Vegas Cubanas by Don Pepin

J

JGIORD

Gorilla
Jose ’Don Pepin’ Garcia is the man behind so many of today’s highly sought after blends, and the proud recipient of countless 90+ ratings. Among these high profile blends, his original creations truly exemplify what Pepin is all about. Consider Vegas Cubanas, a medium-bodied handmade that started it all. The secret is a vintage mixture of Cuban-seed Corojo long-fillers cultivated from the dark, fertile soils of Nicaragua back in 1999. These aged tobaccos are cloaked by a light-brown, Habano Rosado Claro leaf, completing a complex cigar with balanced notes of earth and leather, with spicy, herbal undertones and a luxurious aroma.
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Robusto 5 x 50
Wrapper Habano
Price $6.00

The wrapper on these is a dull gray brown. There are some minor veins but the bunching is nice firm and uniform and the cigar sports a nicely applied triple cap.

The band is old school, ornate with pale green background and white and gold trim. I think I need new glasses as I can’t for the life of me make out what the picture is. I’m guessing its a guy on a farm. Prelight aroma yielded nothing. The initial puffs provided a woody flavor with a heavy underlying earthy \ loaminess.

The draw is good and the cigar produces a nice volume of smoke. The flavor is a bit peculiar in that I can’t quite put my finger on it. There is an underlying spiciness, but its subtle. The heavy loamy flavor is also a touch grassy or vegetal. Its not unpleasant, but it also isn’t what I was expecting. The flavor in this cigar is heavier than you would think. Its fuller bodied than I expected, a heavy deep flavor, not a woody \ spicy flavor like other Pepin’s.

Actually, the more I smoke this, the more the description seems very accurate, sans the leather part. Its smooth, but not mild, definitely a solid med, to med-full bodied smoke. So far the burn is fairly straight and the ash is very solid and dark gray.

The aroma is a bit light, and I can’t quite make anything out of it. Its not stingy, but its subtle. Toward the end of the first third, the spiciness picked up a tad. To me there are some similarities to the San Cristobal, but in a lighter version. I actually prefer the Vegas Cubanas to the SC.

Entering the 2nd third I’m now picking up some cedar notes. A nice change of pace. The finish quickly changes to a woody flavor with a slight chocolate undertone but its changing with each puff. The cigar is actually a pretty fast burner as I’m already through the 2nd third and couldn’t quite make up my mind as to what I was tasting.

The last third provides a spicy leather and cedar flavor with a woody lingering finish. Overall I’m impressed with the complexity this cigar yields. Its a solid med bodied, med strength smoke providing more complexity than found in the other lines. It is a bit pricey, but enjoyable. 8.4 out of 10
 
I had one of these about a week ago and I have to say I was less than impressed. I'll have to try one again before I pass final judgment.
 
They used to be a $4 stick before Pepin became the Messiah. I loved them for $4. For $6...mehhh.....





Thanks for the review, I may snag another single from the B&M just for kicks.
 
I just had the 'just-released' new Tatuaje 'Black Label' and aside from being a notch below in the strength category, the 'Vegas Cubanos' are quite similar in flavor profile.
They both exhibit that rare 'salty pretzel' flavor whether lit or not. And at three times the price, I will consider these a bargain.
The VC's also seem to like a month in the humidor before smoking.

Enjoy!
 
I got 10 of these in a CI daily deal a few weeks ago. I was going to let them all rest for a few months but I may have to try one this weekend.....
 
bilkay said:
I got 10 of these in a CI daily deal a few weeks ago. I was going to let them all rest for a few months but I may have to try one this weekend.....
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Go for it...that "batch" is smoking pretty damn good. I've smoked 2 of them so far and they are great. They are not the typical Pepin spice bombs though, FWIW. I like them more than the JJ but less than the Blue Label. :D
 
ProbFrank said:
I just had the 'just-released' new Tatuaje 'Black Label' and aside from being a notch below in the strength category, the 'Vegas Cubanos' are quite similar in flavor profile.
They both exhibit that rare 'salty pretzel' flavor whether lit or not. And at three times the price, I will consider these a bargain.
The VC's also seem to like a month in the humidor before smoking.
Enjoy!
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I didn't notice that at all I guess I need to try one again...
 
I just had another Vegas Cubanas toro and I really like this DPG cigar. Not as spicy as the Black or the Blue- more earthy. Like many folks here, I've become a Pepin whore, from his own lines to the Vegas Miami and Padilla Miami 8&11 to the Tatuaje Brown and Red label offerings. For my taste, they're all superb cigars!
 
While I didn't enjoy this Pepin as much as the Black label or havana VI's, the VC's seem like a solid cigar. I picked them up from Joe a little while back, and for $3 a stick they are kinda hard to beat. At first I wasen't real impressed with it but I think I smoked it to early off the truck. But after they sat they seem a lot better.

Thanks for the review.
 
This is probably my least-favorite Pepin cigar that I've smoked. To me, they just taste like dirt. I've probably struggled through one per week since the CI deal, and now I'm letting them rest, hoping for improvement.
 
borndead1 said:
Go for it...that "batch" is smoking pretty damn good. I've smoked 2 of them so far and they are great. They are not the typical Pepin spice bombs though, FWIW. I like them more than the JJ but less than the Blue Label. :D
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I agree. I had one right off the truck and it wasn't bad. It had burn issues, but that's typical from CI after shipment. I had another last week and everything straightened out. They should be ready to go.
 
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