Wrapper: Nicaraguan Sun Grown Criollo ’98
Binder: Nicaraguan
Filler: Nicaraguan (Corojo Habano, Criollo, Sancti Spiritus)
Size: 5.75 x 50 “Robusto”
Body: Medium/Full
Price: $7.00 by the box, $7.00 for a single at Atlantic Cigars

This cigar by Don Pepin Garcia has had reams written about it and all I am doing is muddying the waters with my entry. But I have saved this cigar for a couple months and now is the time to review it. In that time, a lot was written about it; so if there are no objections, I will just hit on the high spots of its background.

The original El Centurion was released in 2007 and was a very limited release run. Garcia decided to bring it back for 2013 and tweaked it a bit here and there and we now have an El Centurion that is in regular production. No scrambling for special sales to get your hands on these.

This is actually a My Father enterprise. My Father has a press release that spells it out:
“March 1, 2013 (Doral, Fl) — My Father Cigars brings back the cigar that left everyone wanting more.
“Back in 2007, the company released the Centurion in 3 sizes as Don Pepín’s first ever limited edition. At the time, only 850 boxes of each size were made. Many of our supporters have asked for us to bring back the cigar that left them wanting more. In honor of the Don Pepín Garcia 10th Anniversary, we bring back the Centurion and it is here to stay!
“The Centurion is coming back in 4 sizes: Robusto, Belicoso, Toro and Toro Grande. It consists of all Nicaraguan Tobacco with the filler composed of Criollo, Corojo Habano, and Sancti Spiritus; together they give this classic a 3/4 to full body strength. The wrapper is a sun grown Criollo 98. The boxes will have the regal appearance as in 2007 with some minor enhancements and it will come in boxes of 20 as a regular production.
“Expect these in stores for the 10th Anniversary Celebration of Don Pepín Garcia. Shipping will begin in May 2013!”

And there you have it. Succinct and to the point.

The Sancti Spiritus leaf is a very special tobacco leaf used as filler in this cigar. It is also used in the L’Atelier brand as the wrapper. The Pete Johnson cigar.

“Sancti Spíritus: is a municipality and capital city of the province of Sancti Spíritus in central Cuba. Sancti Spíritus, Latin for “Holy Spirit,” is one of the best preserved cities in the Caribbean from the time of the sugar trade…. where Don Pepin’s home town of Cabaiguán is situated. The leaf is also called the “Lost seed of Cuba”.

The cigar is a beautiful representation of what Garcia’s rollers can do. It has a rustic quality to it but it is perfect in form and stance. There are some veins; both big and small, but none obtrusive. The triple cap is superbly crafted. The dark chocolate wrapper has an oily sheen. With a bit of tooth.

The large cigar band is bold and bright. It has that Gurkha look of days gone by. Shiny and highly decorative.

We are having rain in lovely Wisconsin and as you know, I depend on sunlight for my photos. It is a dark and dreary morning and my poor photos will show that in their lack of quality. It’s a shame because I would love nothing more than for you to see the beauty of this cigar. My apologies.

I clip the cap and find aromas of red hot spice, cocoa and coffee, crystalized sugar, juicy golden raisin, cedar, leather, cinnamon, and earth.
Time to light up.

The first puffs are not the perennial Garcia pepper blast. They are warm and cozy. Very earthy and leathery. There is a floral arrangement in the middle of the table. That’s what the room smells like now. There is some cocoa and coffee…but faint. As I continue to puff away, other flavors display themselves gently; wood, stronger coffee influence, and raw cashew. Sweetness begins to really kick in.

The spiciness is nothing like what I would expect of a My Father or Garcia cigar. It builds slowly, taking its time. The draw is spot on. And the char line is close to perfect with just the slightest of waves.

Halfway through the first third, creaminess shows up. It’s like English clotted cream. Luscious, heavy, and thick. The body is classic medium at this point.

The spice, which is red pepper, begins to elevate itself above the fray. The cigar starts off nicely with consideration and manners; but now its aggression begins to show.

The second third begins with certain flavors fading to black. While others elbow their way to the front. The cocoa, coffee, wood, earthiness and sweetness are generating some real heat now. What smelled like crystalized sugar becomes fruity. Either a cherry note, or prune. Growing up in a Jewish family, prune filling was stuffed into everything..especially Hamantaschen. A Purim treat that was a three pointed pastry with prune filling in the middle. Basically, a pastry. Jews were the only kids in North America that loved prunes from an early age. I still love it to this day. Prune juice? Bleccch.

The second third begins to dig in. The body remains at medium. The char line is on point. Flavors are intensifying. And then the spiciness dissipates to near zero. Just a hint in the background. This is very odd for a Garcia blend.

Flavors morph now. The cigar is becoming complex as it intertwines the flavors and makes them one big bowl of Christmas pudding. Notice how I got you gentiles equal footing?

At the halfway point, the body begins its journey towards full. The ball of flavors become stronger and even more appealing. A sweet caramel flavor shows itself for the first time. As the cigar becomes stronger, the spiciness makes a resurgence. It is clearing my sinuses and my tongue tingles. A real roller coaster ride.

I want to hit on the price point. Garcia could have asked for a few bucks more per cigar. But two things stopped him. First, it is now a regular production cigar. And not some mysterious, mystical limited release. Second, it is the smart thing to do in an economy that forces smokers to deal with their wallets and their wives. Not necessarily in that order. I can substantiate a purchase of $6-$7 cigars, to my wife, a lot easier than sticks over $10. Plus with the glut of brilliant new blenders out there, young men who have made it their purpose in life to blend the best cigar made….the $7 cigar is the new $12 cigar. There are plenty of them and they are very, very good.

The last third begins with the complexity having a choke hold on the flavor profile. The flavors are subtle and nuanced so I hesitate to call this experience a flavor bomb. And the word subtle sums up this cigar. It does not hit you on the pate with a dozen different strokes of flavor. All vying for attention.

This stick is for smokers with great palates. All for smokers trying to improve their palates. Read my review. Read other’s reviews. We are probably similar in our approach. This is a great cigar for newbies and aficionados, alike. This stick’s flavor profile has really made me work hard at discovering the Waldos in the blend. And as I have entered the last third, the power is stronger; yet not overpowering.

The cream comes to the top. The flavors find themselves emboldened. Yet still playing hide and seek.

This is one helluva’ cigar. The construction has proven impeccable. The triple cap has kept the loose tobacco in check. The char line has been near perfect. The stick has remained solid throughout. It is never harsh or hot.

The flavor line up at the end is, in order: Creaminess, cocoa, coffee, prune, caramel, wood, earthiness, cinnamon, and spice.

My buddy, Wally Guse, is a fellow BOTL who can’t seem to smoke anything other than mild/medium cigars no matter how he tries. While the end of the cigar does possess some strength, I think this would be a perfect blend for him. This cigar falls short of being full bodied.

The nicotine barely kicks in. It is not typo-causing. Nor does blindness set in.

I belong to the Atlantic Cigars VIP Club and these cigars are made available to me even cheaper than the $7. Unfortunately, I am not allowed to tell you how much cheaper. But I paid for the $60 yearly membership in one purchase of two boxes of cigars almost a year ago. Now it’s just cream.

This is a highly complex flavorful cigar. It is a departure from the other My Father blends, in a good way. If you haven’t tried this stick, you should.

Categories: CIGAR REVIEWS