This year marks Smoke Inn’s 15th Anniversary and to celebrate that Abe Dabebnah, owner of Smoke Inn, decided he would commission four projects to celebrate this milestone event with each project coming out at each quarter of the year. To kick this off Smoke Inn released the Tatuaje Anarchy, which was hyped up to the point of, well anarchy. People were dying to get their hands on this new Tatuaje cigar and it was indeed received very well.

Most recently the second 15th Anniversary installment was released, the Padrón 1964 SI-15 that is everything flavorful as it is big and was indeed a hit from the start. In keeping up with absolutely stellar releases Smoke Inn approached Jaime García of My Father Cigars in search of something special which brings us to the third and most current project, the My Father El Hijo, which translates to the son, a box-pressed robusto with an unfinished foot. The blend itself is made up of the current My Father blend but comes wrapped with a 2009 Ecuadorian habano wrapper. The cigar itself has already gone on pre-order and only 650 boxes of 15 were made.

On another important thing to note is we are told by Smoke Inn that the last and final installment of the Microblend Series will feature a cigar made by none other than Arturo Fuente.

My Father El Hijo 1.png

  • Cigar Reviewed: My Father El Hijo
  • Country of Origin: Nicaragua
  • Factory: My Father Cigars S.A.
  • Wrapper: Ecuadorian Habano 2009
  • Binder: Nicaragua
  • Filler: Nicaragua
  • Size: 5 1/2 Inches
  • Ring Gauge: 52
  • Vitola: Robusto
  • MSRP: $9.75 (Boxes of 15, $146.25)
  • Release Date: August 2011
  • Number of Cigars Released: 650 Boxes of 15 Cigars (9,750 Total Cigars)
  • Number of Cigars Smoked for Review: 2

This might be one of the nicest looking cigars I have seen this year. It has a buttery smooth medium chocolate wrapper with an oily sheen giving it an ultra smooth feel. There is a unique box press to it that gives it a rounded look on one side and flat on the other. It reminds me of a candy bar with the overall shape and the look of the milky smooth wrapper. The cigar has an unfinished foot showing just about a quarter of an inch of filler leaf, a seamless wrap and tight pack. It also has a very elegant secondary band with the words El Hijo on it. Everything comes together on this cigar and it just creates a wonderfully beautiful presentation. The pre-light aroma is everything My Father with sweet tobacco, milk chocolate and a fruity, sweet, floral like note. There is a distinct cedar aroma at the foot as well. The pre-light draw has cedar with a nice rich barnyard taste full of aged wood and hay, there is a slight coffee note on the palate as well.

Starting off in the first third I immediately taste the filler leaf and with it an intense pepper and spice. The finish is extremely long with a peppery tingle starting at the tongue and trickling down my throat. After a few puffs the flavors start to settle in, already very complex with a creamy, buttery character sensation up front which transitions into a chocolate infused roasted coffee bean flavor and finishes with a woody, peppery note. The finish is very long and flavorful with a nice spice and pepper.

My Father El Hijo 2.png

Coming into the second third the creaminess fades and the profile turns deeper and darker. There is a lot of cedar, espresso, dark chocolate and touches of leather here and there. The finish is still long and peppery and there is a nice spice kick through the nose showing some real power but not overpowering. The construction is great with a perfect burn and a nice easy draw creating lush clouds of smoke.

My Father El Hijo 3.png

Finishing up in the final third the cigar transitions a bit to a real earthy profile, it tastes of damp earth, mushroom and vegetation. The cigar heats up a bit creating a slight bitterness but it holds and straddles the line perfectly. Notes of cedar, dark chocolate and leather are still present and they are all balanced well with a slight pepper and spice throughout.

My Father El Hijo 4.png

Final Notes

  • From start to finish this cigar offered an abundance of flavor and complexity, from the buttery smooth start to the darker, espresso fueled middle to the earthy, woody, leathery finish. The balance of flavors were perfect as well, they all flowed in harmony with a nice pepper and spice holding it all together.
  • The construction and overall look of this cigar scored a lot of points with me, I realize that the look of a cigar is minimal in the scope of things but when a cigar tastes right and looks right it shows a complete picture of perfection and the thought that went into it and this had that. The secondary band was spot on, the tiny bit of unfinished foot was perfect and the unique box press was great. This is the first My Father cigar to have a box press. I will say that these samples were a bit wet when I got them but after dry boxing them for two days and then keeping them at 60 percent humidity for three more days they really came around so my advice would be to let them sit for a week before smoking them.
  • These are only available through Smoke Inn Cigars, so if you want a box of them you should call them up at this number and pre order a box or five pack (1.888.766.5371) or go to their website Smoke Inn Cigars.
  • Final Smoking time was one hour 15 minutes.
91 Overall Score

This cigar surprised me because I thought it was going to be like the regular My Father cigars, but but nothing could be further from the truth. It offered much more flavor, complexity and balance and it really had more power and strength to it as well. I couldn’t be happier with the vitola choice and the decision to give it a box press just felt incredible while holding it. The overall look and flavor of it really makes you realize how much of a master Jaime García is, he has really put together an amazing factory and this is a testament to that. I will definitely be buying a box of these.

Steve Valle

Steve Valle wrote for Smoking Stogie, a precursor to halfwheel, from 2010-2011.