I am about to head down a road that could get me in some serious trouble. At times I have the ability to mean well and not properly string together the right words that could be taken as being negative. Today I review the cigar that Cigar Aficionado deemed The Cigar of the Year for 2015.
The Le Bijou was released in 2009 at the IPCPR in New Orleans and came one year after the original My Father release. The original release was done by Jaime Garcia to honor is father Jose Pepin Garcia. But in 2009, Pepin decided to put his own spin to honor is father who was born in 1922. The name means “The Jewel” in french.
Does a cigar released in 2009 deserve to be a 2015 Cigar of the Year, that is debatable but I will get to that later on in The Finish.
Cigar Review: My Father Le Bijou 1922
Size: 6 1/8 x 52 (Box Pressed Torpedo)
Wrapper: Nicaragua
Binder: Nicaragua
Filler: Nicaragua
Strength: Medium-Full
The Look: The box pressed torpedo My Father Le Bijou features the classic looking My Father band with a myriad of colors that is one of the most colorful in the industry and one of a few to utilize the color pink as its primary color. A second band denotes Le Bijou 1992. The cigar has shade changes near the torpedo cap, while the lower portion of the cigar is more uniform with a slight brindle effect. An orange ribbon adorns the foot of the cigar which protects the foot should you store your cigars out of the cello. The roll of the cigar is perfect and the cigar feels firm in the hand. There is a nice weight to it and the foot reveals a small void on the right side.
The Notes: The cold draw of the Le Bijous 1922 serves up a sweetness that reminds me of cherries and molasses with some wood on the finish. There is some spice on the lips as well that prepares you for the light of the cigar. The foot of the cigar has a slight mocha with some cedar. It has me looking forward to lighting up.
Once the cigar is toasted with my black Vertigo Twister lighter the smoker is greeted with black pepper in typical Pepin Garcia fashion. It has become his signature that some smokers refer to the initial light as a blast of Pepin spice. As we proceed to smoke into the first third the spice mellows out some. While some spice remains the primary note is sweet bordering on cherries with some dark chocolate. Through the nose on the retrohale is some red pepper flakes and coffee notes on the finish.
In the second third of the cigar I can’t help but wonder how this would pair with Mr. Jonathan’s coffee as there are notes of dark chocolate and coffee that I can’t help but think would pair well. Some pepper remains through the nose and the moderate finish continues to serve up notes of dark chocolate.
In the last third of the cigar coffee becomes dominant with some elements of cedar. Some red pepper notes remain on the lips and through the nose. As the cigar comes to a close some earth joins the cedar notes on the enjoyable finish of this full-bodied smoke from My Father cigar.
The Burn: A box pressed torpedo that features and excellent draw, and firm ash. The cigar smokes slow and remains cool with a slightly jagged combustion line. The medium gray ash held for a third of the Le Bijou 1922 at a clip and remained lit throughout with not touch ups required.
The Finish: Over the last couple of weeks we have had some good times in poking fun at the Cigar Aficionado Top 25 on the podcast and trying to pick out what they would name as the Cigar of the Year. For the record I had this cigar at No. 2 with the Punch Double Corona Cuban going number 1. While I applaud CA for naming a cigar available in the free world I still feel that the Cigar of the Year should be treated like the Oscars with sticks released for the first time in that calendar year being the only ones eligible. With that said, every publication has their own methodology and has a right to do as they see fit. So lets party like it is 2009, and smoke this cigar which is deserving of its award. The second for My Father in its history.
Now for the cigar itself; the My Father Le Bijou is rich and complex with subtle nuances of sweetness and bitterness in the form of coffee. It burns well, smokes well and it engages every aspect of the palate. While a tribute to a person born in 1922, the cigar comes off as something meant for the modern cigar smoker who enjoys a full-bodied smoke with great complexity.
Score: 93
Price: $11.79 each / $242.99 Box of 23 available @ Two Guys Smoke Shop
My Father Le Bijou 1922
My Father Le Bijou 1922 Foot
My Father Le Bijou 1922 Burn
