 |
| My Father Commemorative 911 by Jaime Garcia Blend 343 10th Anniversary Rosado |
Over the past few weeks, we have been focusing on several retail exclusive cigars that have been released by My Father Cigars. There is no doubt that My Father Cigars has become an industry leader in retail-exclusive cigars. One project that the Garcia family took on last year was the release that was dedicated to the fallen heroes of the 9/11 tragedy. This project was known as the My Father Commemorative 911 by Jaime Garcia Blend 343 10th Anniversary. The project was a joint effort between My Father Cigars and Casa de Montecristo in Chicago. The idea was suggested by Jeffrey Holst, a firefighter Battalion Chief out of Lombard, Illinois. Hoist contacted Casa de Montecristo in Countryside, Illinois who then teamed up with My Father Cigars and the project was in motion. For the My Father Commemorative 911 project, two different cigar cigars were packaged together in each box. In this assessment, I had an opportunity to sample one of two blends – the Rosado. This cigar once again solidifies My Father Cigars position toward the top of retail exclusive cigars.
The cigar is more than just a tribute cigar, it exhibits giveback that the cigar industry never seems to get credit for. As a part of this release, $40.00 from the sale of each box will go toward a designated charity of the fallen heroes of 9/11. There have been 343 boxes (commemorating the 343 fallen Firefighters of 9/11) produced containing the Rosado and Oscuro blends. Originally there was a plan to produce 80,000 cigars (or 4,000 boxes), but Jaime Garcia made a decision to limit the production to 343 boxes in order to take on the project and allow Casa de Montecristo to be an exclusive retailer.
Let’s take a closer look at the My Father Commemorative 911 Rosado and see what this cigar delivers.
Blend Profile
As mentioned above there are two blends in each box of cigars. There are 9 cigars containing the Rosado blend that we will assess today. The other 11 cigars are an Oscuro blend that we will discuss in the future. The Oscuro blend uses the same wrapper used on the My Father Le Bijou 1922 series. The blends are vastly different for each of the cigars. The Rosado cigars are packaged in the top row of the box while the Oscuro cigars are packaged on the bottom row.
The “9” cigars (My Father Commemorative 911 Rosado)
Wrapper: Ecuadorian Habano Rosado
Binder: 96 Corojo
Filler: “Secret” Fillers
The “11” cigars ( My Father Commemorative 911 Oscuro):
Wrapper: Nicaraguan Oscuro Oscuro
Binder: “Secret” Binders
Filler: “Secret” Fillers
Vitolas Available
All of the cigars included in the package are a 5 1/2 x 54 Toro. This is the only size vitola made for this particular project.
Appearance
From examining the My Father Commemorative 911 Rosado, there is no doubt this cigar has a rosado wrapper. The wrapper showcases a nice colorado red tint. The wrapper is slightly oily and it does have some visible wrapper seams as well as some visible veins. Both the My Father Commemorative 911 Rosado and its Oscuro sibling are unbanded.
Preparation for the Cigar Experience
For my My Father Commemorative 911 Rosado, I placed a straight cut into the cap and commenced with a pre-light draw. The dry draw notes provided a good mix of cedar spice, nut, and a hint of cinnamon. While I do not factor the pre-light experience into the final assessment, I was very pleased with the dry draw. At this point, I was very excited to fire up the My Father Commemorative 911 Rosado and see what it would bring to the table.
Flavor Profile
The start to the My Father Commemorative 911 Rosado treated me to notes of spice and cinnamon sweetness. The spice notes took on more of a form of red pepper. For the early stages of this smoke, the red pepper and cinnamon alternated in the forefront. At the five percent point, I also detected some coffee notes in the background. Overall, there was good synergy between the cinnamon, pepper, and coffee notes.
At the end of the first third, the coffee notes moved the forefront while the cinnamon and pepper diminished into the background. This lasted until the midway point of the smoke where the pepper notes made their way back into the forefront. This was the flavor profile that held throughout the second half.
Toward the end, the finish had more of a spicy feel to it, but it was not harsh. The resulting nub was outstanding – cool in temperature and firm to the touch.
Burn and Draw
The My Father Commemorative 911 Rosado scored very high in this area – a testament to the quality of cigars coming out of the My Father Cigars factory. The burn required minimal touch-ups to burn straight. It also had an ideal burn rate and ideal burn temperature from start to finish. The draw was equally outstanding – making for a very enjoyable cigar to puff on.
Strength and Body
The My Father Commemorative 911 Rosado provided a decent amount of strength from a nicotine standpoint. I put it squarely in the middle of the medium to full range of the spectrum in terms of strength. The flavors to the My Father Commemorative 911 Rosado are robust and have a nice amount of depth. They still fall a little short of full-bodied – putting it on the higher end of “medium to full”.
Final Thoughts
The My Father Commemorative 911 Rosado provided very enjoyable smoke. The cigar had outstanding construction. While this cigar is both medium to full in terms of strength and body, this might be a very good cigar to graduate a novice cigar enthusiast looking for deeper strength and deeper flavor. This cigar is one I would recommend to not only experienced cigar enthusiasts, but ones who are My Father Cigar fans. I still have to sample the Oscuro version, but right now the Rosado is a cigar I would easily smoke again.
Summary
Burn: Excellent
Draw: Excellent
Complexity: Medium
Strength: Medium to Full
Body: Medium to Full
Finish: Good
Assessment: Nice to Have
Score: 91
Source: The cigars for this assessment were purchased from Casa de Montecristo in Countryside, Illinois.
