Previously made by Augusto Reyes in the Dominican Republic, Forcade & Sons Giralda cigars are now being made by Tabacalera Garcia in Esteli, Nicaragua.

The answer to the often asked question: How many people can Pepin 'dance with,' would appear to be "untold numbers."

You have to admit that none of them taste the same. Yes, the profile is the same: Full bodied. Pepin is Cuban; grew up in the Cuban cigar industry and really doesn't make anything mild; not much of what he produces is medium bodied either. He makes full bodied, Cuban style - right down to the classic cap - cigars for serious smokers, and people who intend to be serious smokers.

Giralda is the brand of Forcade & Sons, the face of which is, oddly enough, the two beautiful, blonde sisters, great grand daughters of Thomas Novelas. The name was taken from Manolo Forcade who was lost at sea ... fleeing Castro's Cuba to come to America. The family's roots, however, go back to Palma de Mallorca, Spain. The family of Thomas Novelas immigrated to Cuba in 1887 and began cultivating tobacco in the Pinar del Rio.

The cigars made by Tabacalera Garcia, which are about to start shipping, will be made in the same two (2) wrappers and five (5) vitolas (sizes) that they have been made in.

For what he has brought to cigar smokers, one can only hope Pepin keeps dancing. However, the cigars being blended at Tabacalera Garcia, starting with My Father and Tabacos Baez, have been blended by, and manufactured under the direct supervision of Jaime Garcia and Amilcar Perez.

This is true of the Nestor Miranda Signature Selection and Giralda (for Forcade & Sons).

It will be interesting to see the ratings Giralda receives. Forcade & Sons Website