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Don Pepin Garcia El Centurion Guerreros

B

Benzopyrene

New Member
Joined
Jan 20, 2008
Messages
16
Don Pepin Garcia El Centurion Guerreros

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I had eagerly been awaiting to try these cigars as this was actually my first one, and I had never been able to make myself fork over the money for them in the past. I figured it would be a great smoke to see how well you guys know your DPG’s, and I think most of you were right on. However, I can’t help but wonder if I had de-celloed them if it would have made a difference. Anyway… This cigar was absolutely beautiful. It had a near flawless shiny, veiny wrapper with a carefully placed triple cap and an attractive band presentation. It had a great pre-light aroma of fresh tobacco with absolutely no hints of nitrogenous waste seeping from boundaries. As I began smoking the cigar I noticed a nice earthy core flavor that soon evolved to take on more of a sweet woody character that I would describe as tannic. The ash was a light grey color and the ash itself was as sturdy as a concrete pillar. The draw was smooth and flawless throughout and the smoke was nice and thick as the humidity in the air kept the smoke hovering around me like an eerie fog.

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This is where the story begins to change from good to not so much. At about the halfway point in the cigar it went out on me almost instantaneously, and naturally I re-lit and purged it. Upon my first puff thereafter my mouth was filled with the taste of a thousand dead corpses… okay, well maybe I’m exaggerating a little but it got very bitter and the ammonia began to creep out. I kept smoking thinking that after a few puffs it would get better, and then it as hopefully after a centimeter it will get better… but no, it just got worse. Soon, there wasn’t much else to do but step on the damn thing to put it out of its misery and try to somehow pick up the pieces left in my life and put them back together. The cigar didn’t burn very well from that midpoint either and I found myself touching it up often whilst it lasted. As far as uniqueness goes, well you do the math, in my opinion though putridity is not a character upon which to base ones experience with a cigar.

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So, unfortunately fellas I found this cigar to be quite a disappointment as far as DPG’s go, but I’m not going to give up on it just yet. I must have picked the runt of the litter. Cheers Guys!

Appearance- 15/15
Ash- 9/10
Draw-10/10
Burn- 7/10
Flavor/Blend- 10/20
Uniqueness- 5/10
Smoke- 10/10
Finish- 7/15

Total 73/100
 
I had my first yesterday as well. I was thoroughly unimpressed to be honest. The first third was great, during this point I loved the cigar. But then in the final two thirds it mellowed out a lot and was very one dimensional. Not the usual Pepin spice, no complexity and probably the meatiest flavor I have ever tasted. It reminded me of a Diplomaticos #2 on a very bad day (although i do love my Diplo 2s). Hopefully this was just the cigar I had, though I doubt it a lot.

The blend is very similar to his Blue label. Though a lot more Barnyard/Meaty. It's seriously the only cigar I've had that I could describe as being meaty.

Man I've said Meaty a lot in this post :p

P.S - The band on this thing is freaking sweet though!
 
Good review..... :thumbs:

I have two boxes of the Emperadores; the first box was unfortunately just "OK"....though LOTS milder than I expected. It also unfortunately had bad wrapper problems; many of them basically 'blew up' while I was smoking them, so box #2 is going to rest for a while before I try 'em again.

Don't think I'll be buying more of these unless the second box just blows my shoes off. One can hope....... :cool:

Cheers - B.B.S.
 
I'm about due to smoke the 2nd from my box purchased when they first came out, first one was not ready, not even close.

It's funny because there's an interview with DPG where he says cigars should be their best fresh... but then again he doesn't want people sitting on cigars, he wants them smoking them and buying more.

I have a feeling these will be a hit, given some sleep.

but the San Cristobal... ready NOW
 
Wow, I was considering trying one of these, but I think it's safe to pass based on the above experiences. I'll stick to the Pepin Blues, Blacks, and Whites. Thanks for the heads up.
 
I got a couple free a few months ago. The first one I tried I was unimpressed just as anvil said. The first quarter was very good if not a tad harsh, but then it mellowed considerably and got boring. I wouldn't pay the retail price but would consider a good sale price (which I've passed on twice) and let them sit a few months.
 
I had the Gladiadores and was extremely let down, and a little mad too considering how much they cost. It was an all around bad cigar for me which I never would have expected from Pepin, especially considering this is supposed to be special. I have a couple Lanceros in the humidor and I'm hoping I will like those more.
 
I don't think anyone was expecting an ass kicker

but even a mildly pleasant experience out of the box would have made these sell out immediately, the one I had last summer was extremely young and sick tasting, yet held back alot of promise. It's about time for another to see if they've improved.
 
audilicious said:
I don't think anyone was expecting an ass kicker

but even a mildly pleasant experience out of the box would have made these sell out immediately, the one I had last summer was extremely young and sick tasting, yet held back alot of promise. It's about time for another to see if they've improved.
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Ditto
 
I personally liked mine, but yes, very young. Here in about a week i'll have had my box for a year, so maybe its time to smoke #2. :rolleyes:
 
I bought a box of the Gladiadores thinking that they would be as good if not better than the lancero version. What a let down. The lanceros were da chit and I am sorry that I bought a box of the Gladiadores now.
 
So after having my first one yesterday I thought I'd ask you guys who said its "too young" what makes you think that letting a cigar that is already too mild age is going to make it better?

Give me a blue label, black label or JJ any day of the week.
 
Wurm said:
So after having my first one yesterday I thought I'd ask you guys who said its "too young" what makes you think that letting a cigar that is already too mild age is going to make it better?

Give me a blue label, black label or JJ any day of the week.
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I agree that it is a bit mild, but too mild? not really. I love a mild cigar just as much as a full bodied one, it just takes a different mood or time of day. I would just like to see that funky sour taste go away and see what's lurking underneath.
 
Fyodor said:
Wurm said:
So after having my first one yesterday I thought I'd ask you guys who said its "too young" what makes you think that letting a cigar that is already too mild age is going to make it better?

Give me a blue label, black label or JJ any day of the week.
Click to expand...



I agree that it is a bit mild, but too mild? not really. I love a mild cigar just as much as a full bodied one, it just takes a different mood or time of day. I would just like to see that funky sour taste go away and see what's lurking underneath.
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I didn't notice a funky sour taste, what I noticed was a complete lack of taste. And I love mild cigars with tons of flavor too, A cigar doesn't have to overpower my palate for me to like it.
 
after revisiting the ESG, I decided to revisit the El Centurion yesterday as well.

It's been about 10 months since the first one, and these are going to be very nice as the years go by.
 
I've smoked a lot of El Centurions, and have never been disappointed.
This is a highly refined blend that needs to be sipped, and smoked at a leisurely pace.
I find it to be highly complex, yet more subtle than Pepins other blends.
I also smoke them at about 63-65% humidity.

I think some of the negative comments I've heard out in public are due to expectations of a certain profile.
It's like good food. You may love italian food, but it's not all going to taste the same by differant chefs. If I can empty my mind, free myself of concepts, and meet anything in life for what it is, I can generally appreciate it at a higher level.

I'll add that just because I don't like the flavor of a cigar that it makes it a bad cigar. I often tell folks that I wasnt crazy about this or that cigar, but that it was a good cigar. I.e., balance, burn, aroma, construction, etc.

I dont like certain Art styles...they just don't get me going, but...the artists that do the work are wonderfully talented at that form of art.
 
I bought a five pack of these (robustos) on high recommendation of a good friend who I've smoked with often.
I found the El Centurion to lack flavor and be far less exceptional than other Don Pepin blends.
After reading this thread I revisited one the other night and still was unimpressed. In fact the thing exploded on me when it got toward the 2" left mark.
 
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