Wrapper: Nicaraguan Habano Oscuro
Binder: Nicaraguan
Filler: Nicaraguan
Size: 5.5 x 48 Corona Extra Box Pressed
Strength: Medium
Price: $13.00
Released: August 2022
Quantity of cigars released: 1,922 Boxes of 22 Cigars

My cigars received 3 months of naked humidor time.

THE WHOLE MEGILLAH:
The tobacco for this blend comes from the sequestered Garcia family farms in San Rafael, Las Quebradas, and San Jose.

The stick is nicely dressed with two ornate cigar bands, a lovely fantail at its cap, and a purty decorated foot ribbon. I pretend I’m single and disrobe the cigar.

I realize that not providing retrohale info is rabidly held against me because so many serious cigar smokers participate in this practice. It is something I can no longer do because half a century of shoving smoke up my sinuses has beat them to a pulp. A cautionary tale. I still enjoy the shit out of a good cigar.

My PerfecPunch & Stand™ works beautifully on cigars with pigtails, fantails, and booster seats.

The cold draw is chocolaty like a Mars Bar. Peanuty like a Snickers. Full of cinnamon like a Snickerdoodle. And citrusy like a squirt of lime on your tacos. Oh no…an Ezra Zion blend…found in the 6,000-year-old Albanian caves of pre-history. And whose wrapper is aged for 4 years. How’d they do that? Dunno. Don’t feel sorry for these guys. They have more money than God.

Earthy start with hints of peanuts, cinnamon, black pepper, cedar, and malted milk.
Who doesn’t like a good Don Pepin smoke now and then? It is in my regular rotation as Garcia’s blends never fail to satiate the incessant need for quality every time.

A spicy tingle on the lips says red pepper has been added to the mix. While the stats say this is a medium strength cigar, my break’n heart whispers it will be stronger.

In the 80’s, I spent an evening with comic Andy Kaufman at the Rhino Records ‘Hanukkah Rocks’ party in Hollywood. Strange to say the least. I’ve published this story in 2012 so there is no need to do it again here. But if you’re interested, you can read about the bizarre occurrence if you click here.

The spiciness leads the pack. Extensive humidor time will tame this beast.

I read HW’s critique. I am lockstep. So clearly, this blend doesn’t require masterclass skills at reading the tobacco leaves in your tea. This is a good thing.

This ain’t your sophisticated Ecuadorian wrapper, Brazilian binder, and filler of Dominican, Peruvian, and Nicaraguan leaves. This is a Nic puro done right. It has its own style of cleverness. I like this blend and harkens my memory to 2010 when Don Pepin ruled the waves of boutique cigars. While the Garcias may have been overtaken by Warped, Viaje, DT&T, Casdagli, and Tatuaje…the company can still pump out a surprise now and again.

Construction is excellent. A lovely slow roll.

The first third takes a leisurely half hour to be wiped from the planet. The next third sees growth in its testes. Yes, it grows some balls. Strength is urged on. I knew it.

Flavors hover around earthiness, cedar, spiciness, chocolate, malt, and creaminess. Plus, a new perfumy quality begins that is just killer. All good.

In the late 70’s, bassist extraordinaire Stanley Clarke was holed up at Long Beach Memorial Hospital for hernia surgery. My good buddy John Turner was his surgical tech. He told him how I worshipped the bass strings he walked on. Clarke was yakked into giving me a call. At that very moment, my girlfriend talked me into going to the store for milk. So, the divine April spoke to the Man for 10 minutes, instead of me, while I was running errands. Upon my return I was told what happened and I entered a black hole never to escape. I still carry a grudge.

The second third is where it all falls together. Complexity kicks in. A smooth richness of fattiness comes to the surface. Transitions were missing in the warmup period but now seem like they feel like taking a walk. This has been a consistent trait with all three cigars.

The flavor wheel expands to beat down on aforementioned flavors allowing them to spread out. In arrears, there are subtle notes of caramel nougat, chocolate covered espresso beans, zesty citrus, and marmot flavored Pop Tarts.

I spent most of my youth working in the studio. I was a bass player for hire. As a result, I have almost no samples of my work. You can spend your music career playing on projects that never see the light of the record shop. Heavy sigh.

Woodsy components take hold of the pubic bone…so to speak. This blend is very different than the rest of the My Father catalog. It is becoming a unique horse soldier amongst its peers. So far, I am completely wrong about looming strength. It is maintaining an even keel of medium at the midway point.

If Covid had taken me down, Charlotte was planning on selling $10 grams of my cremated remains on eBay. Who wouldn’t want to snort the katman? My detractors would have made my wife filthy rich. Speaking of which… No sudden jerks. The rhythm is constant.

There is a deception that the body is stronger due to the onslaught of red pepper. But it’snot. Gesundheit. My toupee holds tight.

A PR photo shoot was planned to be at Miles Copeland’s house in St. John’s Wood. A block away was the famous EMI Abbey Road Studio. When the photo shoot was over, we immediately went to Miles’ bar and helped ourselves. When it was time to leave Sonja asked for a ride to her Hampton Heath home. Getting into Darryl Way’s tiny Triumph required a can opener and a shoehorn. I allowed Sonja the front seat and I found myself jammed into the back like a small rat dog. It began to pour buckets of rain. It was rush hour and it became a slog. Both Darryl and Sonja smoked cigarettes, so I immediately became car sick. I was hoping for a fast getaway after dropping Sonja off…but nooo. We were invited in and Darryl wanted to keep drinking. I was green to the gills. Sonja motioned me to follow her. She dragged me into her bathroom. She began rubbing herself up and down against me while I used the baseball mind meld for a different subject. This was my first meet with the band and I didn’t want to come across as a pussy. I told Sonja I left a condom in the car. I grabbed Darryl and confessed my predicament. He laughed and made excuses for us to leave. He said he had the cure. We stopped at a pub, of course, and he made me drink a snifter of brandy. Minutes after we began our journey to my home in the West End, I blew chunks all over his dashboard. If you think it’s easy saying ‘I’m sorry’ with brandy up your nose, it isn’t. Not a great start in becoming a legend in my own mind.
The original Curved Air. L-R: Florian Pilkington-Miksa, Francis Monkman, Sonja Kristina. Darryl Way, Me:

The second half coagulates the blend into nicey-osity. My Father could have arguably asked for a lot more for a special edition as is the practice across the cigar industry. In these days of too much, $13 before promo codes ain’t bad.

This is a cigar I recommend. It isn’t groundbreaking or ground shaking, but it is a solid blend in which I can confidently say is worth snagging a fiver. A whole box if you feel lucky.

You can purchase the My Father Le Bijou 1922 100 Años Limited Edition from sponsor Small Batch Cigar. 15% off with promo code KATMAN through Dec. 31, 2024.

RATING: 93

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Categories: CIGAR REVIEWS

Tags: cigar reviews, cigar reviews by the katman, cigars, don pepin garcia, katman, my father cigars, My Father Le Bijou 1922 100 Años Limited Edition | Cigar Reviews by the Katman, phil kohn