Le Bijou 1922 Ecuadorian Connecticut Federal Cigar Edition Corona

A few days ago we provided a preview into the My Father Le Bijou 1922 Ecuadorian Connecticut Federal Cigar Edition series. The story behind this cigar is that was originally intended to be a one time limited run, retail exclusive cigar to New Hampshire retailer Federal Cigar to commemorate 91st anniversary.  To commemorate this milestone, My Father Cigars made two limited edition cigars. The cigars were special
variations of the My Father Le Bijou 1922 cigar called the “My Father Le
Bijou Federal Cigar 91st Cervantes” series.  One was a Connecticut
Broadleaf wrapper version and the other was an Ecuadorian Connecticut Shade wrapper version.   Both cigars were released in a “Cervantes” (lonsdale) vitola.   For the My Father Federal Cigar 91st Connecticut Shade cigar,  My Father Cigars has agreed to continue to make that blend as an on-going retail exclusive cigar line for Federal Cigar.  The original Cervantes vitola has been included in the line, but it has now been expanded to three vitolas.   The series has been re-branded to My Father Le Bijou 1922 Ecuadorian Connecticut Federal Cigar Edition.   I recently had an opportunity to sample the Corona vitola of this series.  The Cervantes vitola proved to be one an outstanding cigar, and now with the addition of the Corona vitola, this solidifies the My Father Le Bijou 1922 Ecuadorian Connecticut Federal Cigar Edition as one of the top blends of 2012.

At the time of its release, the original My Father Le Bijou Federal
Cigar 91st Cervantes Connecticut Shade was only available for
purchase in the Federal Cigar’s retail store.  It was also extremely limited as only 50
boxes were produced.  The re-branding of the My Father Le Bijou 1922
Ecuadorian Connecticut Federal Cigar Edition now makes this blend
available for online purchase.  There are some packaging changes that reflect the re-branding.

This collaboration between My Father Cigars and Federal Cigars does not lose a beat from the original My Father Le Bijou Federal
Cigar 91st Cervantes – Connecticut Shade.  Let’s take a closer look at the Corona vitola and what this cigar brings to the table.

Blend Profile

As mentioned above, the My Father Le Bijou 1922 Ecuadorian Connecticut Federal Cigar Edition uses an Ecuadorian Connecticut Shade wrapper over binder and filler based off the original Le Bijou blend.

Wrapper Ecuadorian Connecticut Shade
Binder: Nicaraguan
Filler: Nicaraguan

Vitolas Available

The My Father Le Bijou 1922 Ecuadorian Connecticut Federal Cigar Edition now adds a Corona and a Petit Robusto to the line.

Cervantes (Lonsdale): 6 1/2 x 42
Corona: 5 5/8 x 46
Petite Robusto: (Size not posted at this time)

Appearance

The  Le Bijou 1922 Ecuadorian Connecticut Federal Cigar Edition Corona has a classic light brown Connecticut Shade wrapper.  The wrapper a little bumpier than the Cervantes  There are some wrapper seams and veins that are visible.  There is one instance of frog eyes (a green spot) present on the wrapper – something common to Ecuadorian/Connecticut Shade cigars and is not a wrapper defect.  I find these spots give an Ecuadorian Connecticut wrapper some charm.

The bands are the same as the core Le Bijou line.  The top band features the classic pink, green, gold, and white My Father Cigars band.   The second band features the same Le Bijou band on the core line – consisting of gold, green, red, and white.  The difference with the Federal Cigars release is that the Le Bijou band is on the footer instead of under the My Father band.  There is a cedar wrapper over about 3/5 of the cigar.  The cedar wrapper features the My Father logo and says “Federal” (the 91st Anniversary release actually said “Federal 91st”)  The Le Bijou band sits over the cedar wrapper on the foot.

Cedar wrap of the My Father Le Bijou 1922 Ecuadorian Connecticut Federal Cigar Edition Corona

Preparation for the Cigar Experience

For my Le Bijou 1922 Ecuadorian Connecticut Federal Cigar Edition Corona, I opted for a straight cut into the cap and then proceeded to start a pre-light draw.  The dry draw notes were almost identical to what I got with the Cervantes vitola.  I detected notes of pepper, dried fruit, wood, and cream.  Like the Cervantes, the Corona provided an equally satisfying pre-light draw experience.  It was now time to toast the foot of my Le Bijou 1922 Ecuadorian Connecticut Federal Cigar Edition Corona and see what it would bring to the table.

Flavor Profile

The Le Bijou 1922 Ecuadorian Connecticut Federal Cigar Edition Corona has some parallels to the experience I had with the Cervantes.  I wouldn’t categorize them as identical.  The Corona definitely has its own profile, but there are some similarities.

The start to the My Father Le Bijou 1922 Federal Cigar 91st was woody with a hint of toast, some dried fruit sweetness, and classic Garcia black pepper spice.  In the early stages, the Garcia pepper does have a slight edge, however I wouldn’t categorize it as an overwhelmingly peppery start.

As the pepper diminished, notes of cream emerged.  Like the Cervantes, the dried fruit transitioned to more of a grapefruit flavor.  The wood, cream, and grapefruit took center stage with the pepper as more of a background note. The flavors balanced each other nicely and no flavor took control in these early stages.  By around the 10 percent mark, the grapefruit flavors diminished and joined the pepper as secondary notes.  The wood and cream remained in the forefront,  This was the flavor profile that would hold for most of the cigar experience.

By the second half, the pepper spice kicked up.  The Corona vitola definitely had more spice than I detected on the Cervantes.  Toward the close of the cigar, the grapefruit notes which were providing sweet flavors changed – this time to more of a classic natural tobacco sweetness.  This way the way the cigar experience closed.  The last stages of this cigar were smooth with no harshness.  The resulting nub was outstanding – firm to the touch and cool in temperature.

Burn and Draw

This is going to sound almost like I wrote for the Cervantes, but the Corona also scores perfectly for the attributes of burn and draw.  The burn line for the Le Bijou 1922 Ecuadorian Connecticut Federal Cigar Edition Corona was razor sharp requiring minimal amount of touch-ups.  The burn rate and burn temperature were also ideal.   The ash was tight and white throughout the smoking experience with no flaking.

Burn of the Le Bijou 1922 Ecuadorian Connecticut Federal Cigar Edition Corona

The draw was also outstanding.  It provided that tiny touch of resistance that I like making this flawless smoking experience.

Strength and Body

The strength of the Le Bijou 1922 Ecuadorian Connecticut Federal Cigar Edition Corona was very similar to the Cervantes.  Like the Cervantes, I assessed the Corona to be mild in medium from a strength perspective.  This is not going to be a cigar that overpowers you from a nicotine perspective.  The one difference is that the Cervantes did transition into medium strength range toward the end.  With the Corona, it felt like the strength remained in mild to medium for the duration of the smoke.

Like the Cervantes, the Le Bijou 1922 Ecuadorian Connecticut Federal Cigar Edition Corona has some nice depth to the flavors.  I assessed the Corona to be a medium to full-bodied cigar – which was pretty much on par with the Cervantes.  For the Corona, I would give the body a slight edge over the strength, but both attributes complement each other well.

Final Thoughts

There is good reason why Federal Cigar’s owner Rick Gadway wanted to bring this cigar in as a on-going retail exclusive – this is one heck of a cigar.  For me the Ecuadorian Connecticut wrapper works real well with a Le Bijou blend base.  The Corona makes a great addition to this line.  No doubt, this cigar will be a contender for one of our top cigar blends for 2012.  This is a cigar that can appeal to both novice and experienced cigar enthusiasts who really want a flavorful smoke.   This is not only a cigar I’d smoke again, but one that I would recommend for a box purchase.

Summary

Burn: Excellent
Draw: Excellent
Complexity: Medium
Strength: Mild to Medium
Body: Medium to Full
Finish: Excellent

Assessment: Memorable
Score: 93



Source: This cigars for this assessment were provided by Federal Cigar. Cigar Coop is appreciative for
the sample, but in no way does this
influence this review.