Cheap Smoke: Tabacos Baez Monarcas

Overall Score

1 review for Cheap Smoke: Tabacos Baez Monarcas

  1. Z** C****

    Tabacos Baez Monarcas

    Origin : Nicaragua
    Format : Toro
    Size : 6 x 52
    Wrapper : Ecuadorian Connecticut
    Price : ~$3.50

    The Tabacos Baez is from the busiest man in the world, Don Pepin Garcia. Named such as this is where DPG began rolling cigars when he was in Cuba.

    First off, the band looks like it was designed by a 6th grader.

    The cigar however, has a beautiful reddish brown luster; it’s very oily and not nearly as veiny as other Pepin cigars.

    I punched the cigar and it draws perfectly. It starts out real smooth, tons of smoke, mild wood and hazelnuts with very little that tells you this is a Pepin smoke. Personally this is a good thing, because it recently seems that all of his cigars taste the same.

    An inch down, the cigar really picks up steam, gone is the mildness, as you get punched with a hefty amount of peppery spice. Coffee shows up on the palate as well as a little bit of cocoa.

    Wow! This cigar just gets better and better! A couple more inches down this hefty cigar I am greeted by waves of espresso and mocha. Let me reiterate, this is NOT your typical DPG cigar.

    My one complaint was that this cigar did not burn very evenly. But it did not go out or require any touch ups.

    What really impresses me most about this cigar is that it is ready to be smoked. So many new cigars are so fresh (read ammonia) that you can’t really enjoy them as intended for months. Mr. Garcia treated this cigar right. Bravo!

    [sz]tabacos baez[/sz]

    Helpful?
    0 0
    • D****

      I’m really looking forward to this cigar. I found an almost-full box on the bottom shelf of a shop in Texas and picked them up. If they were “ready to smoke” 6 years ago, I can’t imagine what the experience should be like now! Planning to pair it with Glenmorangie Nectar D’or!

    • M***

      I certainly understand that, and this one is different and it is very good. If you consider this and the La Riqueza which is also a very different flavor profile compared to the rest of his stuff and very different from the Baez, it is good to see him branching out a bit and bringing us new stuff. In Fact, given that the Baez is so different from his other blends earns it some extra points in my book. However, there is something about the Tatuaje Brown Labels that elevates them above all the other blends of his I have tried. It is hard to put to words but the best I can come up with is a feeling of satisfaction I get when smoking one. Everything about the smoke seems to just hit the right spot for me. I am not sure if I am doing a good job describing what I mean, but the only other time I have gotten that from a cigar is when I have smoked some exceptional Habanos (A 1999 Hoyo du Prince comes to mind). I kind of think of it as a 4th dimension to the flavor. An intangible that makes you think “Wow this is damn good” while you are smoking it, coupled with a feeling of contentment. I get that from every Reserva SW I have ever smoked.

    • Z** C****

      Matt,

      I think I liked it so much because it was such a departure from the regular Pepin flavor profile. Oh, we just got the LADC Edicion Especials in this week, along with the two new Fonsecas!

    • M***

      Ok. I picked up three of these and smoked one last night. It was very good. One of his better blends I think. However, I am yet to try anything from him that can stand up to the Tatuaje Brown Labels. They are still his best blends whether you are talking about the regulars, Reservas, or Cojonus. Everything he makes gets compared to those when I smoke his other blends. Nothing I’ve tried so far can touch them. I don’t know if that is fair or not but that is how it is with me. Haven’t smoked a Centurion yet so I don’t know how it compares but I’ve heard some high praise of those. I’ll be trying one soon.

      This one was definitely a good smoke though.

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Cigar Region Nicaragua
Filler Nicaragua
Wrapper Ecuadorian Connecticut
Binder Nicaragua
Length 6
Ring Gauge 52
Vitola Toro
Construction Hand Made
Price Paid $3.50