My Father Le Bijou 1922 Petite Robusto

I have reviewed the My Father Le Bijou blend before, but I figured reviewing a different size couldn't hurt. I did the Toro last time (where I gave a little more info on the background of this cigar), and this round I am reviewing the Petite Robusto, which measures in at 4.5 X 50. This cigar is another one of Pepin's Nicaraguan Puros, with a Habano Oscuro wrapper. The wrapper is beautiful. Very dark and very attractive. Like usual, Pepin knows how to roll a cigar, and this looks impeccable. Being a smaller cigar, the 2 bands pretty much cover up the entire stick, which is just a little odd looking, but at least they are attractive bands.

The draw seems a little loose, and like the Toro, shows cedar and a little spice on the predraw. This cigar starts out with waves of thick, spicy smoke that tingles the nose. This certainly hits the ground running. After a few minutes the spice calms down just a little bit, and a hard wood and earthiness really start to take over as the dominant flavors. I don't remember the toro having such a woody flavor profile, but all of the other flavors I noted in the Toro review are here, along with that creamy porter characteristic. The burn has been pretty even, and the ash is very white and solid. I am always amazed at the construction is any cigars that come out of Pepin's factories.

This wasn't the first of the Petite Robusto's ive smoked, and it certainly won't be the last. I really like these when I want a premium cigar in a smaller format. These show a nice complexity with plenty of flavors to keep you interested. These are around $6.50-7 a piece, and are definitely worth the price. I would love to get a box of these in the near future. I did recently get a box of the regular My Father blend, in the belicoso size, which I will be reviewing soon as well, so look for that to compare to the Bijou line. I did a review of the My Father lancero a while back, but lanceros smoke very differently and I figured I better get a review up of another size of that blend. I think overall, I like the Bijou blend a bit more. I find them to be a more complex and richer smoke. These come in at a solid medium/full bodied cigar, where the regular My Fathers (at least to me) are a solid medium bodied smoke.

Here is a comparison shot of the My Father Belicoso (to be reviewed soon) and the Bijou blend. You can really see the difference in wrappers.

My Father Le Bijou 1922 Toro

Today's review is of one of the new cigars to come out this year, the My Father Le Bijou, from Don Pepin Garcia. Le Bijou means "the Jewel." This one is the Toro size, measuring in at 6 x 52. The original My Father was made by Pepin's two children in honor of him. Pepin must have really liked this idea because this edition of the My Father is to honor his father. This is a different blend of all Nicaraguan tobacco (though I am not sure of the exact difference) with a Habano Oscuro wrapper. This wrapper really sets it apart from the other My Father line. This one is very dark and toothy and very attractive. I have been waiting to try this cigar since I first heard word about it, and when i was at the Illusione event, I noticed they had a few boxes sitting behind the counter unopened. Later that night, Dion from Illusione cigars also noticed and asked if he could get one, so they opened up the box for him. This was my chance! I convinced them to figure out the price for a single and sell me one even though they hadn't even been entered into their system yet.

Like most of Pepin's cigars, the construction on this is impeccable, with a perfectly applied triple cap. The draw is pretty much perfect, with predraw flavors of cedar and classic spicy Nicaraguan tobacco that Pepin is fond of. After lighting, velvety rich smoke really coats my palate, with full earthy flavors and a spicy finish. Even after just a few minutes, i can tell this is going to be a complex, tasty cigar. There is a certain creamy characteristic to this cigar, but not like the light milky creamy flavor that I normally think of when I call a cigar creamy. This one is more like your favorite Stout or Porter beer, a dark creamy flavor with a dark chocolate bite to it.

After the first inch or so, I heard a cracking sound and looked down to see a crack forming in the wrapper right below the second band. This does not thrill me at all. Hopefully it remains small and doesnt unravel the cigar. Thankfully, I was able to smoke through it without it being too much of an issue, but still, i hate seeing that on a premium cigar. This is a solid medium/full bodied cigar with a full, rich flavor profile.
you can see the crack by my thumb

Overall, this is definitely a cigar to keep an eye out for! I really enjoy the original My Father line, and the Le Bijou is yet another Pepin cigar I really love. This has a richer flavor profile and is very complex. I don't know if I like it more than the other My Father line, but after smoking a few more I have a feeling i might! Even with the crack in the wrapper, which I am just assuming is a fluke, I definitely recommend this smoke. These aren't cheap, i think i paid about $10.50 for this cigar. At that price this won't be one I will smoke on a regular basis, but I would definitely like to get a few more to have in my humidor.