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Cigar Review: Don Pepin Garcia Vegas Cubanas
Size: 5×50, Robusto (Invictos)
Wrapper: Nicaraguan (Habano Rosado Claro)
Binder: Nicaraguan
Filler: Nicaraguan (’99 Corojo)
Strength: Medium
Price: Box of 25, $154.95
Grade: 8.7
The Vegas Cubanas from Don Pepin Garcia is one of Pepin’s first blends and is currently produced at his Miami factory, El Rey de Los Habanos. It is comprised of Cuban-seed tobacco from a 1999 crop for which there is some secrecy attached to. Its medium body sets it apart from other Pepin blends, for which we lesser-bodied smokers are thankful for! Though the VC is one of his first blends, it is very easy to come by online, in both boxes and five packs.
We all know plenty about Don Pepin Garcia, so let’s get on to the toast!
Pre-light, 1.8:
This Don Pepin beauty was pure class from top to bottom, starting with a triple cap and an elegant label. The Rosado wrapper had a wonderful red hue to it with no discolorations. The construction was great as well, with no soft spots, minimal veins, and a well formed foot—classic Pepin quality. The aroma was of sweet cedar, slight earth, and a bit of spice that seemed to linger longer than the other smells. The draw was a little loose and had some unannounced flavors, even a bit bland. After several cold draws, I eventually was able to pick up some sweet and earthy profiles but mostly it was empty.
Burn, 1.6:
The draw was fairly loose and started off with a quick burn. The smoke was very thick and had a nice billow to it. The ash was very nicely colored but had no hold to it and flaked along the edges for the duration of the smoke. The burn was even and the smoke pulled a little dry even though it has been properly stored for several months. From the two thirds mark forward there were some issues with the burn and I had to perform one re-light. Not a terrible burn experience, but not up to what I’m accustomed to with Don Pepin’s cigars.
Flavor, 2.6:
As to be expected, the Vegas Cubanas throws you back with spice in the first few puffs, but it quickly mellowed out, setting it aside from most Pepin smokes. In some regards, the flavor on this stick reminded me of the Tabacos Baez (review), another medium bodied Pepin blend. The first third kept a bit of the spicy tingle on the tongue but mostly mellowed into a nice earthiness with an ample amount of cream. The second third didn’t provide much transition other than a bit of fruit on the edges of the smoke; the finish was less pronounced during this portion of the cigar as well. The final third provided a momentary return of spice, but only enough to remind you of the transition. It finished with the classic Nicaraguan flavor profile of earth and cream and had a smoky and grainy undertone.
Overall, 2.7:
Locally, this stick was $7.70, which is a bit strong for what you are getting in my opinion, but with a box purchase you can get the price down to around $6 a stick. On a blind test, you’d write down DPG pretty quickly; the construction was fairly spot on, the burn had some issues toward the end, and the flavor had some nice complexity to it. If this stick jumped down a bit in price it would fly more closely to my radar, but right now I’d pass on it.
Question of the Day: What is your take on a company that puts out multiple blends each year, such as Don Pepin Garcia and Rocky Patel? Do they risk diluting their reputation?
(Total: 8.7)
There are 13 Comments to "Cigar Review: Don Pepin Garcia Vegas Cubanas"
I feel sometimes they spread themselves out a little too thin and don’t always deliver a solid quality product. i.e. Gurkha, RP, etc… Focus on creating three or four and really smack em down! before you expand crazily…. Look at RP with the Renaissance line….. Edge lite….
I’ve seen these at my local B&M but have yet to pick one up. Being a huge DPG fan, sounds like I need to pick up a couple of sticks.
Hard for me to knock anything Don Pepin as I have yet to smoke a stick he has produced that I haven’t liked. Rocky Patel on the other hand, has made a few forgettable sticks although none I would consider bad.
I guess I have mixed feelings about it. As long as quality isn’t sacrificed I say keep making new blends. But once quality starts to slip, I’m looking at you Gurkha; my interest will be directed elsewhere.
Thanks for the review. As a big DPG fan, I enjoy the Vegas Cubanas.
Despite the increased output of new blends, I still haven’t had a DPG stick I didn’t enjoy. I’ve liked most Rocky Patel smokes I’ve tried, but he’s in danger of oversaturating the market with new (and sometimes unremarkable) blends as Gurkha has done.
I agree with Tony that I have no problem with new blends as long as high quality is maintained. But companies do run the risk of harming their reputations by overextending themselves & introducing inferior cigars to their line.
Thanks for the review!
I would say that spreading ones talents on many blends rather than focusing on a few has it’s draw backs. I personally, don’t really like any RP cigars. Nothing he puts out tickles my fancy. DPG, some of his stuff is good, and I do think he really has talent for blending, but I do get wary when I hear about how many blends he collaborates on. Every man has his limit, imho.
Great review. I’ve never smoked one. I’m with you, I like a good medium smoke over a in your face full power killer. Going to have to give it a try.
dan
As long as quality stays, I say go for it
As long as they continue putting out quality cigars and topping their last creation, I don’t have a problem with it.
For me, the names that immediately come to mind are DPG, RP, and Gurkha. Any others out there?
Let us look at other industries: what if only ONE guy wrote ALL the music for today’s current rock bands? Wouldn’t folks… notice? Might some resentment grow from other artists who were not getting sufficient play? Whether deserved or not, DPG might be diminishing his rep…
*I* happen to admire this hard-workin’ tobacconartist; however, is his skill either homogenizing tastes or crowding out other talent?
One of my favorite DPG cigars when I’m looking for something thats not a s strong as some of his other blends!! No, I don’t think they risk diluting their reputation as both DPG or Rocky are always looking to put quality products out there for us to smoke.
There are only so many stellar blends a person can come up with, much like novels & writers.. After a while, the product will suffer by mediocrity.
Good analogy Eric!
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