Don Pepin Garcia Original Maduro Cigar Review

This 6×52 stick is a very limited production cigar featuring an oily dark chocolate mottled wrapper with a slick buttery feel, firm pack, small veins, tight seams, triple cap and pungent hay and manure aroma. First light reveals a snug draw with good smoke production, full bodied flavors of a huge pepper and spice blast, deep oak woodiness and a long zingy finish of the same. The first third brings the body down a tick to medium-full, with an oily earth joining the wood on the draw. The pepper dies down until the finish where it builds back up joined by a bit of cayenne heat on the lips. Ending the first third 25 minutes in, flavors transition, dropping the pepper and spice for a slightly sweet creamy earth, with a deep substantial finish. By the band point it changes again, bringing back a deep pepper flavor with the oily earth core, dropping the wood and cream, finishing with some strength and long earthiness. Ending at 1:15 the last third kicked my ass, bringing strength to full and pulling back the flavors. NOT for light weights like me. Thank you very much to Philip Smith for sending this in for review!