Jumping off the Pepin Bandwagon

[ilcchef2]

I read a lot of cigar boards, and propably the hottest topic in the past year have been all of the Don Pepin cigars. People raved about them and everyone grabbed them up as fast as they could. But recently Pepin has come out with many new lines and line extensions, and the reviews have been mixed...with many saying that the blends are bland, construction and burn are poor and that the cigars are way overpriced.
This board seems to smoke a lot of his brands so I'm asking you experts what is going on? Has he overextended himself trying to keep up with demand? Or is he simply rushing new lines out into the market to strike while the iron is hot? Or is he still the hottest cigar maker out there making great smokes that warrant the high price tag?

 

[wanlail]

I think he makes great smokes, which leads to the high tag, but then again, his cheaper line is still good. I think he only has 7 or so lines? Its still much less than the 900 lines that gurkha has.

 

[Devil Doc]

Don Pepin is god. How dare you question god. Let the naysayers say what they will. You'll usually find these critics to be inexperienced smokers and not very good at storing their cigars. I have in my possession 16 empty boxes of Pepin creations. I've smoked all those cigars in the past year. Not one was bland or exhibited a construction problem.

Doc.

 

[MiamiCubano]

I have never experienced any problems whatsoever with any of Pepin's creations. There are certainly lines I favor over others, but all have been impeccable and I too have multitudes of Pepin boxes, both full, partially full and empty. Pay attention to your own tastes, and not so much to whatever "mixed reviews" seem to be occupying your time.

 

[BlindedByScience]

I have never experienced any problems whatsoever with any of Pepin's creations. There are certainly lines I favor over others, but all have been impeccable and I too have multitudes of Pepin boxes, both full, partially full and empty. Pay attention to your own tastes, and not so much to whatever "mixed reviews" seem to be occupying your time.

Yep. Got to say so far, his "Blue" label smokes and the Tat "regular" line are my faves. A couple of his lines aren't up my alley but the construction and burn have always been first rate.

Taste is subjective; some guys will like 'em, some guys won't. Nothing wrong with that.

Enjoy - B.B.S.

 

[Smoking Mex]

I found every Pepin I have smoked to date to be exceptional in both flavor and construction. Funny thing the only exception is believe it or not the Havana VI Angeles, which CA rated very high did not care for it too much.

 

[JHolmes763]

The first step off the bandwagon is always the hardest...

How many of the Pepin blends have you actually tried? I haven't tried many, but each one has had a good flavor and burned just fine. I'd say keep trying 'em.

 

[wanlail]

There are quite a few Pepin blends now that i think of it... ones that come to mind are the RCs, Miami 8/11, Habana Leon, Tatuaje (brown, red, white), DPG blue , white , Vegas Cubana, Cuban Diplomat, Cabiaguana, Sancti Spiritus, and Hirsh y Garcia. Oh and of course, all of the BTTB blends for the outlaw. My main staple is the blue label and the Tat Havana IV, but I can't wait to fire up the RCs when I get enough sitdown time.

 

[vortex]

So far I've tried the Blue Label, Rey Miguel, Miami 8&11, CI Legends Yellow, and Tatuaje. Construction has been top notch. Flavor is subjective but, just in these four, ranged quite a bit. Strength also varied. So to make a blanket statement about all Pepin blends, other than perhaps overall construction quality, does not seem reasonable. Apples and oranges.

I've found about 15 brands he blends but I'm sure there are more. They are not all rolled at his factory, though. Next I'd like to try the Habana Leon and Habana Soul blends. The Cuban Diplomat sounds interesting, too.

 

[vudu9]

IMHO - Just stick to the first-born Tatuajes. They're Pete's blends first and foremost. They're still the most complex and and embody the best of any Pepin fabrication.

 

[moki]

Some Pepin blends I like, some I don't.

 

[tsmckenney]

I think Pepin is making the most of Nicaraguan tobacco. He has crafted some excellent blends, with the Tats IMHO being the best. I think many of his other labels have a similar taste, but they all suit my palate very nicely. The only other Nic cigars I enjoy are the La Gloria Serie R line and I prefer them with some age.

 

[moki]

I think Pepin is making the most of Nicaraguan tobacco. He has crafted some excellent blends, with the Tats IMHO being the best. I think many of his other labels have a similar taste, but they all suit my palate very nicely. The only other Nic cigars I enjoy are the La Gloria Serie R line and I prefer them with some age.

You don't like Padróns? Heretic...

 

[tsmckenney]

I think Pepin is making the most of Nicaraguan tobacco. He has crafted some excellent blends, with the Tats IMHO being the best. I think many of his other labels have a similar taste, but they all suit my palate very nicely. The only other Nic cigars I enjoy are the La Gloria Serie R line and I prefer them with some age.

You don't like Padróns? Heretic...

Good catch. I love Padrons. They just taste like they come from a country of their own.

 

[moki]

I think Pepin is making the most of Nicaraguan tobacco. He has crafted some excellent blends, with the Tats IMHO being the best. I think many of his other labels have a similar taste, but they all suit my palate very nicely. The only other Nic cigars I enjoy are the La Gloria Serie R line and I prefer them with some age.

You don't like Padróns? Heretic...

Good catch. I love Padrons. They just taste like they come from a country of their own.

Agreed... goes to show you that it's not wise to judge tobacco by country of origin. It can taste very different depending on a number of factors. The tobacco plant doesn't know or care what country it is in.

 

[Mr Peat]

Some Pepin blends I like, some I don't.

I'm have to agree with Moki. Some I like and others I don't like. I think he has some of the best NC cigars for their price and never bland. But I've had a lot of the actual Pepin line wrappers split on me. Especially the Serie JJ. Its not from improper storage on my part as this is straight out of the B&M shop.

 

[badhangover]

I have never experienced any problems whatsoever with any of Pepin's creations. There are certainly lines I favor over others, but all have been impeccable and I too have multitudes of Pepin boxes, both full, partially full and empty. Pay attention to your own tastes, and not so much to whatever "mixed reviews" seem to be occupying your time.

Gee, if I may say so, this seems just a bit harsh. I think we each recognize that it is our own tastes that matter in the end above any reviews. But, in my humble opinion, if reviews, which include "mixed reviews", were not worthy of occupying our time, then there wouldn't be such universal mention of them in nearly all internet cigar boards I peruse.

 

[ilcchef2]

I have never experienced any problems whatsoever with any of Pepin's creations. There are certainly lines I favor over others, but all have been impeccable and I too have multitudes of Pepin boxes, both full, partially full and empty. Pay attention to your own tastes, and not so much to whatever "mixed reviews" seem to be occupying your time.

Gee, if I may say so, this seems just a bit harsh. I think we each recognize that it is our own tastes that matter in the end above any reviews. But, in my humble opinion, if reviews, which include "mixed reviews", were not worthy of occupying our time, then there wouldn't be such universal mention of them in nearly all internet cigar boards I peruse.

I have only smoked from four of his brands myself, really enjoying the Tats and Blue lable, and being completley underwhelmed with the other two...what I was asking was- six months or so there seemed to be universal praise of his brands, not so much so any more. Since this board seems to smoke so much of his stuff I was wondering if there has been a slip in quality of late or not....I'm not bashing his brands, I don't have enough expirience with them, but before I drop 8-16 dollars on a single cigar I like to kind of know what to expect. There are certain people on the cigar boards that I respect their opinions, and know that I have similar taste.

 

[Smokyballs]

There are quite a few Pepin blends now that i think of it... ones that come to mind are the RCs, Miami 8/11, Habana Leon, Tatuaje (brown, red, white), DPG blue , white , Vegas Cubana, Cuban Diplomat, Cabiaguana, Sancti Spiritus, and Hirsh y Garcia. Oh and of course, all of the BTTB blends for the outlaw. My main staple is the blue label and the Tat Havana IV, but I can't wait to fire up the RCs when I get enough sitdown time.

No? Where did you get your info from? We have a few Pepins but not all the Outlaw BTTBs are Pepin. 7 of the 9 in the collection are not made by Pepin.

 

[Smokyballs]

Some Pepin blends I like, some I don't.

I'm have to agree with Moki. Some I like and others I don't like. I think he has some of the best NC cigars for their price and never bland. But I've had a lot of the actual Pepin line wrappers split on me. Especially the Serie JJ. Its not from improper storage on my part as this is straight out of the B&M shop.

No, It's from improper storage Loren. Pepin stuff does much better stored at 65%. The store is keep at 70%. Ask D, the Pepins you store at the lower rate burn and taste better than one right off our shelves.