Cigar Review: Pepin's My Father Le Bijou 1922

Is a smoke (Rudyard Kipling). Smoking has been around since the beginning of time but insofar as more recent times the home of both rum and cigars - a wonderful combination - remains the Caribbean. If you can't find a Cuban, you might try an expatriate smoke like one from Gran Papi Rodriguez and Family in Key West.
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Capn Jimbo
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Cigar Review: Pepin's My Father Le Bijou 1922

Post by Capn Jimbo »

Review: My Father Le Bijou 1922 Petit Robusto


A long story short - da'Rum highly recommended that Sue Sea and I have go with this cigar, apparently one of his favorites. As for accompaniment he advised that a good beer - a stout in particular - was highly advised. I've never doubted da'Rum before - well maybe a few times - but thought we'd do exactly that.

First though, you need to know that our cigar purchases are not terribly frequent, but still we came to appreciate the Punch London Club EMS - a short smoke at about $2.50, the well regarded Arturo Fuente Hemingway Short Story at $6, and when in Key West a hand rolled Churchill from our dear departed Old Man Rodriguez and his tiny, one-room factory and sales desk, same price.

Only once did I get what some would consider a true quality premium - a small AF Opus X, and even then I recall it cost perhaps $12. Frankly it was so full bodied and strong that we couldn't handle it, despite its reputation.


The 1922 changed all our thinking...

Don Pepin and his son have become known as artists in creating, blending and building a line of premium cigars. Compare to John Glaser. His cigars are NOT inexpensive, but easily run in the $15 to $20 range, with some exceptions.

The Le Bijou 1922 is one of them and even so the small petit robusto even heavily discounted is still around $6.50 or more. But if da'Rum says it's good, well let's just say I know where he parks his car. We bought two.


Our meager review:

I'll speak for the both of us. First the unlit aroma. First the visual. This cigar is double banded and in the great tradition of fine cigars the bands are truly breathtaking. Elegant, gorgeous artwork, gold leafed scroll work and fleur-de-lis (stylized flowery artwork). The wrapper is called an "obscuro", a near black and according to Pepin, a very hard to grow, expensive but especially tasty.

In color a near perfect match with the Samuel Smith Imperial Stout we'd poured (pre-review in Beer).

Next came the usual clipping of the cap, the removal of the upper band, and running the cigar under your nose, an orgasmic experience for cigar afficianados, like stepping in dog shit for the uninitiated. Lovely rich and deep, very very nice.

As for the smoking, the reviews we later checked spoke of an early creamy, woody aroma, shifting in the middle to become stronger and more peppery, and in the final third reverting back.

Now the lighting and our fear. We knew this was going to be a full bodied, fairly strong cigar and we surely didn't want another Opus X experience. With this in mind we proceeded.

The first third was smashing. Think creamy, stout-like, roasted and meaty. Think the cigar box taste you occasionally find in a good aged rum. Toss in some cacao and some wisps of dark fruit in the raisin/plum arena). Nice thick, rich smoke. Great slow burn, good ash.

Interesting, rich and pleasant. It's strength while obvious, was not offputting in the least, but smoothly delivered. To us, superb. There is rich black pepper throughout, particularly via a retro exhale through the nose. Yes, the pepper and strength pick up in the middle, and yes there's a return to the initial third at the end.


More thoughts


Indeed the Le Bijou was so rich and rewarding that this was the very first cigar that we smoked to the literal nub. Anything we've ever had before - no matter how wonderful in the first third or so, rarely last beyond the first half, where things so often ramp up into the unpleasant zone.

Not this one. The My Father Le Bijou 1922 was an eyeopener. In another post it was mentioned that cigar afficianados development only begins at the point where in moving up to a well done full strength cigar, one has that "aha" moment, "so this is what it's all about". The famous wine expert/author Janis Robinson also refers to the "aha" moment which caused her to change her life and pursue wine as a profession.

After such a moment, in that same post, it was said that after one can go back to the former milder cigars and re-experience them in a new light, for better of for worse.


Comparison to a Sosa

With that we lit up a Sosa we'd gotten in that Cigar Intl. "10 for $10" special (posted this section), which is known as a modestly decent cigar, but in comparison wasn't even close to the Le Bijou. It was decently made, but burned very rapidly and except for an interesting first few puffs, quickly became consistently unremarkable and not worth continuing. Perhaps there was less tobacco in this larger cigar, but even with care the cigar disappeared rather rapidly.

Before the 1922 we might have actually liked its easy smoking, mildly interesting characteristics, but not now and probably not again.


About the Imperial Stout

As should be obvious from our descriptors, and as da'Rum suggested, there could not have been a better match for My Father's Bijou. In color, in taste, in compatibility, a perfect combination.

After our stout was gone, the Bijou wasn't so next up was a rum. Sue Sea suggested our Ron Matusalem 18 but this didn't fit at all and we realized that the RM we once praised is of little interest to us now, with or without a cigar. I then pulled out our rare Sea Wynde - pure, pot stilled, Jamaican/Guyanan, and a full strength 46%. The Sea Wynde worked and well, even better than a Pussers, we'd say.


Flat Ass Bottom Line


Lovely recommendation, and one we'd now recommend to you. A wonderful cigar, a great stout and a hearty pure and complex rum. Doesn't get any better...
Last edited by Capn Jimbo on Thu Sep 25, 2014 4:46 pm, edited 2 times in total.
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Post by da'rum »

I was mentally hopping from one foot to the other in hope that you liked it, as if I had rolled the cigar myself.

I'm glad you did.

Cheers.
in goes your eye out
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Capn Jimbo
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Post by Capn Jimbo »

Another factoid...


Le Bijou - a name often seen on movie theatres actually means "The Jewel". After his intial success and discovery, Pepin ran into partnership problems, a lawsuit, and had to start over again, this time with his son Jaime (that's Spanish for Jimbo, lol), naming on his new lines "My Father" which includes this one the Le Bijou 1922 Petit Robusto. His father was Cuban and involved in Cuban cigar making.

I can tell you that Cubans are very family oriented and naming a cigar after one's father is not a small thing, and thus you can depend that Don Pepin's heart and soul was in this one.

Having experienced it personally, Sue Sea and I can vouch that this is so.
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