Cigar Reviews
Vegas Cubanas by Don Pepin Garcia
Vegas Cubanas, one of the first brands created by Jose Garcia, is back in regular production. It was nearly a decade and half ago when the Vegas Cubanas brand was born out of the El Rey de Los Habanos factory in Miami, Florida. Over the years as focused moved to the other lines in the My Father portfolio, production became limited on the Vegas Cubanas and only available to select retailers. But the cigars are once again widely available.
Produced in Esteli, Nicaragua at the My Father factory, Vegas Cubanas is available in six sizes: Coronas (5 1/2 by 44), Invictos (5 by 50), Generosos (6 by 50), Delicias (7 by 50), Imperiales (6 1/8 by 52), and Magnates (7 5/8 by 49). The cigars features Nicaraguan internals wrapped in a Corojo leaf from an undisclosed country. Price ranges from $6.38 for the Corona to $7.76 for the Magnates.
While Vegas Cubanas cigars are not listed on the site, you can purchase other My Father products from our good friends at Fox Cigar.
THE FACTS
Price: $7.09
Vitola: Generosos
Size: 6 by 50
Wrapper: Unknown Country / Corojo
Binder: Nicaraguan
Filler: Nicaraguan
Smoke Time: 1 Hour and 20 Minutes
PRE-LIGHT
The wrapper on the Vegas Cubanas is medium to dark brown with an orange, rust-like tint. A heavy amount of oils can bee seen and felt on the leaf that is marked with pronounced stitch-like veins, scattered bumps, and a fine tooth.
Bringing the cigar to my nose, I met with a mild aroma of barnyard and cardboard. The foot shows off a fuller aroma of dirt and diesel. After clipping the cap, the draw is leaning towards the firm side with warm and rich flavors of cedar and baking spices. A cinnamon spice causes my lips to tingle.
FIRST THIRD
The cigar opens with a good dose of dirt and black pepper with a medium spice in the mouth. Both flavors sit heavy on the palate and there is a sour edge to the smoke on the finish. A dark fruit flavor has joined in, but there remains a noticeable absence of sweetness. The burn is even and a beautiful ash is forming that holds well past an inch.
MIDDLE THIRD
The dirt continues to make up the core of the profile as I transition into the second third of this Vegas Cubanas Generosos. On the finish and retrohale, the dirt evolves to more diesel like. As I make it to the halfway point, there is newly found toast and a dusty cocoa. I am still hoping for some sweetness to join in.
FINAL THIRD
Before I can begin my last leg of the journey, a touch-up is required to get a large portion of the wrapper back in-line with the rest of the burn. There is not much change to report on in the profile. The pepper is now sharp on the retro-hale, but there is no harshness to the flavors in the mouth.
WRAP-UP
Some how I missed the news earlier this year that Vegas Cubanas was back in regular production. Or maybe it’s because my last experience with a Vegas Cubanas many years ago wasn’t overly memorable that the news went in one ear and out the other. But during my trip to El Paso last month, Mr. Tony Casas encouraged me to light up the Vegas Cubanas and share my impressions as it is a new blend coming out of a different factory. So that’s what I did. At the end of the day, Vegas Cubanas is a good cigar that performs well, but lacks complexity. And while there was no harshness to the smoke, there was a lack of balance due to the absence of sweetness. The price falls right into the sweet spot for me, but I think I would rather reach for other My Father products that are more expensive over the Vegas Cubanas.
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