My Father Connecticut Staff Review
I’m smoking My Father Connecticut in a 5.25-by-52 Robusto today. My Father cigars are known for their strength, but the Connecticut is different because it’s deceptively strong. It’s rolled with an Ecuador Connecticut wrapper, which many cigar lovers expect will be milder, but make no mistake My Father Connecticut is a hearty Nicaraguan smoke.
I’ve been smoking My Father cigars for more than a decade. Back in 2011, I remember comparing the original My Father blend to the full-bodied and spicy My Father Le Bijou 1922, before it earned a 97-point rating and ‘#1 Cigar of the Year’ honors in Cigar Aficionado. Both are robust but very smooth cigars.
The My Father brand is owned and blended by father-and-son cigar-makers Pepin and Jaime Garcia. Pepin was a celebrated cigar-maker in Cuba for decades before the family relocated to the U.S. in the early 2000s, when cigars like Tatuaje and Don Pepin Garcia Original made the Garcias popular with connoisseurs and critics. The Garcias expanded, bought land in Nicaragua, and built a massive cigar factory in Estelí as they took on major contracts making La Aroma de Cuba and San Cristobal cigars for the Levin family, owners of the Ashton brand.
When My Father Connecticut debuted in 2014, it was intended to appeal to fans of milder cigars who wanted to smoke something mellow from My Father. I would argue, instead, My Father Connecticut is a cigar blended to please My Father fans who occasionally crave a cigar that’s slightly less intense.
My Father Connecticut cigars are packaged in shiny, black 23-count boxes wrapped in the brand’s classic pink and gold logo. On each cigar, the iconic My Father cigar band is placed just above a glossy secondary band that reads “CT Edition.” A silky black ribbon adorns the foot of every cigar. When I pluck a fresh Robusto from the top row, a light-tan Ecuador Connecticut wrapper leaf shows no noticeable veins or blemishes. Underneath it lies a Nicaraguan Corojo ’99 binder and a filler recipe of Nicaraguan Habano and Criollo tobaccos – all of which the Garcias grow themselves.
Following a clean cut to the cap with my new Xikar Enso cutter, notes of graham cracker, cedar, leather, and pepper perk my tastes buds up before the cigar is lit as I spin it around in my mouth a couple times. I can taste hints of cinnamon and nutmeg too.
When I fire the Robusto up, the cigar’s earthy foundation is similar to other My Father cigars I’ve smoked. Potent and woody notes of black pepper fill my palate and my nose throughout the first five minutes. As the tobaccos start to cook, unexpectedly sweet notes of vanilla and milk chocolate bring in balance.
As I approach the middle, My Father Connecticut burns straight as an arrow and leaves a nice firm ash in its wake. Dry notes of roasted nuts mingle with oak, almond, pecan, and hints of graham cracker over an earthy base. Despite its lighter complexion, My Father Connecticut displays plenty of hearty Nicaraguan spices. The aftertaste lingers, and the cigar remains intense when I expel the smoke through my nasal cavity. Notes of bell pepper and pinto bean characterize the final puffs of a slightly vegetal but delicious finish.
My Father Connecticut possesses more oomph than your average Connecticut-wrapped smoke. You’ll find the strength of this cigar classified differently on different sites too. Does it look mild? Sure. But it really isn’t. It lands just past medium-bodied in my opinion, and if you’re accustomed to truly mild cigars, like Montecristo and Macanudo Cafe, My Father Connecticut may seem full-bodied. On the other hand, diehard My Father fans, who usually smoke cigars with lots of Ligero tobacco, won’t have a problem smoking a My Father Connecticut early in the day.
