pepin garcia

La Sirena Cigar Launch Party in New York City

Filed under: Cigars

The world just got a new cigar! I've been waiting for this launch for months, having first heard about it last winter. And, if ever there was an open secret in the cigar industry, this was it. The La Sirena line of cigars, manufactured at Don Pepin Garcia's My Father Cigars factory and distributed by Miami Cigar & Company, is the latest bold and powerful Nicaraguan stick to take a place on tobacconists' shelves. It is unmistakably a Pepin creation, with rich flavors and the sort of kick that inveterate cigar smokers are bound to appreciate.

La Sirena was launched at a dinner in its honor held last week at De La Concha in Manhattan. "Full house" was redefined, as customers packed themselves into the Sixth Avenue retail establishment ... while more than a dozen others made it no further than the waiting list. Even with Cigar Aficionado's Big Smoke going on at the same time, the presence of Nestor Miranda, Janny Garcia and Arielle Ditkowich demonstrates the excitement that had built around this product. And, Pete Johnson of Tatuaje Cigars stopped by to offer his regards (and announce with De La Concha General Manager Ron Melendi that the store would begin carrying Johnson's Tatuaje cigars).

Gallery: La Sirena Cigar Launch, De La Concha

Gallery: The Guests at the La Sirena Cigar Launch at De La Concha

[photos by Steve Zak Photography]

Tags: big smoke, cigar, cigar aficionado, cigar dinner, cigar lounge, cigars, nestor miranda, new york, new york city, nicaragua, NicaraguanCigars, pepin garcia, tatuaje, tatuajes, tobacco

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Nestor Miranda to Release New Art Deco Cigar

by Tom Johansmeyer (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Cigars

A new creation from Pepin Garcia's cigar factory will be unveiled in New Orleans this week. Miami Cigar is set to release its newest cigar, the Nestor Miranda Art Deco, at the International Premium Cigar & Pipe Retailers Association's 78th Annual Convention and International Trade Show. This exciting new cigar's blend is 60 percent Nicaraguan Corojo 99 and 40 percent Dominican San Vicente, dual Dominican Criollo '98/Nicaraguan Habano '00 binder, and a dark, oily and aromatic Nicaraguan Corojo '06 wrapper leaf with a triple cap. The cap, according to Miami Cigar, offers a dark, rich-tasting smoke that provides a unique balance of aroma, flavor and strength."

According to Nestor Miranda:

"We wanted to get Pepin out of his comfort zone, which is using Nicaraguan tobacco," said Nestor Miranda. "He accepted the challenge and came out with an amazing blend using 40% Dominican tobacco."

Instead of using traditional wooden boxes, the Nestor Miranda Art Deco will be sold in metallic art deco-designed tins with 21 cigars each. The sizes are:

Coffee Break / 4.5 x 50
Robusto Grande / 5.5 x 54
Gran Toro / 6 x 60

Gallery: Cigar Rolling at My Father Cigars, Pepin Garcia's Factory

Welcome to the new My Father Cigars Factory in Esteli, Nicaragua

Cigar Manufacturing Operation at My Father Cigars in Nicaragua

Tags: cigar, nestor miranda, New orleans, nicaragua, NicaraguanCigars, pepin garcia

Smoking My Father: Pepin Garcia's Cigars from Seed to Ash

by Tom Johansmeyer (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Cigars, Luxury Travel & Hotels, Video

Even with a full, detailed tour of everything from leaf to ash, much of what occurs in Jose "Pepin" Garcia's My Father Cigars operation will remain a mystery. Of course, you'll never master the details involved in farming the tobacco (unless you're in that business already) ... and have a willingness to guide oxen through the fields in lieu of heavy machinery. As you walk through nearly every building in every room in the factory, you will still be constrained by the act that key details are hidden, even if in plain sight. Watch every step in the process used to manufacture My Father, 601, Tatuaje and several other cigar lines, and you'll never have a chance to appreciate the operation as a whole ... and there's a good reason for this.

The creation of any premium cigar always involves a dose of "secret sauce," and Pepin's business is no different. From the farm to the factory, only four people in My Father Cigars know exactly what goes into each stick. Trade secrets are portable, and this knowledge is maintained only by those who have both proven themselves worthy and have a clear business need for the information.

Yet, even if you won't be able to replicate in your basement what Pepin has created, it's still a fascinating process to watch. From La Finca Estrella to the nearby factory and out the door, Pepin's cigar business is a local affair, involving mostly the staff from Esteli, Nicaragua.

Gallery: Cigar Rolling at My Father Cigars, Pepin Garcia's Factory