Yesterday during the taping of The Cigar Authority, Jeremy Soares of My Father Cigars stopped by with a sample of the new El Centurion H-2K-CT.
The story of the cigar goes that while in Connecticut Don Pepin Garcia and Jose Garcia paid an unannounced visit to one of their farms that supply the company with Connecticut Broadleaf tobacco. During the trip, a discussion was had to try to grown Habano 2000 in the Connecticut River Valley. Something that was never done before until now.
The El Centurion H-2K-CT (Habano 2000 Connecticut) marks the creation of a new tobacco, and the box pressed cigar is set to make its debut at IPCPR. Featuring binder and filler from Nicaragua it will be available in 2 sizes. The Corona which measures 5.5 x 48 will retail for $7.10 and the Toro (6 x 52) will retail for $8.10 before local taxes.
Cigar Review: El Centurion H2KCT
Size: 5.5 x 48 (Corona)
Wrapper: Habano 2000 Connecticut
Binder: Nicaragua
Filler: Nicaragua
Strength: Medium
Source: My Father Cigars
The Look: The band is a work of art and over the last few years MyFather seems to have stepped up their game in that department. If you need examples look at Flor de las Antilles and La Antiguedad. The chestnut-brown wrapper is expertly rolled and pressed with some crystals visible on the wrapper. In the hand the cigar of firm with no soft spots while the foot seems slightly undefiled. It is a pre-release sample which means they most likely came out of a bundle as reps usually don’t get samples shipped in a box.
The Notes: The cold draw of the El Centurion is a mix of oyster crackers (type of saltines) and paprika with a subtle sweetness. I linger on the cold draw for a while as I find it enjoyable before taking in the aroma of the foot which is heavy on paprika and offers subtleties of cinnamon.
Once the cigar is lit there is that familiar Pepin spice that tingles the nostrils and dances on the palate. Some oyster cracker notes continue from the cold draw with the occasional wisp of vanilla.
In the second third of the El Centurion H2KCT notes of saltines continue with a subtle sweetness of vanilla. Some nutmeg joins the mix with elements of red pepper especially through the nose and barley on the finish.
The last third of the cigar sees some notes of nuts, leather, wood with some spice through the nose and a subtle sweetness on the finish. The finish is moderate in length, and I am looking forward to smoking this in the fall months after a nice bowl of lobster bisque.
The Burn: The cigar offered up a nice amount of resistance to keep it burning slow and was virtually perfect in every sense of the word. The medium gray color ash held firm for more than a third at a time, and the combustion line was extremely thin.
The Finish: The pre-release offered up enough to pique my interest and I am curious to how these will taste when they are shipped to retailers.. There is a lot of subtle nuances to the cigar that I expect will develop over time. But it does seem like yet another solid release from the Garcia family and something I plan on reaching for once it hits the shelves.
Score: 90
Price: $7.10
El Centurion H-2K-CT
El Centurion H-2K-CT Foot
El Centurion H-2K-CT Burn
