The La Reloba is a cigar that was release in May of 2010 by My Father Cigars and is available in 4 sizes and two different wrappers. The Nicaraguan Puro has a Sumatra & Habano version and they are available in Corona, Robusto, Toro and a Torpedo. The best news is the cost of these cigars which will be under $6.50 a stick MSRP.

The cigar which was released with little to no fanfare slipped under the radar until Gary J. Arzt mentioned it on his website The Arzt of Cigars. In my attempt to find a place local that sold them I was gifted some from My Father Cigars.

Cigar: La Reloba
Size: 5 x 50 (Robusto)
Wrapper: Nicaraguan Habano
Binder: Nicaragua
Filler: Nicaragua
Strength: Medium

La Reloba Habano

Appearance and Construction: The La Reloba Habano features a wrapper that is full of character. This is a nice way of saying that it has some veins, some tooth and is a little bit porous around the seams of the roll. This however does not make it a bad cigar, quite the contrary as you will read. The stick does lack the polished look of what we have come to expect from the Master and it almost takes on the appearance of a bundled cigar.  That is except for the colorful band that adorns this cigar with the colors of red, black & gold. But like they say beauty is only skin deep.

Flavor & Notes: Once I took the cigar out of the cello and smelled the foot and performed a cold draw I knew this would be a good smoke. Both of which shared a sweetness and a touch of spice. But the draw stood out with some wonderfully delicious raisin type notes and a touch of caramel. Once the cigar was lit I settled in waiting for the blast of pepper we have come to expect from Pepin, however it never came. Sure there was some spice present, but it was subtle. As I continued the first third of the cigar the notes were earth and some sweet caramel. As we get to the second third the spice begins to slowly build and the finish becomes woody. The caramel sweetness remains but it is fading fast. The final third of the cigar the spice is turned up to Pepin standards that we have all come to love (well most of us), and this finish is a bit woody with a touch of nuttiness.

Smoking Characteristics: The La Reloba Habano was perfect in every form of the word when it came to smoking characteristics. The burn was event, the light color ash was strong, and the draw was fluid. The cigar produced a nice amount of smoke with a nice aroma. I never once needed to relight it or touch it up. The duration of the smoke might of bit just a notch fast, but surely nothing to complain about.

Conclusion: It is a shame that these cigars have not been heavily promoted. They are so delicious and the price point is just what the doctor ordered in this economy. Not complex but a very rich, tasty Medium bodied smoke that is sure to please fans of Pepin.

Rating: 89
Price: $5.60 MSRP