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| My Father TAA Exclusive 2014 |
The My Father TAA Exclusive 2014 is one of seven releases of the 2014 TAA Exclusive Series. This series consists of cigars from seven different manufactures that will be sold exclusively to Tobacconist Association of America (TAA) retailers. This marks the second time that My Father Cigars has released a TAA Exclusive. Back in late 2011, the Jaime Garcia Reserva Especial TAA Edition provided a box-pressed torpedo to TAA members. The My Father Cigars factory has also produced TAA Exclusives for Tatuaje Cigars, including this year’s Tatuaje TAA 2014. However this is the first time a My Father branded cigar has been released to the TAA. For the inaugural release, the My Father TAA Exclusive 2014 features a box-pressed Toro based on the core My Father blend. Recently I’ve had an opportunity to smoke this cigar – and I have found this to be true what is now considered an iconic line.
The TAA is a small group of retailers (at press time the TAA web-site lists a total of 77 members). For the past several years many manufacturers have made available cigars that are exclusive to TAA member retail shops. As per their web-site, the TAA is defined as:
The Tobacconists’ Association of America, Ltd. is a trade organization established in 1968 by visionary retail tobacconists. By providing education, communication, research, advocacy, and member discount programs, The TAA works with our members and the industry they support to offer the tools and relationship building opportunities needed to maximize professionalism and success.”
At this time, let’s take a closer look at the My Father TAA Exclusive 2014 and see what this cigar brings to the table:
Blend Profile
As with the rest of the My Father line, the My Father TAA Exclusive features the company’s signature hybrid Ecuadorian Habano Rosado/Criollo wrapper.
Wrapper: Ecuadorian Habano Rosado/Criollo
Binder: Nicaraguan
Filler: Nicaraguan
Vitolas Available
The My Father TAA Exclusive 2014 is available in one size – a 6 x 50 box-pressed toro. It is packaged in boxes of 20 and a total of 1,500 boxes were produced.
For completeness, we include of frontmarks for the My Father Cigars’ core line. This is not the first box-pressed cigar in this line as the My Father No. 6 was introduced in late 2012.
TAA Exclusive: 6 x 50 (Box-Pressed)
No. 1: 5 1/4 x 52
No. 2: 5 1/2 x 54 (Belicoso)
No. 3: 6 x 49
No. 4: 7 1/2 x 38
No. 5: 6 x 56
No. 6: 6 x 60 (Box-Pressed)
Corona: 5 x 42 (Limited Edition)
Cedros Deluxe Cervantes: 6 1/2 x 44
Cedros Deluxe Eminentes: 5 5/8 x 46
Appearance
The My Father TAA Exclusive 2014’s Hybrid wrapper has a dark cinnamon / medium brown color – similar to the rest of the line. Upon closer examination, some darker marbling can be seen on the surface. The wrapper itself has some oil on it. There are a some visible veins and a few visible wrapper seams, but overall I would consider this to be a smooth wrapper. The box-press itself is well packed.
The band is the same one found on the core My Father line. The band features the peach/pink, green, gold, and white color scheme with the My Father cigars logo.
Preparation for the Cigar Experience
Prior to lighting up the My Father TAA Exclusive 2014, I went with a straight cut to remove the cap. After successfully clipping the cap, I moved on to the pre-light draw phase. The dry draw provided me a mix of cedar sweet spice with hints of caramel sweetness and nut. Oveall I considered the pre-light draw to the My Father TAA Exclusive 2014 to be outstanding. At this point, I was ready to light up this cigar and see what the smoking stage would have in store.
Flavor Profile
The start to the My Father TAA Exclusive 2014 provided me a classic Garcia family black pepper blast. As the pepper settled down, some flavors of nut and cedar sweetness entered the equation – with the nut flavors becoming primary. Throughout the first half, the nut was very much present on the draw with some background black pepper. The cedar notes were more present on the after-draw / finish while the retro-hale produced more of the black pepper.
At the midway point, the nut flavors remained primary and the cedar was now also present on both the draw and after-draw. There also were now some earth notes present in the forefront. The pepper remained in the background – and at times I picked up some caramel sweetness in the background.
By the last third, the pepper had moved to the forefront joining the earth notes. The cedar and nut notes were now in the background. This is the way the flavor profile remained until the end. The resulting nub was cool in temperature and soft to the touch.
Burn and Draw
Like the My Father TAA Exclusive 2014 core line, the My Father TAA Exclusive 2014 follows suit and is a well-constructed cigar. For the most part the burn line remained straight on this cigar. While there was an occasional jagged spot, this still remained a low maintenance burn to keep going straight. The resulting ash was firm, with some minor flaking. The ash had a silvery gray color. The burn rate and burn temperature were ideal.
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| Burn of the My Father TAA Exclusive 204 |
I found the My Father TAA Exclusive 2014 to have an open, but not loose. The cigar produced an ample amount of smoke and delivered an excellent draw.
Strength and Body
From both a strength and body perspective, I pretty much found the My Father TAA Exclusive 2014 to be on par with most of the My Father core line. The strength level pretty much stayed in the medium to full range for most of the duration of the smoke. Toward the very end, the My Father TAA progressed into full strength territory. I also found the depth of the flavors to follow a similar pattern. The flavors were medium to full-bodied to start – and in the last third moved into full-bodied territory. Overall I found the strength and body to counter each other nicely with neither attribute overshadowing the other.
Final Thoughts
The My Father TAA Exclusive 2014 is the third cigar I’ve smoked in the 2014 TAA Exclusive series and right now I would put this as the best of the releases. One thing about this cigar is that it is not going to provide a radically different cigar then much of the core My Father line. If you like a cigar in a box-press and are a fan of the My Father line, this is going to be a cigar you want to try. This cigar is excellent in terms of flavor, construction, and balance. This is probably a cigar I would steer more toward an experienced cigar enthusiast as it leans on the fuller side. As for myself, it’s definitely a cigar I’d smoke again – and it’s one worthy of a box split.
Summary
Burn: Excellent
Draw: Excellent
Complexity: Medium
Strength: Medium to Full (Full toward end)
Body: Medium to Full (1st 2/3), Full (Last third)
Finish: Good
Assessment: 3.5 – Box Split
Score: 91
References
News: My Father TAA Exclusive to be Released to Tobacconist Association of America
Price: $11.00
Source: Purchased
Stogie Geeks Podcast: Episode 97
Stogie Feed: My Father TAA Exclusive 2014
