My Father El Centurion H•2K•CT Review

The cigar that was released at the 2015 IPCPR has shipped to retailers and while we did a pre-release review a little over a month ago we decided to reach into the box on the shelves at Two Guys Smoke Shop and review one of the retail cigars that features a wrapper never seen before on a cigar.

The My Father El Centurion H2KCT features a Habano 2000 seed grown in the Connecticut River Valley for the first time. The story goes that on a recent trip to the state, Jaime Garcia reached out to one of the farms the company works with and decided to attempt to grow the seed for the first time in the state and the result was successful which led to the release of the cigar that is available in two sizes.

Cigar Review: El Centurion H•2K•CT
Size: 6 x 52 (Toro)
Wrapper: Connecticut Habano 2000
Binder: Nicaragua
Filler: Nicaragua
Strength: Medium
Source: Two Guys Smoke Shop

The Look: When you say Connecticut most people think shade grown but the Habano 2000 wrapper is sun grown with a caramel like color to it. Although you can’t tell from looking at the cigar there are actually two bands with the primary being the El Centurion and the secondary denoting H2KCT. The foot of the cigar has an orange ribbon protecting it. There are some prominent veins on this box pressed cigar that has some visible oils and a hefty weight.

The Notes: The cold draw of the cigar has notes of what reminds me of oysterettes which is a type of cracker, along with paprika and oats. The foot of the cigar has similar notes with paprika and cedar.

Once the cigar is toasted and lit there is the familiar pepper notes that is synonymous with My Father cigars. As the spice tones down the cigar begins to develop a sweetness that is reminiscent of vanilla as well as some wheat on the finish.

On the second third of the cigar the El Centurion the notes of wheat are the dominant flavor with some ramped up pepper through the nose and a slight licorice on the finish.

The last third sees the wheat notes continue with some sweetness in the aroma and a continued pepper through the nose.

The Burn: The burn line of the box pressed El Centurion H2KCT from My Father was a little bit jagged in the first inch, but the cigar corrected it self and became close to a perfect burn. The draw was idea, and the ash firm that held for close to a third at a time. The cigar remained lit from first light to last puff.

The Finish: When I smoked the pre-release of this cigar before the IPCPR trade show I enjoyed it, but my second time through I find that it lacks complexity. Despite the lack of complexity, I still found the cigar to be enjoyable. A straight forward Nicaraguan cigar that is different due to the wrapper, and for me that changes things up enough to keep me interested.

Score: 90
Price: 

Bullet Points

• I love a foot band on a cigar; though I feel with a foot-band the cigar doesn’t need to be wrapped in cello.
• The artwork on My Father cigar bands is pretty awesome, and I love the heavy wine stock they use.
• Having worked in the industry and various dealt with various printers, the gold foil used by Cigar Rings in the Dominican Republic or Nicaragua is so much nicer than those made stateside. With that said, this band is made by Cigar Rings.
• While I generally enjoy a complex cigar I enjoy a straight forward smoke that is in my wheelhouse and this cigar fits that.
• Total smoking time was 1 hour 40 minutes.