Fall 2020 PCA Magazine

PREMIUMCIGARS.ORG AUTUMN 2020 | PCA The Magazine 25 T H E B L E N D capacity of the small factory in Miami. Since then, My Father Cigars has been recognized with two Cigar of the Year honors from Cigar Aficionado Magazine, for Flor de las Antillas in 2012 and for Le Bijou in 2015. The factory also produces numerous contract brands, notably San Cristobal and La Aroma de Cuba for Ashton Distributors. There are now 20 brands produced by My Father Cigars, almost all of which have been awarded accolades by cigar publications, online review sites, and retailers and consumers nationwide. But it took until 2019 for Don Pepin and son Jaime to create a cigar to honor a vowmade many years before. La Promesa means “the promise,” and it refers to when Jose Garcia left Cuba and promised his family that he would make something of himself, and honor his family and his tobacco heritage in the process. According to vice president of sales Jose Ortega, “He wanted to come here and show the world what he was capable of doing, and to create a legacy for the future family members.” Ortega says the idea for the brand was in the works for a while, but was unreleased because “it was a name that, even though it was registered, they hadn’t used it before. It was about the company being at the right level, and having the right tobaccos for something that special.” The flavor profile would have to be reminiscent of the cigars of Cuba. With the release of La Promesa, that promise has been fulfilled. The medium- bodied cigar is a blend of Nicaraguan binder and fillers, grown on the Garcia family farms, and an Ecuador Habano Rosado oscuro wrapper. The line consists of five shapes: Robusto Grande 5½x 54, Toro 6 x 52, Lancero 7½x 38, Petite 4½x 50 and Corona Gorda 5½x 48. The 20-count presentation reflects the My Father tradition of beautiful artwork, rendered in soft pastels in a retro-Cuban style. La Promesa means “the promise,” referring to when Jose Garcia left Cuba, promising his family he’d make something of himself while honoring his tobacco heritage.