Every time around the New Year, we in the cigar industry eagerly await to hear the news of which cigars have won the prestigious position “Cigar of the Year”. While everyone’s pallets are different, the benefit of these lists is that across the board, the cigars really wowed folks. That holds true for the My Father La Opulencia Toro I had just the other day.

A short review of this stick only requires but one word- ‘WOW’!

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For a more thorough breakdown of the cigar, I’ve reviewed it in thirds. My pictures are sadly a bit lacking just because once I fired this thing up, I got so wrapped up in how amazing it was that I somewhat lost track of anything but just enjoying everything the stick offered.

First third: I used a guillotine cut against the triple cap of this darker wrapper. The dry draw was more intricate than I normally get from other sticks – the smell of dark chocolate and leather’s tannins with vague hints of coffee beans in the background. When lighting with a wooden match and cedar spill, I caused a bit of a burn issue (self inflicted, no fault of the stick) but resolved that quickly.

Second Third: The first few puffs are very involved and take a bit of sorting. Halfway through the first third to the second, notes of the taste of leather, dark chocolate, trees (oak perhaps?) and cedar were all present. The interesting thing about this stick is that the nicotine strength of the stick never threatened to over power the flavors, and all the notes were easily distinguishable – a reflectly of a truly expertly blended and constructed cigar.

Last Third: At this point I’ve removed the double band off the cigar. From the mid second third til the end, the oak and cedar were joined by white pepper and subtle spices. The ash was extremely tight and a pale white color which hung on for far longer than I thought was possible.

Conclusion: I’m not sure how these could get any better but if you have space in your humidor, you need to pick up a box of the My Father La Opulencia right away. I’ve already told all my friends, and once you tell yours too it may be tricky finding a box later, so act right away. Future you will thank you!