My Father Limited Edition 2015 5th. Anniversary

In 2010, My Father Cigars Inc. released the My Father Limited Edition 2010. In a world where limited editions are a regular occurrence, the García family made the My Father Limited Edition 2010 special in a variety of ways. Each cigar was packaged in its own individual coffin placed inside a larger highly-lacquered box that featured a metal logo plate. The cigars themselves contained some of the family’s prized pelo de oro tobacco and each cigar was said to be bunched by Jaime García and rolled by José “Don Pepín” García.

The My Father Limited Edition returned for 2011 and 2012 with similar packaging—although the coffins were nowhere to be found—and similar size. In 2013, the company released the Don Pepin Garcia 10th Anniversary, which featured the same 6 1/2 x 52 size and similar packaging, but with a completely different branding. Last year, there was no release.

This year’s release is described as the fifth anniversary of the first release–an important distinction to note–and the coffins are back. This year’s blend uses an Ecuadorian habano rosado varietal with Nicaraguan fillers.

• My Father Limited Edition 2010 (6 1/2 x 52) — September 2010 — $20 (Boxes of 12, $240) — 2,000 Boxes of 12 (24,000 Total Cigars)
• My Father Limited Edition 2011 (6 1/2 x 52) — April 2011 — $20 (Boxes of 12, $240) — 3,500 Boxes of 12, 300 Humidors of 50 & 75 Bundles of 15 (58,125 Total Cigars)
• My Father Limited Edition 2012 (6 1/2 x 52) — November 2012 — $20 (Boxes of 12, $240) — 2,500 Boxes of 12 (30,000 Total Cigars)
• Don Pepin Garcia 10th Anniversary (6 1/2 x 52) — August 2013 — $22 (Boxes of 14, $308) — 2,500 Boxes of 14 Cigars (35,000 Total Cigars)
• My Father Limited Edition 2015 5th. Anniversary (6 1/2 x 52) — July 2015 — $23 (Boxes of 14, $322) — 4,200 Boxes of 14 Cigars (58,800 Total Cigars)

The My Father Limited Edition 2015 5th. Anniversary was released earlier last month at an event at the Chicago area retailer, Casa de Montecristo.

• Cigar Reviewed: My Father Limited Edition 2015 5th. Anniversary
• Country of Origin: Nicaragua
• Factory: My Father Cigars S.A.
• Wrapper: Ecuadorian Habano Rosado
• Binder: Nicaraguan Corojo 2006 & Nicaragua Habano
• Filler: Nicaragua
• Size: 6 1/2 Inches
• Ring Gauge: 52
• Vitola: Toro Extra
• MSRP: $23 (Boxes of 14, $322)
• Release Date: July 9, 2015
• Number of Cigars Released: 4,200 Boxes of 14 Cigars (58,800 Total Cigars)
• Number of Cigars Smoked for Review: 3

After taking the cigar out of the coffin, out of cellophane and removing the ribbon on the foot—you can admire the wrapper. It’s beautiful, almost hidden under all the ornate packaging. It seems darker than what I normally find on a typical release from the My Father line and has a far greater amount of oils. Aroma-wise, there’s sweet cocoa and leather with a great amount of smoothness. The foot has a lot of oatmeal cookie, gingerbread, leather and some herbal flavors. On the lips, there’s a good amount of black licorice and natural peppermint, with orange peel on the cold draw partnering with some spiciness. It’s a bit of a sensory overload as each flavor is quite strong, but it at least shows plenty of depth.

Surprisingly, after all that, the My Father Limited Edition 2015 starts out medium with some cashews and lemon, which are very smooth and lengthy and becomes a theme continues into the first few inches. The flavor picks up, well into the medium-plus area, and it’s led by a core of nuttiness, earthiness and cedar. Nothing is particularly defining, but it’s all very smooth. Through the nose, there’s some lemon-like citrus, sweet earth and creaminess. Construction is fantastic through the first third, although some might find the draw to be a touch tight.

The second third sees the earthiness take control alongside leather and basil. The cedar is still there, but it’s a clear secondary flavor. In terms of the biggest change, it’s the finish, which has some alkaline noodles (ramen), lots of hay and some white pepper. The flavor ticks up a bit, now medium-full with a full body and medium plus in strength.

Unfortunately, the final third has a lot more herbal flavors than I care for. In addition, the earthiness turns sour and adds a bit of charcoal. Combined, it’s the clear low point of the My Father Limited Edition. In addition, keeping the cigar lit is now a bit more of a task than it previously was, but I avoid seeing the cigar ever go out. Flavor drops back down closer to medium-plus, while the rest of the cigar remains at similar levels from the middle portion.

Final Notes

• The packaging is highly impressive. I’m not entirely sold on the inside of the lid, but it does work and fits in very well with the García family’s style. Even after smoking all three of the other similarly-banded My Father Limited Editions and a fair amount of regular My Fathers over the years, the amount of detail in the bands still impresses me.
• One of the three samples I smoked had a sour earth flavor for much of the cigar. Other than that—and the final third—this easily my favorite My Father Limited Edition to date.
• Strength was medium-plus for most of the cigar.
• The 6 1/2 x 52 toro extra is most certainly the García’s signature size.
• Cigars for this review were purchased by halfwheel.
• Final smoking time was two hours and 10 minutes.
• Site sponsors Cigar Hustler, Elite Cigar Cafe (972.661.9136), Emerson’s Cigars, Lone Star State Cigar Co. (972.424.7272) Serious Cigars and STOGIES World Class Cigars (713.783.5100) have the My Father Limited Edition 2015 in stock.