Review Notes: Typical of DPGs, very smooth and slight peppery taste, no where near overpowering as some of the "full bodied" cigars which are nothing more than pure pepper. Those experiencing bad burn/draw or even harshness, I suspect are the result of poor storage conditions. These are made with corojo/criollo tobacco meaning they need to stored a bit "drier" than the 70%RH from the "70/70" rule. Either dry box them or store them closer to 65% RH (I would recommend closer to 63%) and they will smoke wonderfully. At around $5/cigar online retail (do shop around--you should be able to find a box of 25 at under $90), these are excellent values. Hard to decide which I like better, these or the blue label. I think it all depends on the mood I'm in at the time.

Review Notes: this is no exception. give these a few months in the humi to settle down and they are very good. somewhat med to full with a strong peppery taste (kinda like most pepins). they always burn well for me and ive had very few const problems. i always have a box of these on hand. very good smoke for late in the day.

Review Notes: I picked this up at my B&M, and was very pleased by it. It lasted around two hours. The first half of the smoke was great, a lot of spice and hints of coffee on the palette. The second half was a bit drier, but, still very tasty. I had to re-light once, and had a few burn issues. All in all, a very good smoke.

Review Notes: It's a nice looking smoke with a smooth, carmel-colored wrapper. The construction feels pretty good as well, being nice and solid along the stick. Clipping the cap, the draw is pretty good; not real loose but definately not tight. Stiking a couple of matches, it took a little time to get lit. My first few puffs were all black pepper, which started to make me a little worried. However, not long after that, the flavor set in. "Cuban Classic" pretty much describes this stick to a "T". The only Cuban I've had that I think would compare was a Montecristo #2, and the flavor was about spot-on. Slightly woodsy, some vanilla tones, and a subtle nuttiness would be the best description, however, this cigar adds a significant blast of black pepper flavor. Your tonsils will tingle with each draw. This also isn't a cigar for the timid, as within a matter of minutes I was feeling the effects of a buzz. I decided to order something to eat at the bar we were at, just so I wouldn't have to deal with a sick stomach (should one arise). I'm thus-far not a big fan of the Pepin White Label, but this guy got my attention right-quick. While the Monte that I compared it to was on the mild side, this is a bold muther of a cigar. I also thought it had a slightly richer flavor than the Monte, but I doubt I could quantify specifically why. I like corojo wrappers in general, and this one was no exception. However, the experience wasn't without its difficulties. It was a bugger to keep lit. I was constantly working to get a decent volume of smoke. The ash wasn't all that spectacular either, being a bit on the flakey side. I was dealing with a couple of relights and corrections. I'm not sure if it was just a little overhumidified, or if this is just a problem with the tobacco used. I had no bitterness, splitting issues, nor a bulge problem near the burn ring - all of which are hallmarks of overhumidication. To be honest, I don't know what to attribute these problems to. Outside of that, this is an excellent cigar in a lot of areas. While a tad on the expensive side, I definately recommend this cigar.

Review Notes: I'm a big fan of Pepin's work, but these need some serious time in the humidor. There were moments when the flavors were excellent, but some of the time I was overwhelmed with the black pepper. It pretty much blew my mouth out. Burn and draw were great, except that the wrapper exploded a little more than half way through. These smokes have great potential but need age.