Don Jose Pepin Garcia is one of the greatest names in cigars. And, since the Cuban Classic has been rated one of the Top 25 Cigars in the world, I just had to give it a review.

This stick was made by a master Cuban roller and is absolutely beautiful. It demands respect right out of the box, and once lit it doesn’t disappoint. Flavors of cedar and white pepper offer a great introduction, and as the smoke continues stronger black pepper notes emerge. The latter third introduce flavors of leather paired with subtle hints of cedar and a newly introduced taste of hay.

This cigar was incredibly complex, and the changing flavor reminded me of the known greats. No notes of fruit—just spice and cedar throughout.

The draw was somewhat tight to start but got a little better as we went along. The burn was a little uneven, but corrected itself. Total smoke time was 1 hour and 50 minutes – a perfect smoke to enjoy Monday Night Football with some friends.

You can tell that Don comes from a family of cigar makers and started working in cigar factories at the age of 11. His lifetime love and practice of the craft is evident. Now, he owns his own factory in Miami’s Little Havana.

This stick will always be in my humidor. I’ll make it a priority to have one on hand from now on.

The Lighter: I used the Colibri Maui lighter, whose single wind resistant torch flame feels good in your hand. And, the full-view fuel tank and built comes in handy. I don’t often use a cigar punch, but it has one built in, for those who do.

The Cutter: The Xikar Xi feels good in your hand and is easy to use. This is by far my favorite cutter—always delivers a good clean cut.

What is the one cigar you always wanted to try? One of you will receive your wish in the mail (if it’s in stock).