In 2018, the García family celebrated a pair of notable anniversaries: the 10th anniversary of My Father Cigars Inc., as well as the 15th anniversary of a line that helped lay the groundwork for the company’s growth to prominence, the Don Pepin Garcia.

And that meant one thing: limited edition cigars.

For the celebration of the line, a pair of cigars were released, while the company celebrated reaching the decade mark with a single cigar.

That cigar, the My Father 10th Anniversary Limited Edition 2018, was a 6 1/2 x 52 toro, with an Ecuadorian habano rosado wrapper, dual binders that use Nicaraguan habano and corojo 2006, and Nicaraguan fillers including pelo de oro. That final component, whose name translates as golden hair, has garnered attention over the years for both its flavor and the challenges in growing it.

The company produced a total of 35,000 cigars, each individually coffined and packaged in 14-count boxes. Each of the 2,500 boxes were individually numbered. Pricing was set at $24 per cigar, before taxes.

Here’s what I said about the My Father 10th Anniversary Limited Edition 2018 when I reviewed it in November 2018:

Whenever a new limited edition comes out from My Father Cigars, I automatically get high hopes for it, not only because of the track record of the company but because these releases have tended to show a much more complex and nuanced side of the company’s blends, often skewing into the milder side of the spectrum. My expectations for the My Father 10th Anniversary Limited Edition 2018 were quite lofty, and after three samples I’m not quite sure how they match up with the actual experience. The first cigar seemed to be almost perfectly in line due to a milder profile that balanced pepper and earth with creamy sweetness, while the second and third cigars seemed to be all about pepper and in particular, red chili peppers in the second half that did as much to elicit a physical reaction as it did to affect the flavor profile. It’s much more than I was anticipating from the cigar’s profile, and I’m not quite sure it’s all for the better, as I’d rather be presented a deep, complex profile than one that is so upfront with pepper. A good cigar at this point that just didn’t sit quite right with me from a physical reaction perspective, and one that I hope evolves into something that exemplifies the full capabilities of the Garcías blending capabilities.

  • Cigar Reviewed: My Father 10th Anniversary Limited Edition 2018
  • Country of Origin: Nicaragua
  • Factory: My Father Cigars S.A.
  • Wrapper: Ecuador (Habano Rosado)
  • Binder: Nicaragua (Habano & Corojo 2006)
  • Filler: Nicaragua
  • Length: 6 1/2 Inches
  • Ring Gauge: 52
  • Vitola: Toro
  • MSRP: $24 (Box of 14, $336)
  • Release Date: October 2018
  • Number of Cigars Released: 2,500 Boxes of 14 Cigars (35,000 Total Cigars)
  • Number of Cigars Smoked For Redux: 1

I’m not sure, but this might be the first time that the lid on the coffin containing this cigar has been opened since we acquired it. It feels like there’s a little notch holding the sliding piece in place, and once removed the cigar is revealed, still in its cellophane. Once that is removed, the ribbon foot band needs to be removed, the first of three bands that the cigar wears, and which collectively obscure a good amount of the wrapper leaf. It’s a color that is just slightly darker than medium, somewhere between a darker nutty color and a lighter earthy color. The lower half of the cigar still feels like it has some oils, while the upper half feels like it doesn’t, something I can’t recall experiencing before. It’s also a rather veiny leaf, with an extensive network to be found. The cigar is still firm and constructed beautifully with the tobacco wrapping the head cut about as straight as I can recall seeing and a near perfectly round cap laid on top. While the wrapper leaf doesn’t offer much in the way of aroma, the foot is rather complex if a bit subtle. The fruit sweetness is the first thing to capture my attention, seemingly rooted in strawberry but far from singular. Behind that is something that reminds me of biscuits, both in the smell and its texture. The cold draw is a tick on the open side but not concerning, with a bit of a bread flavor coming out first, then moving to that same biscuit sensation. There’s no real sweetness here, and neither the flavor nor aroma show any appreciable pepper.

The first aroma I get from the My Father 10th Anniversary Limited Edition 2018 comes while it is being lit, and is immediately reminiscent of a grill full of chicken and pork, not quite as overpowering as a restaurant, but certainly a decently sized cookout. The first puffs offer a bit of that flavor but add in some flavors that I can’t quite identify other than a bit of waxiness and some very dry earth that don’t hit the palate as well as an opening puff should. Maybe it’s the flavor of two years in a humidor, but whatever it is it doesn’t stick around long. It’s a lighter profile than I think of from the Garcias, almost chalky at times but venturing into a bit of clay, and while there is no shortage of smoke, the body doesn’t really sit on the tongue with any gravitas in the early going. When the first clump of ash drops, it takes almost any less-than-ideal flavors with it, leaving a profile that is reminiscent of the cold draw and surprisingly bread-forward and free of pepper. From there, it’s a quick evolution that adds creaminess, a nuttiness that has me thinking of hazelnut, and towards the end of the first third, the first taste of just a bit of pepper. Retrohales do a better job of showcasing that pepper, a light, white varietal that gently tingles the nose as creaminess follows behind it. Just ahead of the midway point, the cigar really seems to evolve and bring everything together both on the palate and via retrohales, with some newfound woodiness joining the profile. Flavor has generally been somewhere between mild-plus and medium-plus for the first half, and is certainly tamer than what I would say is the typical My Father profile. Meanwhile, body hovers around medium after the first few puffs, while strength is generally on the milder side. Construction has been fantastic and near flawless.

I’ve long maintained that My Father’s limited editions tend to be their own category of cigar as opposed to a refined version of an existing line, for instance, and this is no exception. Even though the profile has been establishing itself for an hour or so, the lightness of the body is striking. The first bit of sweetness comes by way of the flavor of espresso crema, though it is restrained from the sugar-packed versions of which I am known to be fond. There’s a bit of subtle espresso behind that, yet no acidity or bitterness. White pepper is a bit more prominent now, with retrohales continuing to show the more vibrant and punchy expressions. By the time the final third comes about, I’m getting just a bit of black pepper and earthiness, both things that I consider to be hallmarks of a good chunk of My Father’s portfolio. It’s still restrained, but when it finally finds its sweet spot, the results are stellar. There’s still an underlying texture and flavor of breads, now complemented handsomely by woods, pepper, earth, espresso and just a bit of creaminess for good measure, all of which are in near-perfect harmony for the final third. Flavor and body both finish medium to medium-plus, while strength is just shy of medium but seemingly making a push. Construction is flawless and only my desire to stretch out the experience leads to any need to relight or touch up the combustion. Smoking time finishes at two hours and 30 minutes.

88 Overall Score

It takes a little while for the My Father 10th Anniversary Limited Edition 2018 to get going and find its sweet spot, but when it does, the results are befitting of a cigar celebrating the company's 10th anniversary, as well as the price tag that accompanies it. That means there is the time it takes to hit that spot that has to be accounted for, and outside of the first few puffs, it is good if a bit underwhelming in terms of flavor. But much like a long drive through the lesser developed part of the country make the destination worth it, the final third of the My Father 10th Anniversary Limited Edition 2018 makes the first four inches or so more than worth the journey.

Original Score (November 2018)
87
Redux Score (December 2020)
88
Avatar photo

Patrick Lagreid

I strive to capture the essence of a cigar and the people behind them in my work – every cigar you light up is the culmination of the work of countless people and often represents generations of struggle and stories. For me, it’s about so much more than the cigar – it’s about the story behind it, the experience of enjoying the work of artisans and the way that a good cigar can bring people together. In addition to my work with halfwheel, I’m the public address announcer for the Colorado Rockies and Arizona Diamondbacks during spring training, as well as for the Salt River Rafters of the Arizona Fall League, the WNBA's Phoenix Mercury and previously the Arizona Rattlers of the Indoor Football League. I also work in a number of roles for MLB.com, plus I'm a voice over artist. Prior to joining halfwheel, I covered the Phoenix and national cigar scene for Examiner.com, and was an editor for Cigar Snob magazine.