Cigar Review: My Father Le Bijou 1922 Toro

While StogieGuys.com has taken note of this popular My Father line—including a 2012 mention of the Churchill as a Gold Star smoke—we’ve never actually reviewed it.

I’ve smoked a few of various sizes through the years. Recently, I picked up a couple five-packs of the 6-inch toro with a 52-ring gauge—one of the original vitolas introduced in 2009—at a significant discount over the regular price of about $11 each.

The cigar was crafted by Don José “Pepin” Garcia to honor his father, in the same manner Jaime Garcia did for Don Pepin with the earlier My Father line. Le Bijou 1922 features a Nicaraguan Habano Oscuro wrapper and Nicaraguan binder and filler. The cigars are rolled at the Garcia’s My Father Cigars factory in Estelí, Nicaragua.

The dark, oily wrapper is exquisite, with tiny veins and a mouthwatering pre-light barnyard aroma. The presentation is also nicely done, with two ornate bands set off by a cloth orange foot band.

In those I smoked for this review, all but one smoked and burned perfectly. One did develop a tunnel that briefly disrupted the burn and the smoke, though it cleared up after about a half-inch.

I’ve read reviews that make note of pepper, but I don’t really get much of it. To me, there was more light spice than pepper. And the flavors I found tended to be darker and richer, with a sweetness in the second half and some floral notes throughout.

I thought the strength was in the upper-medium level, with a lot of thick, rich smoke.

Overall, this is an enjoyable cigar. The length allows it to develop and display complexity along the way. It’s especially worthwhile if you can catch them on sale.

I’d also recommend trying several of the sizes because there’s a difference among them, enough so that I think some smokers will definitely prefer one over another. I rate My Father Le Bijou 1922 four stogies out of five.

[To read more StogieGuys.com cigar reviews, please click here.]

–George E

photo credit: Stogie Guys