La Dueña No. 5
I received some samples of the La Dueña No.5 Robustos from the Famous Smoke Shop a few months back and with all the activity of the IPCPR and summer vacations I finally got the time to review them. La Dueña is a Pete Johnson creation for Janny Garcia, Vice President of My Fathers Cigars and the sister of Jamie Garcia. La Dueña translates into “Female Owner” and as the My Father Cigars website notes:
For many years Janny Garcia has worked side by side with her father Don Pepin Garcia and her brother Jaime Garcia in building the family company. After honoring Don Pepin with the My Father Cigar and Jaime with the Jaime Garcia Reserva Especial, the time has come for La Duena (meaning female owner) to receive her own tribute. This cigar, blended by Jaime Garcia and Pete Johnson of Tatuaje Cigars, is the perfect representation of Janny.
Originally released in 2012, the La Dueña are a full production line of My Fathers Cigars manufactured in their factory in Nicaragua.
The La Dueña line is available in 6 vitolas:
- Belicoso No. 2 (5.5″x54)
- Petit Belicoso No. 9 (4.7″x48)
- Petit Lancero No. 7 (Lancero/Panatela) (6.0″x42)
- Petit Robusto (4.5″x52)
- Robusto No. 5
- Toro Gordo No.13 Box.Pressed (6″x56)
Each vitola is presented in boxes of 21 except for the Toro Gordo which comes in boxes of 12.
Examining the La Dueña you will first notice the dark espresso brown Connecticut Broadleaf maduro wrapper that has a touch of marbling to it. The wrapper encases a blend of Connecticut Broadleaf and Nicaraguan fillers and binder.
The band is simple in design with a red female silhouette on a white background and the words “La Dueña” printed in red on both sides.
La Dueña
The pre-light aroma fills my nostrils with notes of floral and fruit with a touch of earth. It is well capped, and if you look closely at the wrapper in the light you will notice what seems like a glitter. Maybe it is a special pixie dust, but then again I have seen this before on aged maduro broadleaf before. It is well packed and has a decent weight in the hand. The wrapper is a little rough to the touch as most broadleaf tobacco is. To complete the look, the La Dueña is finished with a well applied cap that easily slices off.
Once clipped the dry draw is perfect with just the right amount of restriction to the draw. I get a touch of pepper on the lips and a fermented tobacco flavor on the palate. So far so good. Let’s see how it tastes after toasting it up.
I chose to use a long wooden stick match to start the smoking experience, being careful to burn off the sulfur before applying the heat to the foot.
The first puffs of smoke are filled with a buttery nut flavor and short pepper shot that gave a mild nasal burn on the retro-hale.The developing ash is a light grey to almost white color and the burn is perfect with a thin char line.
About an inch into the burn there is an earthy note that develops. the ash holds tight for a little more than an inch. Just as the ash falls there is a touch of sweetness that develops and eventually morphs into a dark chocolate note that had a bitter component to it. I would describe it as an above 80% pure dark chocolate flavor, you know that flavor if you like real dark chocolate.
The strength settles into a solid medium at this point and maintains throughout the remainder of the cigar.
This is by far different than other My Father cigars but then again Pete had his fingers on this and Janny wanted something different and she got it.
As it moves into the second half, the smoke production is medium and quite smooth. The La Dueña finished with a touch of leather and hint of butter with a delightful nutty aroma overlay.
Overall the La Dueña performed marvelously throughout and offered a pleasant set of notes. I would not describe it as overly complex but it certainly would be a cigar I would recommend to someone that desires a little more flavor transition in their cigar.
You can order the La Dueña from Famous Smoke
La Dueña No. 5