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| My Father Draper’s 126th Anniversary |
The My Father Draper’s 126th Anniversary cigar is a limited production, retail exclusive by My Father Cigars to Washington DC area retailer W. Curtis Draper. In 2013, this cigar was one of two releases to commemorate the 126th Anniversary of Draper’s (the other was a lancero edition of the Guillermo Leon Signature Series). Recently I have had an opportunity to smoke the My Father 126th Anniversary Series. Over the past few years, the Draper’s Anniversary series has established itself as one of the top retail-exclusive series in the industry. The My Father Drapers 126th holds its own – and keeps to the tradition established in this line.
Without further ado, let’s dive right into this cigar assessment and see what this cigar brings to the table.
Blend Profile
I was told from Drapers that the My Father Draper’s 126th Anniversary is a variant of the core My Father cigar but it leverages a Connecticut Broadleaf wrapper as opposed to an Ecuadorian one. This confirmed a report initially reported by halfwheel.com back in May, 2013 prior to its release.
Wrapper: Connecticut Broadleaf
Binder: Nicaraguan
Filler: Nicaraguan
Vitolas Available
The My Father Draper’s 12th Anniversary cigar is made in one size – a Toro. The halfwheel.com report says this is a 6 x 52 size.
Appearance
The wrapper of the My Father Draper’s 126th Anniversary is a classic Connecticut Broadleaf styled band. It has a rich coffee bean color and there is some darker marbling to it. The surface of the wrapper is somewhat oily. There are some visible veins and visible wrapper seams that give the wrapper a somewhat rugged look.
As for the band, the My Father Draper’s 126th Anniversary uses the same classic peach/pink, green, gold, and white band found across the My Father core line. There is no special band on the cigar indicating this is a 126th anniversary cigar.
Preparation for the Cigar Experience
As I normally do, I started with a straight cut to begin the cigar experience. Once the cap was removed, I proceeded to the pre-light draw. I did pick up several flavors on the cold draw – namely notes of chocolate, earth, cream, and a little bit of spice. While I didn’t find the pre-light draw to be the most exciting, it still was a satisfactory one. At this point, I was ready to light up the My Father Draper’s 126th Anniversary and see what the overall cigar experience would bring to the table.
Flavor Profile
The My Father Draper’s 126th Anniversary started out with a short blast of pepper. Notes of bittersweet chocolate and earth surfaced. In terms of bittersweet, it was exactly as the name indicates – the chocolate had both some bitter and some sweet qualities. The chocolate and earth notes eventually moved into the forefront. The pepper receded into the background, but I still was able to pick it up on the retro-hale.
The second third saw a transition from the chocolate notes to more of a classic Nicaraguan earthy profile. The pepper notes still remained in the background.
The last third saw an increase in the pepper notes. The pepper and earth dominated the flavors right until the end. This is the way the My Father Draper’s 126th Anniversary smoked until the close of the cigar experience. The resulting nub was soft to the touch and cool in temperature.
Burn and Draw
For the most part, I found the burn of the My Father Draper’s 126th Anniversary to perform well. There was some curiviness to the burn line, but I still did not categorize this cigar as having an uneven burn. The touch-ups that were needed were more cosmetic in nature. The resulting ash was on the firm side – with a salt and pepper color. The burn rate and burn temperature were both ideal.
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| Burn of the My Father Draper’s 126th Anniversary |
The draw was excellent as well. While this wasn’t a loose draw, the My Father Draper’s 126th Anniversary produced an abundant amount of smoke – something I like. Overall this was a low maintenance cigar to puff on.
Strength and Body
From a strength perspective, the My Father Draper’s 126th Anniversary started out in the medium range. I did find the strength to gradually increase with this cigar and by the last third, the strength had crossed into the medium to full range. Meanwhile I also found the 126th Anniversary to be a medium-bodied cigar – and it pretty much remained that way. As for strength versus body, the two attributes counter each other nicely, but I felt in that last third, the strength had a slight edge.
Final Thoughts
It’s widely known that the wrapper is where the majority of the flavor comes from a cigar. The My Father Draper’s 126th Anniversary is a case study on what changing the wrapper of a cigar can do. The replacement of an Ecuadorian Rosado wrapper with the Connecticut Broadleaf certainly changes what the My Father blend is going to deliver. I wouldn’t say it elevates the cigar to a different level, but it provides an interesting change-up to things. This is going to provide a more of a rougher, earthier Nicaraguan smoking experience. While this isn’t an overpowering cigar strength-wise, this isn’t a smoke I’d recommend to a newbie. As for myself, there was enough to interest me with this cigar to smoke it again. It’s worth picking up a five pack in my book.
Summary
Burn: Excellent
Draw: Excellent
Complexity: Medium
Strength: Medium (1st 2/3), Medium to Full (Last Third)
Body: Medium
Finish: Good
Assessment: 3.0 – The Fiver
Score: 89
References
News: n/a
Price: $11.00
Source: Purchased
Stogie Geeks Podcast: n/a
Stogie Feed: n/a
