Don Pepin – Cigars
Don Pepin Cigars: Origins in Cuba
By now, the brand Don Pepin and its namesake Master Blender should be well-known even here—if not as a synonym for the highest quality in cigar production and craftsmanship! But before we delve into his now-classic brands, let’s take a look back at the journey of the extraordinarily talented and influential head of the Garcia family.
José Garcia and Don Pepin
José Garcia learned the art of cigar making in his hometown of Baez, east of Havana. At just 11 years old, he sat at a rolling table for the first time in his uncle’s factory, learning the craft of producing Cuban cigars. His emerging talent soon earned him a place at the Felix Rodriguez Cigar Factory, where he worked with rich Cuban tobacco to create Cohiba, Montecristo, Ramon Allones, and more.
As his career progressed, he trained about 200 aspiring and established rollers and was the only one among them capable of crafting the most complex shapes, such as a Salomones.
Through Nicaragua and Mexico, José and his son Jaime Garcia made their way to the U.S. However, it wasn’t until his crucial collaboration with Eduardo Fernandez (a tobacco producer in Nicaragua) that he truly established himself in the American cigar world in 2002. Eduardo Fernandez owns an undisclosed percentage of El Rey de los Habanos Inc. and supplies the company with tobacco—when things align, they align.
Highly Acclaimed: Don Pepin Cigars
Over the past years, this highly successful cigar company has received more than 20 ratings of over 90 points from Cigar Aficionado and Cigar Insider. The name has now gained worldwide recognition and stands for intense flavors with its signature peppery spice and top-tier quality. Among the classics are his three renowned creations: Original, Clasicos, and Series JJ.
“To me, in the last five years, the most exciting person and cigar concept to hit the industry has been Pepin Garcia (...) He has a special way of blending that has not been seen in the industry.” – Jose Blanco (La Aurora S.A.), in: Cigar Aficionado (11/12 2007).
José Pepin is among the greats in the cigar industry and, alongside Nick Perdomo, Nestor Plasencia, and Rocky Patel, is always a welcome guest at our Cigarworld Lounge.
