Belicoso, 5.25" x 52 ring gauge / part of Tatuaje/DPG sampler
I looked up the sizes of Don Pepin Garcia Cuban Classics available and found a 1970 Belicoso at 5 x 54" but in measuring this one, I found it to be slightly different...chalk it up to the fact that it was included in a sampler pack of Don Pepin and Tatuaje cigars that all appeared to be the same size. I tried the Cuban Classic when it first came out and remember not liking it much; I may have tried it once or twice more, but really just remember that my standard line regarding it has been, "I really don't care for it" for as long as I can remember. I decided now would be a good time to revisit it. The black label DPG is a Nicaraguan Puro with a Corojo wrapper.
The CC was smooth and oily under the fingers and showed a couple of pretty sizable veins which seemed a little out of place on a cigar that is otherwise not what I would call rustic. My cigar had the old style banding, which is nice and actually a little bit easier to read than the newer stuff, although I can't really say either is "better"...just different. The wrapper had a nice sweet bready aroma to it...almost honey but not quite. The foot of the cigar had more of those sweet notes with a little manure as well. After clipping the torpedo end of the cigar, I got an easy draw with flavors of sweet tobacco and earth. Time to get this thing lit, though, and see if my taste receptors are more...uh...receptive to this cigar than they were last time I had one.
After light up I got a nice mix of wood, earth and cocoa notes on the palate, along with natural tobacco and a decent dose of pepper spice on the nose. At three puffs into a 5.5" cigar, it was much better than I remembered...and if I were a “lifestyle magazine to remain nameless,” I would just smoke another inch and call it a 93...but we like to tell the story of the whole cigar here. Through the first third, I tasted mostly woody cedar notes, but with a strong backing of the sweeter tobacco than is normally the case, making for a nice balance. The spice dissipated somewhat but there was still a low burn on the palate.
During the second third, I got a cooler, almost minty or menthol note...without really being minty, though...hard to explain. There was more wood and earth as well, and the spice receded even further. Construction was excellent...very straight burn line with no need to touch it up, a fine draw, and ash that held on for up to an inch at a time.
The final third featured the flavor getting a little more muddy and more like I remember it. Earthiness really picked up and there was some spice, but it seemed like it needed a little more sweetness. So maybe this is why I originally didn't care for the Cuban Classic...two thirds were very good and the last third was more or less just...good. And that, ladies and gentlemen, is why we smoke the whole dang cigar before issuing a rating. One online retailer listed this as "one of DPG's strongest smokes" but I found the body to be on the high side of medium and the nicotine content to be just about medium. If this one fits into your flavor wheelhouse, it is a great smoke...but you will have to try it for yourself to determine that. I think I will probably try another one or two sometime in the not so distant future to see if different vitolas hit my palate better.
Body: 7/10
Strength: 5/10
Complexity: 7/10
AFP Scale
Prelight: 2/2
Construction:2/2
Flavor: 3.5/5
Value: 1/1
Total: 8.5/10
I looked up the sizes of Don Pepin Garcia Cuban Classics available and found a 1970 Belicoso at 5 x 54" but in measuring this one, I found it to be slightly different...chalk it up to the fact that it was included in a sampler pack of Don Pepin and Tatuaje cigars that all appeared to be the same size. I tried the Cuban Classic when it first came out and remember not liking it much; I may have tried it once or twice more, but really just remember that my standard line regarding it has been, "I really don't care for it" for as long as I can remember. I decided now would be a good time to revisit it. The black label DPG is a Nicaraguan Puro with a Corojo wrapper.
The CC was smooth and oily under the fingers and showed a couple of pretty sizable veins which seemed a little out of place on a cigar that is otherwise not what I would call rustic. My cigar had the old style banding, which is nice and actually a little bit easier to read than the newer stuff, although I can't really say either is "better"...just different. The wrapper had a nice sweet bready aroma to it...almost honey but not quite. The foot of the cigar had more of those sweet notes with a little manure as well. After clipping the torpedo end of the cigar, I got an easy draw with flavors of sweet tobacco and earth. Time to get this thing lit, though, and see if my taste receptors are more...uh...receptive to this cigar than they were last time I had one.
After light up I got a nice mix of wood, earth and cocoa notes on the palate, along with natural tobacco and a decent dose of pepper spice on the nose. At three puffs into a 5.5" cigar, it was much better than I remembered...and if I were a “lifestyle magazine to remain nameless,” I would just smoke another inch and call it a 93...but we like to tell the story of the whole cigar here. Through the first third, I tasted mostly woody cedar notes, but with a strong backing of the sweeter tobacco than is normally the case, making for a nice balance. The spice dissipated somewhat but there was still a low burn on the palate.
During the second third, I got a cooler, almost minty or menthol note...without really being minty, though...hard to explain. There was more wood and earth as well, and the spice receded even further. Construction was excellent...very straight burn line with no need to touch it up, a fine draw, and ash that held on for up to an inch at a time.The final third featured the flavor getting a little more muddy and more like I remember it. Earthiness really picked up and there was some spice, but it seemed like it needed a little more sweetness. So maybe this is why I originally didn't care for the Cuban Classic...two thirds were very good and the last third was more or less just...good. And that, ladies and gentlemen, is why we smoke the whole dang cigar before issuing a rating. One online retailer listed this as "one of DPG's strongest smokes" but I found the body to be on the high side of medium and the nicotine content to be just about medium. If this one fits into your flavor wheelhouse, it is a great smoke...but you will have to try it for yourself to determine that. I think I will probably try another one or two sometime in the not so distant future to see if different vitolas hit my palate better.
Body: 7/10
Strength: 5/10
Complexity: 7/10
AFP Scale
Prelight: 2/2
Construction:2/2
Flavor: 3.5/5
Value: 1/1
Total: 8.5/10
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