On April 1, 2012, Pete Johnson was on hand to oversee the sale of 50 prerelease boxes of a new cigar, La Dueña at the fifth annual No Joke Smoke Dinner “Célébration De La Fumée” event in Hawaii. La Dueña, which translates into the owner, is a cigar blended by Pete Johnson for Janny García, but distributed by My Father Cigars Inc. According to García, the cigar was made to be a significantly lighter cigar than the typical My Father profile because she wanted a smoke that was lighter in strength than most of what My Father Cigars produces.

There are now six vitolas in the La Dueña line, all of which come in boxes of 21:

  • La Dueña No. 7 — Petit Lancero (6 x 42)
  • La Dueña No. 11 — Petit Robusto (4 1/2 x 52)
  • La Dueña No. 2 — Belicoso (5 1/2 x 54)
  • La Dueña No. 9 — Petit Belicoso (4 3/4 x 48)
  • La Dueña No. 5 — Robusto (5 x 50)
  • La Dueña No. 13 — Toro Gordo (6 x 56)

Here is what I said in my original review:

Because of our review schedule, I was able to smoke five samples of these over a period of about a week and each one I smoked got a little better then the last. Although this line has most of the classic flavors of Tatuaje profile, which isn’t shocking given the dominance of Connecticut Broadleaf in the blend, it is definitely its own blend, both flavor and strength wise. La Dueña is nicely balanced and the sweetness that was present, albeit in different forms, throughout the cigar was a welcome part of the profile and the flavors do shift noticeably between thirds. Strength-wise, this is a medium at best, and could easily be smoked as the first cigar of the day with a strong espresso, as I did.This is not the best, strongest or most complex cigar Pete has put out by any means, but it is very, very good. If you like the Connecticut Broadleaf sweet/earthy/gritty profile like I do, I predict you are going to love this cigar,especially if the prices that are being considered remain the same.

  • Cigar Reviewed: La Dueña Petit Robusto
  • Country of Origin: Nicaragua
  • Factory: My Father Cigars S.A.
  • Wrapper: Connecticut Broadleaf
  • Binder: Connecticut Broadleaf & Nicaragua
  • Filler: Connecticut Broadleaf & Nicaragua
  • Size: 4 1/2 Inches
  • Ring Gauge: 52
  • Vitola: Petit Robusto
  • MSRP: $6.75 (Boxes of 21, $157.50)
  • Date Released: April 1, 2012
  • Number of Cigars Released: 100 Boxes of 10 Cigars (1,000 Total Cigars)*
  • Number of Cigars Smoked for Redux: 1
    *The cigar is now regular production.

The La Dueña Petit Robusto is covered in a dark espresso brown wrapper that is rough to the touch and sparkles in the light. The resistance when squeezed is just a tad firm, but not so bad that I think it will be a problem. Aroma coming from the wrapper is a combination of strong raisins, barnyard, leather and earth, while the cold draw has notes of wood, earth, chocolate and coffee.

The La Dueña starts off with the familiar combination of flavors from Connecticut Broadleaf: gritty earth, dark chocolate, bitter espresso, leather and wood. A very nice indistinct sweetness flows in and out for the entire first half, increasing the complexity somewhat, but never becoming strong enough to really identify. There is just a hint of black pepper on the retrohale, but no spice to be had on the lips or tongue. The second half features pretty much the same flavors, albeit the leather and earth notes more dominant. The sweetness becomes even less noticeable as the cigar burns down, as does the black pepper on the retrohale. There is very little creaminess overall, but I am able to smoke down to the nub without any bitterness.

La Dueña Petit Robusto

Smoke production is about average for the entire smoke, and the strength starts off well below medium and ends the cigar in the solid medium range, never threatening to go higher. Construction-wise, both the burn and draw are phenomenal, never once giving me any reason to even think about them. The ash is a very light grey color and is almost totally seamless, falling only three times during the whole smoke. 

87 Overall Score

After I first reviewed this blend, I knew I was going to be looking forward to doing a redux, and in fact, kept some of the original prereleases from the No Joke Smoke specifically for that purpose. After almost a year and half, the La Dueña Petit Robusto has mellowed out considerably, with noticeably less sweetness, creaminess and less black pepper on the retrohale overall than when it was first released. While I stand by my contention that the Petit Lancero is the best vitola in the line, and that the overall blend is quite good, this is definitely a blend you want to smoke fresh.

Original Score (April 2012)
89
Redux Score (August 2013)
87
Avatar photo

Brooks Whittington

I have been smoking cigars for over eight years. A documentary wedding photographer by trade, I spent seven years as a photojournalist for the Dallas Morning News and the Fort Worth Star Telegram. I started the cigar blog SmokingStogie in 2008 after realizing that there was a need for a cigar blog with better photographs and more in-depth information about each release. SmokingStogie quickly became one of the more influential cigar blogs on the internet, known for reviewing preproduction, prerelease, rare, extremely hard-to-find and expensive cigars. I am a co-founder of halfwheel and now serve as an editor for halfwheel.