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| Le Bijou 1922 Ecuadorian Connecticut Federal Cigar Edition Petite Robusto |
Today we explore a third vitola that is a retail exclusive cigar to Federal Cigar in New Hampshire. This cigar was blended by My Father Cigars and is an Ecuadorian Connecticut Shade version of their Le Bijou blend. The line has been dubbed “My Father Le Bijou 1922 Ecuadorian Connecticut Federal Cigar Edition”. We have explored two vitolas thus far, the Cervantes and the Corona. Today we explore the final vitola, the petite robusto. After smoking the My Father Le Bijou 1922 Ecuadorian Connecticut Federal Cigar Edition Petite Robusto, this proves to be one solid cigar line and one that could be contending for a high spot in our 2012 Cigar of the Year countdown.
When we assessed the My Father Le Bijou 1922 Ecuadorian Connecticut Federal Cigar Edition Corona, we provided some background information on this blend and how it was launched:
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.
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 Cigars’ 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.
Without further adieu, let’s get into our assessment of the My Father Le Bijou 1922 Ecuadorian Connecticut Federal Cigar Edition Petite Robusto.
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: 4 1/2 x 50
Appearance
The Le Bijou 1922 Ecuadorian Connecticut Federal Cigar Edition Petite Robusto has a classic light brown Connecticut Shade wrapper. The wrapper itself is slightly bumpy. There are some wrapper seams and veins that are visible. There are no frog eyes (green spots) present on the wrapper – something common to Ecuadorian/Connecticut Shade cigars and is not a wrapper defect (I had frog eyes on the Corona and Cervantes and I consider this a positive as it adds charm to the look of an Ecuadorian Connecticut wrapper cigar)
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 half 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.
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| My Father Le Bijou 1922 Ecuadorian Connecticut Federal Cigar Edition Petite Robusto with cedar wrap |
Preparation for the Cigar Experience
As I do with the majority of my smokes, I opted for a straight cut into the cap of the Le Bijou 1922 Ecuadorian Connecticut Federal Cigar Edition Petite Robusto. When I started the pre-light draw, I was treated to notes of wood, cream, pepper, and dried fruit. The dry draw was similar to what I detected with the Corona and the Cervantes. At this point, it was time to fire up the Petite Robusto and see what the smoking experience would bring to the table.
Flavor Profile
The Petite Robusto probably has the most different size of the three vitolas in terms of both of its length and ring gauge. While there were similar flavor notes, the pattern with the Petite Robusto seemed different compared to the Cervantes and Corona.
The Le Bijou 1922 Ecuadorian Connecticut Federal Cigar Edition Petite Robusto started out with a quick Garcia family-style pepper blast. The pepper blast was short and the pepper quickly diminished to a background note. This gave way to notes of wood and cream, however the pepper was still present through the nasal passages. The Petite Robusto had the most cream I was detecting on any of the Le Bijou Federal Edition cigars. There were also notes of dried fruit (not quite the grapefruit sweetness of the Cervantes or Corona)
While the cream seemed to be the flavor in the driver’s set, there were times both the dried fruit and wood surfaced as a primary note. There were times I also detected some berry sweetness (again as opposed to the grapefruit). The flavor profile held until the end. The finish was very smooth with a nub that was firm to the touch and cool in temperature.
Burn and Draw
One thing that makes the Le Bijou 1922 Ecuadorian Connecticut Federal Cigar Edition such a solid line is that there is great consistency from a construction standpoint from vitola to vitola and from smoke to smoke. The burn line of the Petite Robusto was razor sharp from start to finish requiring minimal touch-ups. The resulting ash was white and firm throughout the smoking experience. The burn rate and burn temperature were ideal from start to finish.
The draw was equally as superior as the burn. The Le Bijou 1922 Ecuadorian Connecticut Federal Cigar Edition was a very enjoyable smoke to puff on from start to finish.
Strength and Body
The Le Bijou 1922 Ecuadorian Connecticut Federal Cigar Edition Petite Robusto is not going to be overwhelm you from a nicotine perspective. I assessed the Petite Robusto to be mild to medium in terms of strength. This was similar to how the Corona performed from a strength perspective. It is worth noting that the Cervantes was able to cross into the medium strength domain.
Consistent with the Cervantes and Corona, this is going to provide some nice depth to its flavors – especially for an Ecuadorian Connecticut Shade wrapper. Like those other two vitolas, I assessed the Petite Robusto to be medium to full-bodied. Also consistent with the Cervantes and Corona, I give the the body of the Petite Robusto a slight edge over the strength.
Final Thoughts
Like the Cervantes and Corona, the Petite Robusto is another winner in the Le Bijou 1922 Ecuadorian Connecticut Federal Cigar Edition line. All three cigars scored a 93 and each got to its score a different way. If someone were to ask me for a tie-breaker, I’d give a slight edge to the lonsdale Cervantes vitola – because it was able to penetrate into medium strength territory. In the end, you really can’t go wrong with any of the vitolas in this series. All three can appeal to both novice and experienced cigar enthusiasts, and in my book – all three are box worthy purchases.
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
