Kicking off with the La Aroma de Cuba Belicoso - a 5.5" figurado-shaped stogie packing 52 ring gauge muscle. This Nicaraguan puro rocks a Connecticut Broadleaf wrapper that'll stain your fingers with oily goodness. Priced around $8 per stick in boxes of 25, it's your ticket to Pepin's Cuban heritage without the Havana price tag. The golden band adds class to what smokers call "My Father's smoother cousin" - perfect for medium-body seekers.
The cold draw punches with black pepper and earth. Lighting up brings instant coffee bitterness balanced by walnut sweetness. Smoke output's decent but not cloud-chasing - more like steady wisps. Ash holds firm for about an inch before dropping, revealing a razor-sharp burn line.
Strength builds as the core shifts to baking spices - think cinnamon toast with a cayenne kick. The retrohale stings just right, flashing dark chocolate notes through the nasal burn. Pepper mellows into leather territory, while the wrapper's oil starts coating lips like chapstick.
Last act goes full savory mode - beef jerky meets roasted cashews. Tar builds up past the band, requiring a purge around the 50-minute mark. Those who power through get rewarded with sudden caramel sweetness in the closing puffs, though the nicotine buzz might floor newbies.
This blend's magic comes from Estelí-grown ligero leaves wrapped in Ecuadorian Habano seed wrapper - basically Nicaraguan soil with Cuban genetics. The filler tobacco gets extra fermentation time to mellow out Pepin's signature pepper blast. Fun fact: It's rolled in the same Estelí factory as Tatuaje cigars, sharing that My Father Cigars DNA.
