At the 2023 Tobacconists’ Association of America (TAA) meeting later this month, My Father will be releasing the Don Pepin – Vintage Edition, a line that celebrates 20 years of the Don Pepin Garcia brands.

The line draws its visual inspiration from the earliest known bands to ever grace a Don Pepin Garcia cigar, one which is a departure from the current blue bands that adorn the main Don Pepin Garcia line, which earned it the nickname of the Don Pepin Blue. The line has expanded to include the black-banded Cuban Classic and the white-banded Serie JJ.

As for the blend, it is a Nicaraguan puro that uses a corojo 99 wrapper leaf. The line is being offered in three sizes, each coming in 10-count boxes.

  • Don Pepin – Vintage Edition Robusto (5 x 54)
  • Don Pepin – Vintage Edition Toro (6 x 52)
  • Don Pepin – Vintage Edition Toro Gordo (6 x 60)

Pricing for the line is still being finalized by the company, while production numbers have not yet been disclosed. The cigars are scheduled to ship to TAA retailers in early April, immediately following the conclusion of the 2023 Tobacconists’ Association of America’s annual meeting, which takes place March 26-30 at Casa de Campo in the Dominican Republic. The TAA is a fairly small group of some of the country’s top tobacconists, about 80 retailers, as well as 40 or so manufacturers. The association gathers annually to discuss issues facing the industry and retailers, as well as to have its annual trade show, a unique event that works on a group buying format in order to secure exclusive deals for these generally high-volume merchants.

My Father Cigars has previously celebrated both the 10th and 15th anniversaries of the Don Pepin Garcia line by way of limited edition releases.

Update (April 7, 2023) — The company told halfwheel that it is now planning on shipping the cigars in early May.

Overall Score

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.