My buddy Mark and I sat down recently to smoke through the My Father Blue Robusto. This was a bit different than our usual podcast format. Just two guys, two cigars, and a conversation about what we were experiencing.

I’ll be honest. I went into this session with some expectations. I’d smoked the Toro several weeks back and really enjoyed it. So naturally, I was curious to see how the Robusto would stack up.

What is the My Father Blue?

The My Father Blue represents something pretty significant for the Garcia family. This is the first cigar coming out of their new Honduran factory, which is a departure from their traditional Nicaraguan roots.

About three years ago, Pepin and Jaime Garcia developed a thousand-acre farm in the Talanga region of Honduras. They call it Finca La Opulencia. The My Father Blue is the inaugural blend from this new operation, and people have been scrambling to get their hands on it.

These cigars have been flying off shelves. Retailers are having trouble keeping them in stock. That’s always a good sign, but it also means you might need to hunt a bit to find them. For this review, our cigars were purchased from our friends over at LA Cigar Collective.

My Father Blue Specs

Wrapper: Connecticut Broadleaf Rosado
Origin: Honduras
Binder: Honduran
Filler: Honduran long filler tobaccos (grown from Corojo and Criollo seeds)
Factory: Finca La Opulencia

The My Father Blue comes in four sizes:

• Petite Robusto: 4.50 x 50
• Robusto: 5.25 x 52
• Toro: 6.00 x 54
• Gordo: 6.00 x 60

Figure on spending around $12 per stick depending on the vitola you choose. It’s not cheap, but it’s not astronomical either.

First Impressions

Can we talk about how good this cigar looks? My Father always does a great job with their presentation, but this pale blue color really pops. It’s just beautiful. They also added a fabric foot band that gives it a nice finishing touch.

The construction looked solid. The wrapper was consistent in color with no visible flaws. No bumps, lumps, or weird veins catching my eye. Just a well-made cigar.

I went with a V-cut on this one. The cold draw came through pretty easily, with just a touch of resistance. But here’s where it got interesting. I got this weird tingling sensation across the front of my tongue. Not really flavors I could pin down, just this peppermint-like feeling that made my tongue tingle.

Mark noticed something similar. We couldn’t quite put our finger on it, but there was definitely something happening there.

Lighting Up: The First Third

The retrohale came through with some black pepper right off the bat. Not aggressive, just noticeable. The smoke itself was light and airy and the flavors were pretty delicate at this stage.

I kept getting activation on the front of my tongue. Sweet and salty areas, if you believe those tongue maps. The rest of my mouth wasn’t really picking up much. It was a strange sensation, honestly.

I asked Mark if he retrohales often. He does it every once in a while. I probably do it more than I should. Some cigars really punish you when you push smoke through your sinuses. Your eyes water, your face scrunches up. This wasn’t like that at all. Very light and airy. Almost floral in a way.

The primary flavor I could identify was leather. Nothing huge or bold, just a consistent leather note running through it. The smoke volume was excellent and the draw had loosened up from that slightly stiff cold draw.

If I had to rate the strength at this point, I’d say the flavors were on the mild side of medium. The body of the smoke itself felt medium.

The Second Third: Building Momentum

We hit about the 20-minute mark and I started noticing some changes. The smoke felt thicker and creamier. Those leather notes I mentioned earlier were becoming more pronounced.

I was also getting more pepper through the retrohale. Still not aggressive, but definitely more present than it was initially.

Mark and I both noticed we weren’t getting much pepperiness or salt anymore. Instead, this meaty, savory flavor started coming through. Umami, if you want to get technical about it.

The band on this thing was ridiculous, by the way. They must have used industrial strength glue. I had to destroy it to get it off without ripping the wrapper. There was literally a thumbprint of glue stuck to the leaf underneath.

Around this point, I started picking up some cedar notes. Not heavy, but similar to that aroma you get from cigars wrapped in cedar sleeves.

We were about 45 minutes in at this stage. The cigar was burning really well. Thin, even burn line with a white ash that held on surprisingly long.

The Final Third: Where It Gets Good

This is where the My Father Blue really came alive for me. I was getting full activation across my tongue now, not just isolated to one area like before. The flavors felt bigger and bolder. The smoke was definitely creamier and heavier.

That leather core was still there, but now it had these savory undertones and more apparent cedar notes. The final third was genuinely enjoyable.

Mark mentioned he was getting a little bit of power at the end, and I agree. The cigar built nicely as we worked through it.

For the final third, I’d say it stayed medium in terms of flavor. Maybe pushing toward medium-full. Still medium-bodied. And definitely not what I’d call aggressive.

Comparing Vitolas: Toro vs Robusto

A couple weeks back, I smoked the Toro version of this cigar and I remember it being bolder. The flavors felt bigger and richer right from the start.

This Robusto was much lighter and airier than I remembered the Toro being. I don’t know if I hyped the Toro up in my mind, or if that extra ring gauge really does bring something different out of the tobacco.

It’s entirely possible. We’ve noticed with other cigars that different vitolas can smoke very differently. The Vitola matters.

My Interest in the Gordo

I’m not usually a 6.00 x 60 guy. They can be a bit much. But I’m genuinely intrigued by the Gordo in this line.

If my memory is correct and the Toro was bolder because of the larger diameter, will the Gordo be even more so? I really enjoyed that Toro, and I’m curious to see how the biggest size in the line stacks up.

With this particular blend, I’m leaning toward wanting to go bigger. There’s a smaller size available (the Petite Robusto), but I think this blend benefits from more ring gauge.

What Would I Pair With This?

We talked about pairings while we were smoking. The flavors are pretty delicate, especially early on. I wouldn’t reach for a high-proof bourbon.

Coffee would be great. Mark mentioned he’d had a Blue Moon with an orange slice earlier and wished he had one during the smoke. I kept thinking an Earl Grey tea would be perfect.

Whatever you pair it with, keep it smooth. Don’t overpower what the cigar is trying to do.

The Honduras Factor

When I think Nicaraguan versus Honduran tobacco, there’s usually a pretty big divide. The characteristic flavors are distinct. But this cigar really narrows that gap.

I feel like the Garcias have a process that allows them to produce cigars that taste like My Father cigars, regardless of where they’re grown. There’s a consistency there. A signature that comes through.

This doesn’t taste wildly different from Nicaraguan My Father cigars. It’s like the same chefs are making the meal, just with slightly different ingredients.

Performance Notes

The construction was excellent throughout. We both had really good airflow and smoke volume. The burn stayed relatively even without any touchups needed.

Mark’s went a little sideways at one point, but nothing that required intervention. The ash was predominantly white and held on strong.

One complaint I’ve heard from friends is that this tends to burn fast. I didn’t experience that at all. If anything, it burned a little slower than I expected for a Robusto.

We were at an hour and eight minutes when we wrapped up, and I still had about 10 minutes of cigar left. Robustos usually last me 45 minutes to an hour, so this was on the longer side.

My Father Blue Rating

I put together a complete rating breakdown for this cigar across all the important categories. You can see the full scoring sheet below, but here’s the quick summary. The My Father Blue Robusto earned an 86 out of 100. That’s a solid score that reflects a well-made cigar with good flavor evolution, even if it took its time getting there. The presentation and construction were flawless, pulling perfect marks across the board. Where it lost some points was in that slower buildup I mentioned and the slightly stiff initial draw. By the final third though, this cigar was firing on all cylinders.

Final Thoughts on the My Father Blue

This is a good cigar. Let me be clear about that upfront. But if I’m being completely honest, my only real complaint is how long it took to come alive.

The first third was pleasant but delicate. Almost too subtle. It wasn’t until we got into the second third and especially the final third that things really picked up.

I don’t hate a slow buildup. Sometimes that’s exactly what you want. But I also wouldn’t mind getting to the fuller flavors a bit faster.

The setting matters here. If you’re sitting outside on a quiet evening just enjoying the moment, that slow buildup is perfectly fine. But if you’re hanging out with friends and there’s lots of conversation and laughter, you might not appreciate all the nuance this cigar has to offer.

The core flavors stayed consistent throughout. Leather was the dominant note from start to finish. What changed were the more subtle supporting flavors. Floral and peppery notes early on, then savory and cedar notes as it progressed.

To really pick up on those changes, you need to pay attention. They’re not going to grab you. You have to go looking for them.

Would I buy this again? Absolutely. But I think I’d opt for the Toro next time, or take a chance on that Gordo.

Watch Our Full Review

If you want to see Mark and me work through this cigar in real time, check out the video embedded above. You’ll get to hear all our back-and-forth as we’re experiencing it, which adds some context you don’t get from a written review.

If you enjoyed this review, subscribe to our YouTube channel for more cigar content. Drop a comment below or on the YouTube video and let us know if you’ve tried the My Father Blue.

When we talked to Kyle on the Smoke and Steel Podcast, he shared with us that he feels that the My Father Blue is very likely to win Cigar of the Year. Do you think this cigar has what it takes to win it all?