For me, one of the most anticipated releases of 2014 is the My Father Connecticut. I was intrigued when the local representative told me that the cigar was a mild cigar by the Garcia family. Thankfully, I ran into our local rep Jeremy Soares on Tuesday night after pre-recording our episode this week and he gifted me one knowing I would not be attending the trade show this year. We will however, have a steady stream of news from the trade show as Mr. Jonathan and David Garafolo will be reading back information to me in The Cigar Authority studios.
Cigar: My Father Connecticut
Size: Robusto (5 ¼ x 52)
Wrapper: Ecuador Connecticut
Binder: Nicaragua Corojo ’99
Filler: Nicaragua (Habano, Criollo)
Distributors: My Father Cigars
The Look: The wrapper that adorns the My Father Connecticut looks darker than most shade grown wrappers. The even coloring borders on a caramel with some visible veins and has a slight tooth to it. What really draws me to this cigar aesthetically is the dual band system that is vibrant. The traditional My Father band with the pink background seems refreshed with the secondary band beneath it with a bronze foil surrounding the initials CT. The cigar is very light in the hand with no soft spots and a slightly spongy foot.
The Notes: Switching things up I decided to take in the aroma from the foot before cutting the cigar and picked up notes of a buttery richness and a very slight earth. There was no spice to the nose on this cigar which is a pleasant change. Once the cigar was cut there was note that reminded me of basil and fennel. After As the cigar is initially lit, there is some serious pepper through the nose and I quickly realize this is not your typical Connecticut.
The first third of the cigar takes a little while to develop that actually had me concerned about where the cigar might be going. A rich buttery creaminess began to take hold and grow with each puff about a half-inch into the smoke. There was a touch of nuttiness in the mix as well, but it was never fully established.
In the second third of the cigar the fennel that I experienced on the cold draw makes a way back into the mix and the cigar begins to really develop a bit of complexity with a continued buttery richness and red pepper spice through the nose.
The last third of the My Father Connecticut takes on a nice sweetness to it that is reminiscent of honey. There is also a developing note of cedar that begins to take hold just as it is time to put the cigar down.
The Burn: A pre-release sample is so hard to judge because they aren’t always stored in optimal conditions. With that said the cigar did burn jagged and the carbon line on the cigar was fat. The ash did hold on for half the cigar with a lot of flake to it. The draw of the smoke was a little loose, and as a result there is a tendency to smoke this one a little fast.
The Finish: Despite a really slow start the cigar built up into a classic My Father Release. While concerned in the initial half-inch it became a complex cigar, although one that is a little stronger than I would like a Connecticut to be. The rich buttery notes have me intrigued to revisit this again when they begin to show up in brick & mortars and see how they change under optimal storage conditions.
Score: 89
Price: $7.50
My Father Connecticut
My Father Connecticut
My Father Connecticut
