Initial Thoughts
I had been hearing about this cigar for a long time. I was finally able to track one down about 3 months ago in my local shop. I know, it’s been sitting for awhile. I just have too many cigars to smoke. First world problems. I’ve done some research about the La Duena, and found out that it was inspired by Janny, Don Pepin’s daughter. I went to Google translate to figure out what La Duena meant. Their translation states “The Mistress”. Some have said it translates to “The Boss”. I’m not very good at Spanish, so I’m going to trust Google Translate on this one.
I haven’t had too many cigars from the Pepin family other than Jaime Garcia Special Edition, which was incredible. I’m hoping that this cigar lives up to the hype it got coming out of the show a few months back. Let’s dive in and see what “The Mistress” has to offer.
Looks
Head to foot this cigar looks fantastic. A dark chocolate brown wrapper with a beautiful sheen. A few bulging veins that appear and disappear before your eyes. Being a belicoso, the head of this cigar is tapered just a bit. Not quite as much as a torpedo, but still comes to a point.
The band on the La Duena is what really pops for me. It’s a silouhette of a woman’s head in white, set to a red background to make it pop off the band. It’s very classic and reminiscent of a locket. I instantly think back to earlier times in our country’s history, back to the civil war days. For some reason, this band takes me there. I love it.
The construction on this cigar looks absolutely perfect. Looking at the foot, it’s packed to the brim with rich tobacco. This cigar is just seducing me, and begging me to light it up.
Function
Lately, I’ve been forgetting my standard pre smoke rituals. I think I’ve just been so eager to smoke that I bypass these important steps. Not today my friends!
I gave this La Duena a full check up. I rolled it back and forth between my fingers performing the pinch test. No soft spots were found. In fact the filler was packed full and there was little sponginess to cigar at all.
I’ve been using my new capped back cigar cutter lately. So it took me about 3 clips to get down where I could adequately draw enough air through the barrel of this cigar. My oh my, can this cigar draw. Very little resistance to my advances, this cigar let air come right through it. It’s so nice to be able take a few cold draws and know that you’re not going to have any problem smoking this cigar. Alright enough with the foreplay, lets get this thing going.
Smoking
I wish I could write this review like a romance novel, only seems natural on a cigar named “The Mistress”. But seeing as how I’ve never read one, it would be difficult. I’m gonna try anyway.
I slowly moved closer with the flame and the light started to dance around the foot of the cigar. It quickly touched the foot and then bounced away, teasing the foot with it’s warmth and desire. Finally, tired of being playful, the foot grabbed the flame and never let go. Smoke began to fill the air, and you could see the fire burning inside… Tired of this yet? Yeah me too.
I had this La Duena up and going in no time. Puffing away and just burning through that delicate wrapper leaf. I was getting so much thick creamy white smoke off this cigar it actually choked me up the first couple of times. It was just so easy to take big drags on this cigar. Without much resistance my mouth filled with smoke quicker than I assumed it would and then, BAM! *hack hack hack* like a newbie smoker.
Smoking the first third of this cigar was such a pleasure. I was so relaxed, I forgot all about the election coverage and I was just immersed in this cigar. The second third brought me back into it. The burn and draw were so good I didn’t even have to worry about them. I just kept puffing away. The final third was identical to others. The only issue I had with the entire cigar was at the nub. The smoke got a little too hot for me, but what can you expect it’s the nub, it’s gonna be hot!
Flavor
Oh man, this La Duena was packed with flavor. Not complexity in flavors, but overall flavor. On the pre light I could pick up a nice sweet tobacco / molasses aroma on the foot. I always love this smell, it gets me thinking about all the possibilites this cigar could offer.
The first third was a story of two spices. Every time I took a drag I could pick up two distinct spices. One on my lips and the other in the aroma. While looking at my flavor chart, I determined the spice on my lips was something similar to chili spice. It has a nice bite, with a warming finish that just hung around. The spice from the aroma was difficult to pin down and I couldn’t place it. It was different than the chili spice. It was smoother and didn’t linger as long, especially on the finish. It was very interesting.
In the second third, the spice died down some. Which I was disappointed about. I’m not sure if I wanted more spice or if I wanted it to stay consistent all the way through. I didn’t notice any sweetness take over in the second third, just a lack of spice really. In the last part of the 2nd third a coffee flavor starts to peek it’s head in. It was mainly in the finish though. It left a kind of aftertaste that reminded me of my daily morning cup of DD original blend. My cup is empty right now which is kind of disappointing.
In the final third, the spice came roaring back. I say roaring, but that’s probably too harsh of a word. It came back to about the same level as the first third. It wasn’t overpowering, but it was definitely a change from the second. So roaring seemed appropriate.
This La Duena is a fantastic medium bodied that is just packed with flavor. If the stories are true, Janny Garcia, wanted something exactly to these specs. A medium body, with complex flavors that would pleasurable to anyone. I think that’s exactly what they got with this cigar.
Would I Buy It Again?
Without a doubt. This cigar is in my Top 10 of the year, maybe even my top 5.
Is It an Every Day Smoke?
Absolutely, with it being a medium body, easy to smoke. You could burn one of these daily.
Would I Buy a Box?
I think I might. Depends on what kind of deal I can get.
Conclusion
Just a great freaking cigar. It’s got a great draw, full of smoke, full of flavor, and a price point that is atypical of most of the Garcia family cigars. I can officially say “The Mistress” has seduced me and brought me into her arms. Has anyone else had this cigar? Did you experience the dual spices like I did? I’d love to hear your thoughts!
