I decided to burn one of these sticks today because I had never had one before and they are featured on JoeCigar.com today. It's a great deal and if I liked it I had planned to bite on the JC deal. I originally bought this cigar from the devil site as a part of a "Pepin sampler" which I went after because when I joined CS I heard a lot about Pepin and decided to see what all the hype was about. The sampler has been resting in my humi for about 6 weeks or maybe a little longer. I already smoked both Pepin Blues from the sampler and enjoyed them immensely. On to the review . . .
Maker: Don Pepin
Filler: Habano, Nicauraguan
Wrapper: Nicarauguan Corojo
Size: 5.7" x 54RG
Pre-light: Like all Pepins I've seen this was a well constructed cigar. It had a nice firm feel with no soft spots. The wrapper is an earthy tan/brown color and is smooth like velvet. Veins were visible throughout the wrapper but they were small and did not largely protrude. I gave the cigar a snip with my Acid double guillotine and took a draw. There was a definite earthy flavor with a tobacco flavor. On a side note, I just traded away my Xikar and am already regretting it. The cut of the Acid DG was terrible. I'm waiting for the next Palio group buy though.
First third: The cigar lit right up. Immediately, there was plenty of velvety smoke. Near the end of the first 3rd, I did have to correct the burn as it was uneven. Intially, I tasted some strong cedar flavor and some light leather along with some spiciness. The spiciness began to build and after the first 1/4" all I could taste was spice and pepper.
Middle third: During the middle of the cigar, all I could taste was spice and pepper. Each puff was like taking a shot from a Tabasco bottle. It was so spicy I contemplated tossing the cigar. In the interest of doing a review though I soldiered on. Near the end of the middle 3rd, I again corrected the burn as one side was burning noticeably faster.
Final third: Throughout the last 3rd, I was correcting the burn quite a bit. The spiciness/pepper continued but every so often would fade a little and I would taste a little cedar. Towards the end of the last 3rd, the wrapper did unravel a touch but not enough that I would really knock the cigar for it.
Comments: I didn't really enjoy this cigar. I'm not a big fan of really spicy food or cigars. I do like spice, but I much prefer a more complex flavor. In this cigar, the flavor was absolutely dominated by the spice and I would rather see additional flavors come through to complement the spice. I would rate this cigar as medium bodied. There was no end to the plumes of smoke throughout and the draw was maybe a little on the easy side for my taste. A "V" cut might have solved that issue, but probably would have intensified the spicy flavor even more. If you like a lot of spiciness this is the cigar for you. If you're like me and would prefer a more complex cigar look elsewhere. It's a real shame for me because the Pepin name is so well thought of and my experience was that this is really a very boring cigar.
Maker: Don Pepin
Filler: Habano, Nicauraguan
Wrapper: Nicarauguan Corojo
Size: 5.7" x 54RG
Pre-light: Like all Pepins I've seen this was a well constructed cigar. It had a nice firm feel with no soft spots. The wrapper is an earthy tan/brown color and is smooth like velvet. Veins were visible throughout the wrapper but they were small and did not largely protrude. I gave the cigar a snip with my Acid double guillotine and took a draw. There was a definite earthy flavor with a tobacco flavor. On a side note, I just traded away my Xikar and am already regretting it. The cut of the Acid DG was terrible. I'm waiting for the next Palio group buy though.
First third: The cigar lit right up. Immediately, there was plenty of velvety smoke. Near the end of the first 3rd, I did have to correct the burn as it was uneven. Intially, I tasted some strong cedar flavor and some light leather along with some spiciness. The spiciness began to build and after the first 1/4" all I could taste was spice and pepper.
Middle third: During the middle of the cigar, all I could taste was spice and pepper. Each puff was like taking a shot from a Tabasco bottle. It was so spicy I contemplated tossing the cigar. In the interest of doing a review though I soldiered on. Near the end of the middle 3rd, I again corrected the burn as one side was burning noticeably faster.
Final third: Throughout the last 3rd, I was correcting the burn quite a bit. The spiciness/pepper continued but every so often would fade a little and I would taste a little cedar. Towards the end of the last 3rd, the wrapper did unravel a touch but not enough that I would really knock the cigar for it.
Comments: I didn't really enjoy this cigar. I'm not a big fan of really spicy food or cigars. I do like spice, but I much prefer a more complex flavor. In this cigar, the flavor was absolutely dominated by the spice and I would rather see additional flavors come through to complement the spice. I would rate this cigar as medium bodied. There was no end to the plumes of smoke throughout and the draw was maybe a little on the easy side for my taste. A "V" cut might have solved that issue, but probably would have intensified the spicy flavor even more. If you like a lot of spiciness this is the cigar for you. If you're like me and would prefer a more complex cigar look elsewhere. It's a real shame for me because the Pepin name is so well thought of and my experience was that this is really a very boring cigar.
I smoked this cigar today to decide if I wanted to buy more from Joe Cigar. I thought I would put up my review so people could have a better idea of the flavor profile of the cigar to help them decide if they wanted to buy. I decided to pass. However, I'm going to put my other yellow label down for a sleep to see if it improves with age.