The Garcia family, owners of My Father Cigars, has acquired a hybrid wrapper grown in Connecticut and, with it, created a new brand: El Centurion H-2K-CT. Scheduled for release at the IPCPR trade show next month, this will be a spinoff of the core El Centurion line. The new cigar is named after the H-2K-CT Connecticut wrapper type, which the company said is proprietary to El Centurion. But it isn't a Connecticut wrapper in the usual sense. This isn't shade grown or broadleaf, but a Cuban-seed strain of tobacco grown in open sunlight and cultivated in the Connecticut River Valley.
Imagine a car enthusiast having an opportunity to tour the Ferrari factory in Maranello, or someone who is a collector of fine watches going to visit Patek Philippe in Geneva. The chance to actually see your favorite products being constructed by hand can be a real treat for the senses, and it can also give a heightened respect for the work that goes into creating these items that we love so much. For premium cigar lovers the products that we consume are some of the most artfully and painstakingly crafted products in the world. Still, so many cigar lovers still don't have the first-hand experience of seeing what goes into growing fine tobacco and crafting great cigars. During Puro Sabor 2018 I was able to visit a number of cigar factories, large and small. In this second article of the series about the festival I will take you through these factories in the same order that I visited them.
"This was a very mild blend. I ended up retro-haling with almost every puff to get the flavors I did manage to discover. It began sweet and floral then slowly transitioned into a more smoky mesquite flavor. The draw was a bit tight and the smoke production was very lacking. There was nothing unpalatable about the blend but nothing that stood out either." -Lauren S. (Lauren S.)
"This has been a very enjoyable cigar from start to finish. I very much enjoyed the transitions from pepper to burnt sugar back to pepper. It really was a good start to my day. Having smoked this I can easily say this is something I would recommend to nearly anyone, especially someone who enjoys a slightly more full bodied cigar. I could easily find myself pairing this with a cup of coffee, and I could smoke it at the beginning of the day or at the end of the day without problem or complaint. " -Jason H. (Jokey Smurf)
This was a fast burner. For its size, I would have expected a longer smoke. It was a really good cigar, but for something so special, I wanted a little more. Hopefully with age, things get even better and make it more special. I enjoyed this cigar and am glad I got more to age.
In the case of shop events, it can be challenging for a small cigar shop. The difficulty comes in a few different forms. On one hand, a smaller cigar shop simply doesn't have as much space for customers. Also, a brand owner would typically be less inclined to spend the time money and effort to hold an event at a small cigar shop. But brands who have a broad following and dedicated group of talented sales reps can take chances on small shop events, and sometimes turn them into a success. In late July of 2018, I spent the evening at my local shop and had a wonderful time at a small scale cigar event.
Foundation Cigars announces revamp of El Güegüense and The Wiseman Maduro, updates them to, "The Wise Man Corojo" and "The Wise Man Maduro," made in at My Father Cigars.
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·"This was a very good cigar. I was greeted with a sweetness after the fist inch or so and it did not let up. Later as the cigar progressed I was treated with a celery type of flavor that started at first on the retro, but soon switched to covering my entire palate... so that mix of vegetal and sweetness was the cat's meow. The strength stayed at a medium the entire smoking time. Very curious to see what this was." -Mickey T. (irratebass)
I was prepared to write this cigar off a average based on the first third, but thing really came around in the second and final thirds. The addition of baking spices, pepper, and nuts really set things off. I don’t know if the $50 price tag is justified but this is a really good cigar. It is for sure up there with some of the previous limited edition My Father cigars. I wish I knew what a few months or a year of age would do to this cigar would do but unfortunately I doubt I will ever find out. I was lucky enough to find one of these and this was my only one. If you are able to find one to purchase, do it. I really enjoyed the full transition of flavors and body from the first to the final third and would recommend this to anyone.
"This cigar started out great. It had a remarkable flavor combination of graham cracker and leather that I would have otherwise wouldn't have seen coming. The burn was outstanding with nothing but a kiss of flame at the beginning to kick off a couple hours of enjoyment. Sadly, there was little flavor transition through the cigar until the flavors seemed to fall apart in the final third. I will likely give this cigar another shot, but not without at least a few months time in the humidor to rest." -Isaac M. (The Nothing)