Last month, the latest in what has been a long line of Flor de las Antillas appeared in stores, the MAM-13. It is the first regional edition for the popular line from My Father Cigars Inc., this time targeted at five stores in the southeastern U.S.

My Father made 500 boxes of the 6 x 48 Toro with each of the retailers receiving 100 boxes of 20 cigars. The five retailers are:

  • Cigars & More (Birmingham, Ala.)
  • Burn’s Tobacconist (Chattanooga, Tenn.)
  • Emerson’s Cigars (Virginia)
  • Havana Connections (Virginia)
  • Tinderbox of the Carolinas (North Carolina/South Carolina)

This is the ninth release of Flor de las Antillas, the Nicaraguan puro that debuted from My Father last year. The cigar gained significant notierity in January when it was named Cigar Aficionado’s cigar of the year. Since then, the company has released five limited editions.

Note: The following shows the various Flor de las Antillas vitolas. Some of these cigars may have been released after this post was originally published. The list was last updated on April 29, 2023.

  1. Flor de las Antillas Robusto (5 x 50) — March 16, 2012 — Regular Production
  2. Flor de las Antillas Belicoso (5 1/2 x 52) — May 9, 2012 — Regular Production
  3. Flor de las Antillas Toro (6 x 52) — March 16, 2012 — Regular Production
  4. Flor de las Antillas Toro Gordo (6 1/2 x 56) — May 9, 2012 — Regular Production
  5. Flor de las Antillas Lancero (7 1/2 x 38) — Up In Smoke Exclusive – June 8, 2013 — 400 Boxes/Bundles of 20 Cigars (8,000 Total Cigars)
  6. Flor de las Antillas Short Churchill (6 1/2 x 48) — Holt’s Pepín Mania Sampler III Exclusive — June 13, 2013 — 1,000 Samplers Containing One Cigar (1,000 Total Cigars)
  7. Flor de las Antillas Toro Grande (6 x 60) — Binny’s Beverage Depot Exclusive – June 26, 2013 — 500 Boxes of 20 Cigars (10,000 Total Cigars)
  8. Flor de las Antillas DeSocio (5 3/4 x 54) — Alliance Cigar Exclusive — July 12, 2013 — 500 Boxes of 20 Cigars (10,000 Total Cigars) 
  9. Flor de las Antilas MAM-13 (6 x 48) — Southeastern Exclusive —  Oct. 1, 2013 — 500 Boxes of 20 Cigars (10,000 Total Cigars) 
  10. Flor de las Antillas Benelux (5 1/2 x 58) — Belgium, Luxembourg & Netherlands Exclusive — Sept. 5, 2014 — 300 Boxes of 20 Cigars (6,000 Total Cigars)
  11. Flor de las Antillas Toro Grande (6 x 60) — August 2015 — Regular Production
  12. Flor de las Antillas Toro Tubo (6 x 50) — January 2016 — Regular Production
  13. Flor de las Antillas Lancero (2018) (7 1/2 x 38) — TAA Exclusive – June 2018 — Undisclosed
  14. Flor de las Antillas 10th Anniversary Limited Edition 2022 (6 1/2 x 52) — January 2023 — 5,000 Boxes of 12 Cigars (60,000 Total Cigars)
87 Overall Score

At times, the MAM-13 was far superior to the rest of the Flor de las Antillas line. It provided a sweetness and richness that reminds me of what might possibly be my favorite cigars the Garcías have ever produced for themselves, the early versions of the Don Pepin Garcia Serie JJ. It was hardly a consistent flavor, but when it wasn’t there, what was left was a slightly more nuanced version of the four core sizes of Flor de las Antillas. This is a solid medium-bodied cigar with an attractive price point and the most complete Flor de las Antillas I’ve had to date.

The boxes of the MAM-13 are like the rest of the Flor de las Antillas line and look like this:

Flor de las Antillas MAM 13 Box 1

Flor de las Antillas MAM 13 Box 2

Flor de las Antillas MAM 13 1

  • Cigar Reviewed: Flor de las Antillas MAM-13
  • Country of Origin: Nicaragua
  • Factory: My Father Cigars S.A.
  • Wrapper: Nicaraguan Sun Grown
  • Binder: Nicaragua
  • Filler: Nicaragua
  • Size: 6 Inches
  • Ring Gauge: 48
  • Vitola: Toro
  • MSRP: $7.25 (Box of 20, $145.00)
  • Date Released: October 1, 2013
  • Number of Cigars Released: 500 Boxes of 20 Cigars (10,000 Total Cigars)
  • Number of Cigars Smoked for Review: 3

The MAM-13 is unmistakably Flor de las Antillas. The vein-heavy wrapper is soft to the touch, on the darker side of the cocoa colors I’ve seen across the line. Aroma-wise, there’s a pungent barnyard with a bit of sweetness. From the foot, there’s a generic sweetness, cocoa, sweet berries and some spice. The cold draw tastes akin to some older vintages of Don Pepin Garcia Serie JJs: a huge cocoa note with some roasted nuts underneath.

Unfortunately, the Flor de las Antillas does not begin with the same big cocoa note. It’s a sweet woodiness with a mixture of saltiness and nuts before cedar joins on the finish. There’s a real sense of layers with a flavor that reminds me of the Flor de las Antillas Robusto and then a bigger woody note on top. As the first third moves on, things change. The classic cocoa note emerges with hints of red pepper on the nose. While I like a firm draw, the MAM-13 is going to be a bit tight for a few people, smoke production is typical and the burn is quite fast, although slowing as the second third nears.

Flor de las Antillas MAM 13 2

I still cannot keep the ash beyond an inch and now it’s becoming less even. The MAM-13 loses the big cocoa note, turning the cigar into much more of a woodier profile. It loses sweetness as the cigar progresses, gaining oak and herbal notes before one retrohale delivers an attack of Worcestershire sauce that completely engulfs me. On two samples, the burn requires a bit of touching-up, while all three see strength and body both increase to medium-plus. Draw is still tight with no real change.

Flor de las Antillas MAM 13 3

The Flor de las Antillas continues to slow down as far as smoking speed is concerned. Even slowing down, the cigar gets a bit warmer, but the flavors remain fully enact. The oak and nuttiness increase dramatically with some cocoa returning on the finish, although completely different from the first third. Burn issues continue to plague two cigars, although the MAM-13 never goes out.

Flor de las Antillas MAM 13 4

Final Notes:

  • This is not the first non-box-pressed cigar for the line. The Short Churchill made for Holt’s is most certainly round.
  • Speaking of which, some time in the first half of the year, we stumbled across a Flor de las Antillas that is six inches long and a lot thinner than the Toro (52 ring gauge.) To be quite honest, it looks like a box-pressed version of the MAM-13. The only problem? There’s zero record of this cigar ever being made. Here it is with the MAM-13:
    Flor de las Antillas MAM 13 Press 1Flor de las Antillas MAM 13 Press 2
  • One of the samples I smoked had a foot that was cut an incredibly sharp angle.
  • All five retailers that received the MAM-13 are members of the Tobacconists Association of America (TAA). Four of the five sit on the board.
  • The cigar was apparently known as the “M.A.M.-13,” but the boxes came without the periods.
  • This is the most developed Flor de las Antillas I’ve had to date. It’s not as strong as the Lancero, but it’s noticeably stronger than the Robusto and Toro vitolas.
  • Given the pace My Father was on starting in May, it’s been a bit quiet on the Flor de las Antillas new size front lately. Not that that is a bad thing at all.
  • Cigars for this review were sent by Emerson’s Cigars. You can purchase the MAM-13 from them here.
  • Final smoking time is on average one hour and 35 minutes.
87 Overall Score

At times, the MAM-13 was far superior to the rest of the Flor de las Antillas line. It provided a sweetness and richness that reminds me of what might possibly be my favorite cigars the Garcías have ever produced for themselves, the early versions of the Don Pepin Garcia Serie JJ. It was hardly a consistent flavor, but when it wasn’t there, what was left was a slightly more nuanced version of the four core sizes of Flor de las Antillas. This is a solid medium-bodied cigar with an attractive price point and the most complete Flor de las Antillas I’ve had to date.

Avatar photo

Charlie Minato

I am an editor and co-founder of halfwheel.com/Rueda Media, LLC. I previously co-founded and published TheCigarFeed, one of the two predecessors of halfwheel. I have written about the cigar industry for more than a decade, covering everything from product launches to regulation to M&A. In addition, I handle a lot of the behind-the-scenes stuff here at halfwheel. I enjoy playing tennis, watching boxing, falling asleep to the Le Mans 24, wearing sweatshirts year-round and eating gyros. echte liebe.