Don Pepin Garcia Blue Generosos

This beautiful, Nicarguan-made gem bears the name of its world-renowned maker, Cuban-born master blender José Pepin Garcia. He makes some of the world’s finest cigars. For cigar aficionados, the name Tatuaje immediately comes to mind, but that’s just one of his creations famed for rivaling the character, flavor, and overall experience of the finest Cuban cigars. His original Blue label is another. A full-bodied, full-flavored puro, it’s made with a blend of 100% Cuban-seed Nicaraguan tobacco wrapped in a dark Nicaraguan Corojo wrapper. With its triple cap, the construction is as good as it looks. Expect a blast of pepper to start, quickly morphing into a smooth, creamy smoke loaded with rich coffee notes, and balanced by spice and chocolate. It burns cool down to the nub. In addition to being named among the World’s Top 25 Cigars (number eight to be exact), the Don Pepin Garcia Blue received a well-deserved ‘93’ and ‘92’ rating from Cigar Aficiando. This is a smoke you will want to enjoy outside, all afternoon, on a beautiful summer day with a bourbon at the ready. If it’s a veranda you’re sitting on, a mint julep will work well, too.

The Nicaraguan cigar industry originated when Cuban cigar makers escaped the revolution and re-established their livelihood in Nicaragua with Cuban-seed tobacco. Blessed with dark, rich soil, their new home was ideal for tobacco cultivation and Nicaragua quickly became known for cigars that rivaled Cuban quality. Unfortunately, revolution and war came to Nicaragua in the 1980s and devastated the industry, but it’s rebounded dramatically and is once again producing tobacco considered by many to be the finest in the world.

The Esteli Valley is in many ways the heart of Nicaraguan production and is known for its very powerful and spicy tobacco. The Jalapa Valley produces arguably the finest tobacco in the country: somewhat sweeter and less intense than Esteli, but extremely complex. The tobacco of the Condega Valley is often described as a blend of the other two regions.