Vegas Cubanas by My Father Corona Cigar Review

One of my favorite stories to tell took place between 2003-2005, when a sales representative visited the cigar shop I, Barry was partners in. Glen Gutin came in pitching cigars, by Don Pepin Garcia, who he said was the next big thing and will be one of the hottest cigar manufactures in the industry. We smoked the cigars, and ordered them on the spot. 30 boxes of a couple of different lines. A big order for the 450 square foot shop, and it sold out in a couple of days. We quickly placed a re-order as the cigars were fire.

The reorder came in and we placed the cigars on the shelves, one of which was Vegas Cubanas. We were selling them like crazy, and we closed up shop around midnight. The next morning we opened up the shop and every single cigar from Don Pepin Garcia had unravelled on the shelf in our humidor. We called Glen Gutin up and told him to take the cigars back, that Don Pepin Garcia would never amount to anything. Boy, were we ever wrong.

Now a days I work for The Cigar Authority and spend my weekdays answering phones for 2GuysCigars.com. 14 years later and Don Pepin Garcia is without a doubt one of the biggest names in the cigar industry and his company My Father Cigars has brought back Vegas Cubanas nationally. Originally made at El Rey de los Habanos in Little Havana, Miami; today the cigar hails from his factory in Esteli, Nicaragua and My Father is referenced on the band where the original did not as the company was not yet in existence.

Cigar: Vegas Cubanas
Wrapper: Corojo
Binder: Nicaragua
Filler: : Nicaragua (Esteli & Jalapa)
Length: 5.5″
Ring Gauge: 44
Size: Corona

The Look: Packaged in 25 count Cuban style cigar boxes, the band features the colors of green, red, and gold with a white background. The image on the band shows a lone person in the cigar fields. Circular around the picture is the brand name Vegas Cubanas and the name Don Pepin Garcia. Underneath in a small font is My Father Cigars. The wrapper is a dark Corojo leaf with an unknown country of origin and it is perfectly rolled. While the foot looks slightly under filled, the cigar is firm to the touch with no soft spots.

The Notes: The cold draw of the cigar has some spice to it with hints of wasabi peanuts, a subtle milk chocolate and a touch of wet earth. The foot of the cigar is considerably sweeter with an abundance of milk chocolate and cedar. Upon first light the initial note of the cigar is that of peanuts in their shell.

As we smoke the first third there is a subtle pepper note, but that classic Pepin spice isn’t as potent as we’ve grown accustomed to. The Corojo wrapper shines on the corona with hints of nuts, red pepper and some cocoa notes that are especially noticeable on the aroma of the cigar. The retrohale of the cigar is bit earthy with hints of cedar.

The second third sees the spice ramp up some with notes of red pepper and cedar becoming dominant. There is still an underlying mocha sweetness that carries over to the aroma of the cigar which is slightly floral as well. The retrohale of the smoke picks up some more spice with hints of earth and a touch of leather on the finish.

The last third remains creamy with touches of mocha. There is also some subtle nuts, earth and cedar that almost get lost in the pepper notes that grow in intensity as the cigar comes to a close. The pepper notes are enhanced on the retrohale though the cigar continues to have a nice mocha/floral aroma. The lengthy finish is a touch leathery which provides a nice contrast to the sweetness of the Corojo wrapper.

The Finish: The Vegas Cubanas simply put is my favorite cigar from My Father. This includes all things made at the factory, especially in the Corona size which I can’t get enough of. We’ve all heard the term Cubanesque and it tends to be over used, but I am going to use it anyway. The dark ash gives the cigar a Cuban appearance when burning, and the flavor is epic. It is one of my favorite regular edition releases this year and has quickly become a part of my regular rotation.

Score: 94
Price: $6.49 / $143.99