteristic. The draw is pretty close to perfect, with the right amount of resistance to it. After lighting, this cigar starts off with some clean woody flavors, and a very nice spiced meat flavor as well. There is plenty of spice through the nose as well. The spice isn't as up front as a lot of other cigars coming out of Pepin's factories, but its still there. Even after an inch into this cigar I can tell this is going to be a complex smoke. The burn has been very even and the nice white ash holds on for at least an inch. Again, another very well made cigar. At the halfway point the flavors have stayed very consistent, and very tasty. There is still a ton of that meaty flavor and a little less of the hard wood. There is a little bit of sweetness underneath the meatyness. I am really liking the balance of umami and sweetness. This is a solid medium/full bodied cigar.

Blending great cigars sure runs in the blood within the Pepin family. This offering from Jaime is excellent. It isn't any secret that I am a huge fan of most of the cigars coming out of Pepin's factory, and this is no exception. This is a little lighter than the My Father Le Bijou, but also showcases that meaty flavor I like. It has some of the hallmark flavors I expect from a Pepin cigar, but certainly stands on its own with a complex blend of premium tobaccos. I was pretty surprised to see the price point of this robusto, $6.50. This is definitely worth the price of admission. There have been some very good cigars coming out this year at a very approachable price point, and this is one of them that really stands out. These should start showing up in your local stores anytime now, as well as the other new Pepin release, La Reloba. (which I will be reviewing soon!)

Have you had a chance to try any of the new cigars coming out of the My Father factory?