Review: My Father 911 Commemorative Blend 343 10th Anniversary Habano

Today we will be taking a look at a very special cigar from My Father Cigars and Casa De Montecristo, The My Father Commemorative 911 Blend 343 10th Anniversary! On August 5th 2011 Casa De Montecristo in Countryside, IL hosted a release party for the Jaime Garcia Reserva Especial Limited Edition cigar that was shown less than a month after the 2011 IPCPR.

The event itself was a huge success and I am told by everyone that went that it was a lot of fun, what makes the event more interesting is what else took place during the event. Mike and Sam Khalil, owners of Casa De Montecristo, approached Jaime García and spoke to him about the possibility of making a 911 tribute cigar specifically for the 343 firefighters who lost their lives on September 11, 2001. The idea was originally brought to Casa De Montecristo by a customer named Jeffrey Holst, who is a battalion chief from Firehouse No. 1 in Lombard, Illinois.

Jaime García was obviously on board, and what resulted was a box of cigars containing twenty cigars that are indeed unique. Nine (9) of the cigars will come wrapped in Ecuadorian Habano Rosado and the remaining eleven (11) cigars will come wrapped in Nicaraguan Habano Oscuro. We have heard reports that the cigars internal blend is a cross between the My Father Le Bijou and the My Father Limited Edition 2011, however, we were unable to confirm this through My Father Cigars. Only 343 boxes of 20 were made (representing the 343 firefighters) and $40 from each box purchase will go to specific charities that support families of the fallen firefighters. Also, The 911 Commemorative Cigar will be available every year with the birth of new blend.

Here is a photo of the Oscuro (Left) and the Habano (Right) for comparison:

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Today we will be looking at the Habano. Lets get to it!

• Cigar Reviewed: My Father 911 Commemorative Blend 343 10th Anniversary Habano
• Country of Origin: Nicaragua
• Factory: My Father Cigars S.A.
• Wrapper: Ecuadorian Habano Rosado
• Binder: Nicaraguan Corojo ‘96
• Filler: Nicaraguan
• Size: 5 ½ Inches
• Ring Gauge: 54
• Vitola: Toro
• MSRP: $10.00 (Boxes of 20, $199.95)
• Date Released: September 27th 2011
• Number of Cigars Released: 343 boxes of 13 Cigars (4,459 Total Cigars)*
• Number of Cigars Smoked for Review: 1

*Total amount of cigars was 6,860 Cigars, 343 Boxes of 20.

The look of the cigar is everything My Father, if I had to guess I would say it’s the same wrapper used on the My Father cigars created by Jaime García. It has a medium chocolate wrapper with quite a few veins but smooth to the touch nonetheless, there are hardly any oils present and it has tight visible seams. The cigar is well packed but has a bit of a soft spongy feel to it. The pre-light aroma smells of sweet tobacco, leather and cocoa, there is also a faint spice. The pre-light draw is full of wood with a little bit of coffee, leather and a touch of chocolate.

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Starting off in the First Third the cigar is very smooth and flavorful; it takes 4 or 5 puffs for the spice and pepper to really show its face. Almost immediately after that the profile turns dark and heavy with a lot of wood, espresso, dark chocolate and leather. The finish is extremely long with a nice peppery tingle on my tongue and to the back of my throat. The draw is quite loose but it’s nothing too distracting.

Coming into the Second Third the profile is pretty much the same as the last but with a few slight changes. There is still a solid core of wood, dark chocolate, coffee and leather on the draw but towards the finish I start to get a little bit of a sweet cream type flavor and texture. The finish is still long and peppery with hints of leather and earth.

Finishing up in the Final Third the there is a surge in coffee…specifically a roasted coffee bean flavor that just completely takes over. I still am getting some leather, wood and chocolate notes but they are much more diminished than before. The pepper and spice settles down a bit but the finish is still long and full of flavor.

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Final Notes:

• I found a lot of similarities in this cigar to the My Father blend, although I felt it had a little bit more pepper and a longer finish. It definitely tasted a bit more like the My Father than it did the My Father Limited Edition 2011.
• Last time I checked these are still available so if you are interested in a box I would act sooner than later. You can find them at Topqualitycigars.com or by calling up Casa De Montecristo at (708) 352-666. You can also check out the page dedicated to this cigar at 911cigars.com
• Again, these will be available every year during September with a new blend released each year.
• Final Smoking time was 1 hour 10 minutes.

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The Bottom Line: This is a solid cigar and will be enjoyed by anyone who purchases them, I am confident of that. Is it the greatest My Father Cigar I have ever had? No, but oftentimes, people produce these charity cigars, and they end up being very mediocre products. However, this cigar could (and does) stand on its own merits. If you like My Father Cigars blend in general, then you are going to enjoy this, simple as that.

Final Score: 87