Cigar Revew: Don Pepin Garcia Blue Label

Exquisitos, 5.625" x 46 ring gauge, approx. $7
The Blue Label (those words are not actually printed on the label, the label's just blue--so, not to be confused with the "Blue Label" by Gran Habano)...anyway, the Blue Label was the first cigar to be released under the Don Pepin Garcia brand. The El Rey de los Habanos website describes it as "full-bodied" with a "unique composition and blend." It is, like most DPG sticks, a Nicaraguan puro, this time with a Corojo Oscuro wrapper.

The wrapper was fairly dark and had some prominent veins, along with a place where it looks like the roller made a mistake and folded the wrapper. Rustic, perhaps, but also rather ugly in many places, this is not something I would expect from the reputation of Pepin Garcia. On the other hand, the wrapper is oily for a non-cello'd stick and has a velvety touch to it. It was spongy near the foot, more than usual, but firmer elsewhere. The aroma from the wrapper was a faint barnyard, but I detected practically nothing from the foot--maybe just a hint of cocoa. There were flavors of dried fruit and dark chocolate on the prelight draw, and it left just a little spicy tingle on the lips.

This stick started of with the typical DPG initial blast of black pepper spiciness and heat--it really does hit you full-force on this one. Above all things, the first third of the DPG Blue was very, very peppery. It started off with that blast and kept coming until I was almost on my knees begging for a respite. There was also leather and espresso bean, but just subtle notes that occasionally came through the peppery barrage.

The spice relented quite a bit in the second third, allowing strong coffee and bittersweet chocolate flavors to come through. This was a strong, kick-butt stogie that suddenly transformed to a full-bodied and full-flavored smoke. A big change in a shot time.

The spice returned in the last third, though not nearly as potent as before. There were also more coffee, cocoa and leather notes. The DPG Blue started out full-bodied right away and proved to be just as full-flavored by the end. This is still my favorite DPG-branded stick. It burned evenly and drew well from first to last and was the most satisfying smoke I had in several days. Well worth the money paid and the time invested.

Body: 9/10
Strength: 8/10
Complexity: 8/10

AFP Scale:
Prelight: 2/2
Construction: 2/2
Flavor: 4.5/5
Value: 1/1
Total: 9.5/10