The man makes very good cigars.

The Tatuaje, Padilla Miami and Cabaiguan cigar lines are known as some of the best cigars currently made. Notice that I am not qualifying that statement by saying that they are among the best cigars made in the U.S.A., because that would not be true. Pete Johnson’s Tatuaje and Cabaiguan cigars, and Ernesto Padilla’s Padilla Miami cigars are, quite simply, among the finest cigars made anywhere. That includes cigars made in Cuba.

The tobacco master behind the award-winning Tatuaje, Cabaiguan and Padilla Miami cigars is Don Pepin Garcia. All three of these cigar lines are products of his El Rey de Los Habanos factory in Miami.

Jose “Pepin” Garcia has worked with cigars since he was 11 years old. That means that he has over forty years of experience, but that simple statement does not tell you everything you need to know.

He is not only very experienced, Pepin is also naturally talented and is a true artist of tobacco blending. Leaf speaks to him in a voice heard by only a select few. While in Cuba, he attained the status of tabaquero maestro — Cuba’s highest rank for cigar rollers. But that is only the beginning of his credentials.

Don Pepin was a teacher of blending and rolling in Cuba. He was involved in the creation and production of the Cohiba and Montecristo brands, among others. I have heard that he was formerly a personal roller to Fidel Castro, but I have not confirmed that from Pepin. I know that he was offered a job as a consultant to Cuban cigar makers before leaving Cuba, and that he turned it down.

Don Pepin Garcia was highly respected and valued in the Cuban cigar industry. However, he valued life for himself and his family outside the Cuban system more than the honors that he was given. He left Cuba and went to work for Eduardo Fernandez’s Nicaraguan tobacco giant, Aganorsa. Garcia and his family left Nicaragua in 2002 and immigrated to Miami where he started his El Rey de Los Habanos cigar manufacturing business.

The factory is located on Calle Ocho in Miami’s Little Havana district. Pepin employs Cuban expatriate Class Eight cigar rollers in his factory — many of them his former students from Cuba — and uses Cuban cigar construction methods exclusively including entubado construction and triple caps.

In addition to producing cigars for Johnson and Padilla (and for others), Pepin makes his own cigar lines. That is some very good news that you may not be aware of, since up to now Pepin’s own cigars not been very well known and have had limited distribution.

Here, therefore, as the final entry in our list of the the finest cigars made in the United States, is a look at some of the hidden gems produced by Don Pepin Garcia, beginning with his signature lines.

Don Pepin Garcia Blue Label

These cigars, along with Pepin’s Tatuaje line, define full-bodied cigar. Once you have smoked one of these, you will realize that any other non-Cuban cigar you have ever smoked that you thought was full-bodied was…not.

The Blue Label is raw power combined with full flavor.

The Delicias, which is a 7 inch by 50 ring Double Corona with a dark, oily Corojo wrapper and a Criollo binder. The filler is a blend of Corojo and Criollo.

The first thing you notice on lighting up a Delicias is a “hit” of pepper and sweet spice that settles quickly into a very earthy and aromatic mix of leather and cedar. The wrapper adds in flavors of coffee and a hint of cocoa. About a third of a way into the stick, it all blends into a creamy, spicey, peppery mix with hints of a Cubanesque tang — and it stays that way until the long, nutty finish.

This is not a cigar for beginners. Nor for daytime or an empty stomach. Enjoy it after a full meal and you will marvel at what Don Pepin can do with Nicaraguan tobacco.

Don Pepin Garcia Serie JJ

The Serie JJ takes its name from the fact that it is a blend devised by Pepin (first name, Jose) and his son, Jaime. It is a medium strength, medium-to-full bodied cigar with excellent flavor and creaminess.

This line comes in three vitolas: A 5 3/4 inch by 52 ring Belicoso, a 6 inch by 54 ring Toro-on-Steroids called a Sublime, and a 7 1/4 inch by 57 ring figurado called a Salamon (shown below) that is a work of art and rolled only by Pepin. The wrapper is Nicaraguan Corojo, the binder Nicaraguan Criollo. The filler is a blend of Corojo and Criollo.

This is a somewhat milder cigar than the Blue Label, but a complex and enjoyable smoke that you can enjoy at other times of the day if you are used to full-bodied cigars. It is also a good option for those who find the Blue Label simply too strong. It is hard not to compare this (and other cigars by Don Pepin) to Cuban cigars — on the one hand, nothing is a Cuban except a Cuban. On the other hand, Don Pepin is making cigars that are the closest thing to Cubans outside that island.

Do not misunderstand what I am saying here. His cigars are not simply “knock-offs” or imitation Cubans. Instead, each Don Pepin cigar line unique and has an extra quality of its own that elevates it to the same level of excellence that good Cuban cigars have. They are among the finest cigars currently available.

The Serie JJ is somewhat reminiscent of a Hoyo de Monterrey Epicure #2, with its flavorful mildness, leathery tones, sweet spice notes, citrus and fruity undertones and — as mentioned above — an exceptional creaminess with hints of vanilla. There is a light pepperiness on the finish, and the cigar is extremely well balanced.

The Serie JJ is one of Don Pepin’s favorite smokes.

Don Pepin Garcia Black is one of the lesser expensive Don Pepin lines being made at their factory in Esteli Nicaragua.  This blend is very spicy and full bodied, reminiscent of a fine Cuban cigar.

The Don Pepin Garcia Black is an excellent value.  This blend is the first blend made by Jose Garcia in his Esteli factory and is also the least expensive.  The aroma of the Don Pepin Garcia Black is dry and spicy with a long and pronounced finish.  The cigar is full bodied and full flavored with a nice balance and easy draw.  If you enjoy a powerful smoke, this one is a must try.