On February 9th, 2012, site sponsor Atlantic Cigar Co. put up for sale the next of their four part 15th Anniversary Series. For the first release, Viaje was commissioned to create a special cigar and for the second, My Father was chosen and decided to make a box-pressed Robusto.

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Atlantic Cigar described the backstory behind the release:

While visiting the Garcia family & the famed My Father Cigar Factory in Nicaragua we came up with the idea, after smoking a few My Fathers, to try a box-pressed version of the blend. We decided to base the blend on the original My Father cigar, with some tweaks to the filler tobaccos. Samples were presented while watching Cuban Baseball at Pepin’s house where we all enjoyed them over good Cuban rum. The tobaccos were hand-selected for this project personally by Jaime Garcia. Under his careful eye the cigars were rolled by their best torcedors in a one-time only small batch run. The blend uses a Cuban seed wrapper grown in Ecuador by the Oliva Tobacco Co., historically some of the best wrapper in the business, blended with rich Nicaraguan binder & filler tobaccos. Additional aging rounds out this wonderful smoke making it ultra smooth & extremely well balanced with just the right amount of spice & strength.

We already ran a news story about the details, which go as follows:

Atlantic Cigar Co. is preparing to release the second of its four-part fifteenth anniversary series, this time a cigar from My Father. The My Father Atlantic 15th Anniversary Box-Pressed Robusto will be released today (February 9, 2012). The cigars are a 5 1/2 x 52 box-pressed shaped that feature Ecuadorian Habano Criollo over Nicaraguan binder and fillers.

Only 400 boxes of 15 cigars are being made with singles priced at $8.00 and $111.95 for a box. Unlike the Viaje Exclusivo Lancero, the first of Atlantic’s anniversary releases, the cigars will be sold online and over the phone.

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Here is what the boxes of the My Father Atlantic 15th Anniversary look like:

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This is the eighth My Father release that was limited to specific store(s):

• My Father “S” Special Robusto (Cigars International, Famous Smoke Shop, Holt’s, JR & Thompson Cigar)
• My Father Atlantic 15th Anniversary Box-Pressed Robusto
• My Father El Hijo (Smoke Inn)
• My Father El Picador (Empire Cigars)
• My Father Le Bijou 1922 Corona Gorda (Puff n Stuff/Federal Cigar)
• My Father Le Bijou 1922 Federal Cigar 91st Cervantes Connecticut (Federal Cigar)
• My Father Le Bijou 1922 Federal Cigar 91st Cervantes Maduro (Federal Cigar)
• My Father Lounge Exclusive (AAA Tobacco Barn, Federal Cigar, Mojito Cigar Lounge)

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• Cigar Reviewed: My Father Atlantic Cigar Co. 15th Anniversary Box-Pressed Robusto
• Country of Origin: Nicaragua
• Factory: My Father Cigars S.A.
• Wrapper: Ecuadorian Habano Criollo
• Binder: Nicaragua
• Filler: Nicaragua
• Size: 5 1/2 Inches
• Ring Gauge: 52
• Vitola: Robusto (Box-Pressed)
• Est. Price: $8.00 (Boxes of 15, $111.95)
• Release Date: February 9, 2012
• Number of Cigars Released: 400 Boxes of 15 Cigars (6,000 Total Cigars)
• Number of Cigars Smoked For Review: 3

The My Father Atlantic 15th Anniversary is box-pressed with a great looking reddish brown wrapper that is free of veins and smooth to the touch. It is hard when squeezed, but not too hard. The wrapper smells strongly of dark chocolate, earth and pepper.

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The first third starts with immediate flavors of leather, cedar cinnamon and strong black pepper, both in the mouth and the retrohale. At first, there is no sweetness at all and there is just a bit of spice on the lips. The draw is consistently a bit loose early on, but not enough to really bother me. Smoke production is awesome, white and billowy, with a spicy wood scent.

Coming into the second third the profile changes quite a bit turning creamier and losing almost all of its cinnamon, yet the core flavors taste pretty much the same with cedar and leather dominant. The problem with the My Father Atlantic 15th Anniversary is extremely noticeable: the flavors seem almost muted compared to the first third. There’s a reduction of the black pepper as well, but it is still very much a background note. I can feel the strength increasing and by the end of the second third, it is a strong medium and only getting stronger.

The final third gets significantly better than the second third with fleeting flavors of plum, cinnamon, coca powder, cedar and a nice earthiness. No flavors are really dominant for long and they all keep switching places. However, the strength really increases and by the end its a strong medium. The My Father Atlantic 15th Anniversary never gets hot and is well-suited for smoking past the band.

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Final Notes:

• Unlike the Viaje Exclusivo Lancero, the first release in Atlantic’s 15th Anniversary Series, the My Father Atlantic 15th Anniversary does have a secondary band.
• I love the box-press on these, it makes the cigar extremely comfortable to smoke.
• Every one of my three samples that I smoked had a fairly loose draw in the first third, but all of them tightened up nicely after that.
• The first and final thirds are the best of this blend without a doubt at this point in its life.
• The My Father Atlantic 15th Anniversary cigars are PACKED with tobacco, almost to the point of being overfilled.
• The cigars came in cellophane, which was removed for the pictures.
• As mentioned above, there will be two other cigar releases to celebrate the 15th Anniversary of Atlantic Cigar. Details for the other two releases have not been made public as of yet.
• The Final Smoking Time was 1 Hour 15 Minutes.
• If you would like to purchase some of the My Father Atlantic 15th Anniversary cigars, you can call Atlantic directly at (800)-887-7877 or click here.

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The Bottom Line: Outside of the No. 4 (Lancero), I have never been a huge fan of the My Father line in general, so I was a bit surprised at how much I liked the My Father Atlantic 15th Anniversary Robusto. I think the main reason I liked it is that it does not taste exactly like what I think of when I think of when I think “My Father” profile and for me, that is a good thing. Having said that, I was a bit annoyed at the somewhat muted flavors in the second third, although I am thinking that is due to the youth of the cigars. The construction and burn were fine, as was the draw after the first third, and the huge smoke production was a plus. This is an easy cigar to recommend, as I think the vast majority of people who smoke it will like it, but I would definitely try it before buying a box.

Final Score: 88