Losing some love for Pepin lately

[borndead1]

Had a couple of nasty My Father lanceros, a really bad Cuban Classic, and I just snuffed out my first La Duena. Has production taken precedence over quality? The tobacco in all three of these cigars tasted...un-fermented? I dunno...I got a harsh chemical/ammonia taste in all three. And not just toward the nub, which isn't uncommon. I mean an inch or two into the cigar.

Bad luck? Am I the only one?

[kelmac07]

Can't comment on the newer My Father stuff (as I haven't tried a bunch), but I still love the old JJ Series Maduros (from 2008). One of my top five smokes ever. :dr:dr

Also still enjoy the Cuban Classic, but again, still smoking 2008/2009 stock, haven't bought any of these in over ten years.

Mark...were these all recently purchased sticks? Or older sticks?

[Remo]

Had a couple of nasty My Father lanceros, a really bad Cuban Classic, and I just snuffed out my first La Duena. Has production taken precedence over quality? The tobacco in all three of these cigars tasted...un-fermented? I dunno...I got a harsh chemical/ammonia taste in all three. And not just toward the nub, which isn't uncommon. I mean an inch or two into the cigar.

Bad luck? Am I the only one?

I haven’t smoked a lot of Pepin lately but I am with you, the newer smokes have definitely fallen off. The older stuff that Mac mentioned are delicious!!

[Tio Gato]

Aging does wonders for DPG smokes. If you're getting ammonia the cigar needs a long nap. Ammonia is a natural byproduct (their waste) of the predominate natural bacteria. At some point their own waste is too strong for them to survive. A secondary bacteria becomes active and their diet is the ammonia. Thankingfully their waste has that sweet dried fruit favor that makes for a great smoke.

Let them rest and look for the sweet smell of raisins, prunes and dried cherries on the foot.
You'll be happy you let them snooze.:2

[shilala]

General took over those DPG blends a couple years after Mac cornered the market.
They all turned to poop immediately.
I can remember Vinnie bought me a couple boxes of DPG Maduro’s, Pepin rolled.
They were beyond comprehension good. Ethereal.
I don’t know what or if Pepin still rolls.
I just know the blends I enjoyed and my thoughts of the brand became worthless back around 2010-11.
I still cry at night sometimes.
It was such a beautiful time.

[elderboy02]

General took over those DPG blends a couple years after Mac cornered the market.

??? link?

[icehog3]

??? link?

patty??

[Wharf Rat]

I used to love the old Vegas Cubanas and Blues. Can’t say I ever got on board with the My Fathers. If I had to buy a newer Pepin cigar, it’d be a Flor de Antillles. Guess I’ll have to try the new VGs for fun.

[Tio Gato]

patty??

:r:r I see what ya'll did there! Well done Tom.:tu

[gomeitsmybday]

ahhh this is a bit concerning for me...as of this moment i have 2 boxes of blues, 1 box black and 1 box JJ in the humidors!
i recently got into DPG after smoking a 5er of both black & blue...all of them were pretty good but 2 out of each 5 pack were *stunning* so i figured maybe it was more on my end for not having them in the right rh zone..ftr they only rested about 3-4 months before smoking, so definitely still young-
but yeah those 4 amazing DPG sticks i had were SO flavorful that i just had to stock up on more of this brand...im hoping that when i get to around to smoking them, that the odds are better than 2/5 :/
and while we are on the topic of DPG, what rh do you guys keep them at? maybe they taste better at a specific rh zone...ive come to realize some brands are finicky like that.

[shilala]

??? link?
Link this.

[CigarNut]

I really like the DPG Cuban Classics and used to smoke them quite a bit -- I have not had one in a year or so, but I hope that they have not gone to sh!t with the other DPGs...

[Beagleone]

Pepin is still rolling some, but he has largely turned over the children. Jaime is handling the operations in Nica, Janey is handling the business side here in the US. Pepin is still blending and with the help of Pete Johnson, they are still making strides in market. I believe they made some expansions to the operations in the last year or two, so it may be growing pains that have caused recent issues.

Shilala - General only wish they could take over My Father, that would mean getting access to the Pete's lines as well, and that isn't going to happen anytime soon.

[Razorhog]

This talk of DPG cigars going downhill is disconcerting. I've just got to a point in my life where I can afford some of them! :) For instance I got a Flor de las Antillas in a trade a couple weeks ago. Smoked it and immediately bought a box, it was sooooo good. My mouth is watering just thinking about them. Going to let them rest awhile.
Having said that, I was very much looking forward to trying other My Father blends. I did have a La Oferta lancero a while back and it started out great but ended up not being very good.
I've heard people like Jaime's Reserva Especial, and was thinking of trying to find a 5'er.

[RevSmoke]

I miss some of the sizes that used to be available too. DPG Black perlas were my favorite in the line, fantabulous.

The JJ Maduros were excellent. I haven't had a problem with them, but I buy them on sale, and them put them away as I smoke the older ones. I have not had problems with them.

[The camaro show]

I guess this explains the blue I had last week It was terrible and only got worse. Looks like the other is taking a nap!

[oldforge]

Earlier this week I cracked open a box and smoked a five year old JJ natural.

It took my breath away--amazing.

I haven't bought any new Pepins in the last few years--so can't comment on the current quality.

[hammondc]

Man.....those old blues........

[TXRebel]

I miss some of the sizes that used to be available too. DPG Black perlas were my favorite in the line, fantabulous.

Miss those Perlas as well, they were an excellent short smoke.

[gomeitsmybday]

I hate to have to lend further credence to this but last night I tried to smoke one of my Pepin Blue Invictos and it was just...well, just not good. Had to stop about halfway...granted, they've only rested in the humi for about 3 months, but a few memorable DPGs I've had before rested for about the same amount of time and were stunning...
Plus, there was a pretty gnarly stem at the cap :/ hoping this was just a fluke however, and will be giving the rest much more time in the humi...

[gomeitsmybday]

Okay so I feel the need to revive this thread because after 5 months or so of resting, I have some new results...

DPG JJ - these are among the best of the bunch currently, all they needed was a little more time to rest, nice burn and flavor

DPG Black - okay so these are pretty good now too, the Toros have been better than the robustos generally but have had some exceptional robustos too...

DPG Blue - and here is where things literally sheet the bed....Like the Blacks, the Blue's Toros are better than the robustos for sure...but then that is not saying much because the robustos are just god awful...they burn evenly but the best of them are only mediocre in terms of flavor...WHAT IS GOING ON WITH PEPIN BLUES????

I wouldn't be so critical if I hadn't had such AMAZING Blues in the past...I'm frustrated because I can't figure out if I just got really lucky before, or maybe I'd just had extremely aged Blues before, or if it's simply that their quality has recently plummeted...
Of course, last time I looked at the boxes I either didn't see them or they were smudged so I wasn't able to ascertain box dates :(
But please, if anyone buys recent boxes of DPG Blues, of any size, please post here with your results because I am very curious...
Meanwhile I will continue to age/rest the Blues that I have and will try to make a point to come back here and report the results in the future.

[Weelok]

Interesting. I’ve had all cigars go up or down depending on year but Pepin cigars changed quite a bit when he went to his own farm tobacco but I wouldn’t say worst, just different. I would say Blue problems are likely weather related and not Blend related but it’s been a while since I smoked a Blue and the few I have are older.

I do love the Blues and smoked many a box so maybe I will snag a fiver next time I’m buying to taste test them.

[Jbailey]

Need to dig deep but I know I still have some 10+ aged stock of random pepins. Still got a bunch of the different sized original el centurions which I use to love. Curious to see of those are doing. Will do some research and report back.

[gomeitsmybday]

Interesting. I’ve had all cigars go up or down depending on year but Pepin cigars changed quite a bit when he went to his own farm tobacco but I wouldn’t say worst, just different. I would say Blue problems are likely weather related and not Blend related but it’s been a while since I smoked a Blue and the few I have are older.

I do love the Blues and smoked many a box so maybe I will snag a fiver next time I’m buying to taste test them.

Yeah I just remember them being such a great cigar, and the box I've had for a while is just really missing the mark by a lot...
Btw I dug up the offending box and while smudged, I believe it reads July 2018...so I suppose it's possible they need some more time but they don't taste young/like they have potential to me, just more dud like. So I definitely like your idea about it being weather related, it would match up with my past experience with the brand.
So yeah definitely everyone feel free to post back here about DPG quality going forward, I'm eager to pick up a box of Blues once they get a good harvest!

[Razorhog]

Had a cuban classic that was in the humi for 10 years and it was AMAZING. Bought some new ones to age for a while. Maybe I'll try one in 6 months. Although I read somewhere that a year+ is where a lot of Pepin Garcia smokes hit the intended flavors stage.
If I could go back in time, I'd have the younger me buy several boxes of those Cuban Classics.

[RevSmoke]

When I buy them, I usually let them sit 12- months...6 months does not do it.

I was never really a big fan of the blue, the only black I really like was the petite corona which is no longer made.

I do get a bunch JJ maduros though when I find a deal on them, and then let them sit.

Peace of the Lord be with you.

[gomeitsmybday]

Had a cuban classic that was in the humi for 10 years and it was AMAZING. Bought some new ones to age for a while. Maybe I'll try one in 6 months. Although I read somewhere that a year+ is where a lot of Pepin Garcia smokes hit the intended flavors stage.
If I could go back in time, I'd have the younger me buy several boxes of those Cuban Classics.

Yeah I definitely have no problems with the Blacks, each one I've had seems better than the last!! I should consider doing the future me a favor and stock up on more Blacks. :tu

@ RevSmoke yeah I'll definitely revisit the Blues when I hit about the year mark...I don't have my JJ box on hand so I'm not sure if they are older, but they definitely started smoking well after hitting about 6 months....

Do the original DPG lines out out their cigars young intentionally? I've heard that is the case with Cubans, if for no other reason than to keep up with demand. I know DPG cigars aim to be in line with Cuban tobacco tradition but, sheesh!

If I remember correctly, the My Father lines are rolled in the same factory as DPG lines, no? Under that assumption, I figured the DPGs would be ready to smoke at around 4-6 months like most My Fathers. Of course, everything smokes better with more age, so I'll be looking forward to trying the Blues again in a few more months!