Today, we review the El Mago Pepe. El Mago Cigars is a company founded by Nick Fusco, and over the past couple of years, it has become one of the rising companies in the cigar industry. Fusco started the cigar company as a tribute to his grandparents, Maria and Gonzalo Torre, who died together on June 24, 2021, in Miami, Florida, when their building, The Champlain Towers, suddenly collapsed in the middle of the night. When he established the company, Nick became the youngest owner of a premium cigar company at age 23. Each of the company’s releases has been an homage to his late grandparents.

The Pepe in particular pays homage to his grandfather, Gonzalo Torre, nicknamed Pepe. El Mago Cigars are known for their Miami Art Deco packaging, and the Pepe is no exception. Many El Mago offerings come in tubes, also highlighting the Miami art-deco packaging. In the case of Pepe, it’s a box-pressed offering that comes in a square tube.

Without further ado, let’s break down the Pepe and see what this cigar brings to the table.

El Mago Pepe – Cigar Review

SPECIFICATIONS

Blend and Origin

Pepe consists of a San Andres Mexican wrapper over a U.S Broadleaf binder. The fillers consist of all Nicaraguan tobaccos. Production comes from the MGE Cigars Factory in Estelí, Nicaragua. MGE handles all of El Mago’s cigar production.

Wrapper: San Andres Mexican
Binder: U.S. Broadleaf
Filler: Nicaraguan
Country of Origin: Nicaragua
Factory: MGE Cigars Factory

Vitolas Offered

Pepe comes in one size – a 6 x 52 Toro Box-Pressed. Each cigar is packaged in an individual square tube. The tubes come in 12-count boxes.

Appearance (*)

The San Andres wrapper of the Pepe had a chocolate brown color to it. There wasn’t much in the way of oils on this wrapper. The wrapper itself exhibited some toothiness. There were a few visible veins, and the wrapper seams were minimally visible. In contrast to a Cuban soft-press, the Pepe features a sharp-cornered square press.

PERFORMANCE

Pre-Light Draw (*)

Before lighting up the Pepe, a straight cut was used to commence the cigar experience. Once the cap was removed, it was time to begin with the pre-light draw ritual. The cold draw didn’t yield any exotic flavors, but what it did produce was good flavor. The flavors delivered were coffee, cedar, and earth. Overall, this was a satisfying pre-light experience. At this point, it was time to remove the footer ribbon, toast up the Pepe, and head into the smoking phase.

Tasting Notes

The Pepe opened up with an assortment of flavor notes, including coffee, earth, berry, white pepper, and baker’s spice. Early on, the coffee and berry notes emerged as the primary notes. Meanwhile, the white pepper, earth, and baker’s spice settled in the background. On the retro-hale, there was an additional layer of berry with touches of white pepper mixed in.

As the Pepe moved into the second third, the coffee notes remained grounded in the forefront. The early stages of this second third saw the berry notes float between the forefront and background. By the midway point, the berry moved into secondary note status. Throughout this third, there was an increase in both the pepper and the baker’s spice, with the pepper increasing at a slightly greater rate.

In the final third, there weren’t many changes to note. The coffee flavor remained dominant, while the spices became more pronounced, with pepper standing out as the most notable among the secondary flavors. Elements of earthiness, berry, and baker’s spice rounded out the overall flavor profile. This is how the Pepe came to its conclusion. The resulting nub was soft to the touch and slightly warm.

Burn

While the Pepe had a straight burn path and relatively straight burn line, it required frequent touch-ups to maintain this. The touch-ups were more frequent than I preferred, but they did the job. The resulting ash was medium gray with some dark gray spots. The ash itself was slightly loose. As for the burn rate and burn temperature, both were maintained at ideal levels. The burn temperature got a little lukewarm towards the end, but this was more of an indication that it was time to put the cigar down.

Draw

Overall, the draw of the Pepe had enough resistance in my book to make it ideal. Typically, box-pressed cigars tend to be a little too open for me in terms of the draw, but not the case with the Pepe. As mentioned, the burn got a little lukewarm, but it wasn’t because this draw was too open or loose.

Strength and Body

The Pepe started out with both medium strength and medium-bodied notes. Throughout the smoking experience, both the strength and body increased in intensity. The body increased at a higher (but not too rapid) rate, and by the second third of the smoking experience, the flavors were now medium to full-bodied.

In terms of strength versus body with the Pepe, the body held a slight edge throughout the smoking experience.

BANDING AND PACKAGING NOTES (*)

In terms of packaging, El Mago knocks it out of the park. The white box has a very regal look to it, and it contrasts nicely with the purple used on the tube. The tubes themselves possess a pleasant, contemporary elegance. Purple is a difficult color to pull off on a cigar, but Fusco and El Mago do a terrific job here.

Packaging of the El Mago Pepe, Photo Credit: El Mago Cigars

I’m also a huge fan of the band logo, which depicts Fusco’s grandparents in front of their Miami Beach hotel. The band logo is also on the tube and the box, again making for a terrific presentation.

OVERALL ASSESSMENT

Final Thoughts

The Pepe is the first El Mago cigar I have reviewed, and I was impressed. While the eye-catching packaging certainly stands out, the true test lies within the cigar itself. Fortunately, the Pepe delivered a delightful and rewarding experience. What I particularly appreciated about this cigar was how well it mitigated any harshness or sharpness that often accompanies San Andres Mexican wrappers—a common issue I’ve encountered with many cigars of this type. In the end, I wholeheartedly recommend this cigar to seasoned enthusiasts, though novices shouldn’t shy away from giving it a try. Personally, this is definitely a cigar I would buy and enjoy again.

Summary

Key Flavors: Coffee, Berry, Baker’s Spice, Earth, Pepper
Burn: Very Good
Draw: Excellent
Complexity: Medium
Strength: Medium
Body: Medium (1st Half), Medium to Full (2nd Half)
Finish: Very Good