Generosos, 6" x 50 ring gauge, $7.50
Have you ever walked into your local cigar store, see something you think must be new because you've never seen it before, but later find out it's been around for 5 years? That is what happened to me with the Vegas Cubanas. It's not like I have been living under a rock for the last 5 years and it's not like I avoid Don Pepin Garcia cigars--if anyone tried that these days, they might not be smoking much at all! So this Vegas Cubanas had been on the shelf with the rest of the DPG cigars ever since I had started shopping at Burns, but I had for whatever reason not seen it. This Miami-rolled cigar was introduced in 2005 and the packing was refreshed in 2007. Like many of Garcia's cigars, it is a Nicaraguan puro and is it described as mild-to-medium bodied. It does include Cuban Seed Corojo 99 in the mix and the wrapper is specified as a Habano Rosado Claro. It is currently available 6 sizes. Another word before starting into this review: I had not intended to do a "DPG Month" or even a "DPG Week" here on the Tiki Bar as his blends just tend to come around so frequently, I did not feel it necessary, but this week and next did end up on the schedule as a bit of a celebration of the man and several of his blends. Besides this stick, we will be presenting another classic DPG-branded cigar, his newest cigar with his name on it, a new cigar and a classic cigar from his collaborations with Pete Johnson, and a double-shot of his new 1989 collaboration with Nestor Miranda. The man definitely gets around.
The immediate first thing I noticed was how oily this stick felt in my hand; it was ultra-smooth as well with no toothy roughness or velvety texture. The color was medium-brown with just a tinge of green. The veins were all small and the seams and capline all looked very smooth and expertly done. The aroma from the wrapper was hay and faint whiffs of barnyard; from the foot there was a stronger barnyard and compost aroma with just a hint of chocolate. Prelight draw was excellent. I got mild chocolate and coffee flavors in prelight as well as just a small bit of spicy tingle on the lips. I also got some hay and sweet tobacco flavors that I normally associate with milder cigars.
My Xikar EX-II Havana Collection lighter did a great job of getting this cigar lit. The immediate flavors I got were some pepper and roasted nuts along with some very grassy notes. Shortly into the first third I was surprised by how much smoke I was getting from this stick--it absolutely billowed clouds of fragrant first and second-hand smoke. So far, this was shaping up to be a mild-to-medium cigar that walked to the beat of its own drummer. I got more pepper than I had expected, along with some nice creamy coffee and roasted nuts, and just a slight citrusy tang. There was very little in the way of hay or grass when it really got going.
After starting toward the milder side, the body ramped up in the second third to a more medium rating. The flavors were still great--peppery, but not overwhelming like some DPG sticks; it was both nutty and creamy; and there were enough coffee notes to remain a good morning smoke. The draw was still great and the burn line was very even. I still got a little bit of that citrus tang, too--just a bit and not at all unpleasant in this amount.
There was not much flavor change in the last third, but there really did not need to be. The pepper and citrus kept the lively flavor party interesting and the nut and coffee notes made a nice base. This was not really was I had expected, but I thoroughly enjoyed this overlooked gem from Don Pepin and would highly recommend it for a morning smoke with coffee, a pre-lunch smoke as I did for this review, or an afternoon smoke. Although it started on the milder side, the body picked up to the dead-center medium range fairly quickly and there was plenty of flavor and complexity the entire way. This is one I will definitely revisit.
Body: 5/10
Strength: 5/10
Complexity: 7/10
AFP Scale
Prelight: 2/2
Construction: 2/2
Flavor: 4.5/5
Value: 1/1
Total: 9.5/10
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