My Father Limited Edition 2012

The My Father Limited Edition 2012 marks the third consecutive year a limited edition cigar has been released under the My Father line.  In each year, this cigar has become a marquis release under the My Father line.  On top of its limited production, the key distinguishing factors that have made this cigar special are its Ecuadorian Habano Criollo/Rosado Hybrid wrapper and the incorporation of Pelo de Oro tobacco into the blend.  While the 2010 and 2011 IPCPR Trade Shows saw My Father showcase a My Father Limited Edition, things were quiet at the 2012 show in terms of showcasing a Limited Edition 2012.  First information surfaced in late September.  This is when we reported My Father Cigars’ Vice President Jose Ortega’s announcement about the Limited Edition 2012.   The cigar was released this past month and I have finally had an opportunity to smoke this.   Overall, this was an outstanding release and time will tell where this stacks up with the previous years’ releases.

As mentioned, the My Father Limited Edition 2012 is the third year in a row a cigar has been released in the My Father Cigars Limited Edition Series.   The first two releases have been rated very highly on Cigar Coop. The My Father Limited Edition 2010 was rated our #18 cigar for 2010.  The My Father Limited Edition 2011 was rated our #26 cigar for 2011.  In each of those two years, we found that aging really had a positive effect on this cigar.  It will be very interesting to see what happens with the My Father Limited Edition 2012.

The original My Father Limited Edition 2010 had two other distinguishing factors.  Each cigar was packaged in an individual box, and each cigar was said to be personally rolled by Don Pepin Garcia and his son Jaime.   The My Father Limited Edition 2011 did not have these distinguishing characteristics.  It was packaged in a more traditional box, and there was no word that the cigars were rolled by Pepin or Jaime.

At the My Father Cigars’ factory, the most experienced rollers are toward the front of the room.  This is the table at the very front reserved for Don Pepin Garcia and his son Jaime.  No doubt this is where the original My Father Limited Edition 2010 was rolled. – Cigar Coop photo

Without further ado, let’s break down the My Father Limited Edition 2012 and see what this cigar brings to the table.

Blend Profile

The profile in each of the My Father Limited Editions looks similar from an architecture standpoint, but there have been variations of the blend from year to year.  The Garcia family has pretty much been guarded in terms of the blend details.

Wrapper: Ecuadorian Habano Criollo Rosado Hybrid
Binder: Nicaraguan
Filler: Nicaraguan

As we mentioned above, the blend includes Pelo de Oro tobacco.  This comes from Garcia family’s private tobacco farms.

Vitolas Available

The My Father Limited Edition 2012 is available in a single vitola – a 6 1/2 x 52 Super Toro.  This is consistent to what was released in 2010 and 2011.  The cigars are packaged twelve to a box and each box is individually numbered.  According to Seth’s Humidor, the production count is 2,500 boxes.

Appearance

The My Father Limited Edition 2012 has a color that is a combination of milk chocolate and colorado red.  This wrapper appears darker than what was on the Limited Edition 2011, but the texture is consistent between the two.  The complexion to the hybrid wrapper has both a silky and an oily surface. There are some visible veins and some visible wrapper seams on the hybrid wrapper.

My Father Limited Edition 2011 (Top), My Father Limited Edition 2012 (Bottom)

The banding on the My Father Limited Edition 2012 is pretty much identical to the Limited Edition 2011.  As with each of the My Father Limited Edition cigars, the Limited Edition 2012 features two bands.  The top band is the classic peach/pink, green, gold, and white My Father Cigars band found across the line.  There is a secondary band below the main band.  That band has an orange, pink/peach, gold, red, and green color scheme.  At the center of the band, on a gold background is the text  “Limited Edition” in red cursive font.  Below that text is “By Master Blender Jaime Garcia” in black font.  There are three gold ribbon designs toward the bottom of that band.   The center ribbon is slightly below the other two  On each ribbon (from left to right) is the text “HAND”,  “ESTELI, NICARAGUA”, and “MADE” – all in black front.  To the left of the secondary band is the “MF” logo on an orange background.  To the right it says “My Father Cigars” and has Jaime Garcia’s signature – all in black font as well.

Preparation for the Cigar Experience

For my cigar experience with the My Father Limited Edition 2012, I went with a straight cut into the hybrid wrapper.  When I commenced with the pre-light draw, I was treated to a combination of cedar, coffee, butter, and black pepper.  Overall I considered the dry draw notes to be satisfactory.   At this point, it was time to fire up the cigar and see what the smoking experience would deliver.

Flavor Profile

My synopsis of the flavor profile is that the My Father Limited Edition 2012 differs from both the 2011 and 2010 editions, but yet as some common flavor components such as the coffee, cedar, and pepper.

The start to the My Father Limited Edition 2012 has some wood and pepper notes to start.  I considered this start to be trademark My Father Cigars’ pepper blast.   This would then be joined by some natural tobacco sweetness and coffee notes.   In the background there almost was a bready component that existed.  Throughout the first third there was no real dominant flavor.  The wood, coffee,  natural tobacco, and pepper all jockeyed for position in these early stages while the bread notes remained secondary.

In the second third, the natural tobacco sweetness seemed to finally break away from the other flavors and emerge as a primary flavor.  This natural tobacco sweetness had some other qualities – including both cedar and orange citrus undertones.  This made this sweetness a more unique and more special.  The coffee and pepper notes were in a secondary role while the bread notes were tertiary.

Later in the second third, the pepper spice joined the sweetness up-front.  As the final third began, it would take over as a primary flavor.  The finish was spicy, but not overly harsh.  The resulting nub ideal – firm to the touch and cool in temperature.

Burn and Draw

The burn and draw for the My Father Limited Edition 2012 gets high grades here.  The burn to the Limited Edition 2012 remained sharp from start to finish requiring minimal touch-ups.  The resulting ash was a tight one with a nice salt and pepper color.   The burn rate and the burn temperature were ideal.   The draw was outstanding as well.  Overall, the burn and draw both made the My Father Limited Edition 2011 a low maintenance smoke.

Strength and Body

From a strength perspective, I found the My Father Limited Edition 2012 to have a little more kick than the previous releases.  I assessed this cigar to be a medium to full strength cigar for the first two thirds, and by the last third I felt the strength had progressed to full strength.   This could be due to the fact that this cigar was smoked shortly after its release.  Time will tell on this one if it will mellow.

From a depth of flavors standpoint, the Limited Edition 2012 starts out medium-bodied and progresses to medium to full by the second third.  When balancing strength versus body, I found the strength had a slight edge (especially in the first and last thirds) over the flavor.  I did not find these attributes to be way off balance in terms of equilibrium, but there definitely was a slight edge to the strength.

Final Thoughts

I’ve smoked the My Father Limited Edition 2010 and 2011 editions right out of the box shortly after being released.  As mentioned up front, they were very good cigars, but it was over time where aging really helped take those cigars to the next level.  In terms of the My Father Limited Edition 2012, we are assessing  it shortly after its release.  However, this is why we do assessment updates – to see how the cigar changes.  Right now I feel the My Father Limited Edition 2012 smoked the best of terms of shortly after being released.  Time will tell how age impacts this and how it will stand up to the previous years’ releases.  I found this cigar to be a little too much strength-wise for a novice smoker.  Experienced cigar enthusiasts, especially My Father fans, should enjoy this.  As for me, I look forward to smoking this one again.

Summary