When it comes to the My Father brand, you won’t come across a more highly awarded factory and cigar rollers in the world. Dating back to their Cuban Heritage days, My Father is run by a well-oiled machine that just so happens to be a father and his children.

Don Pepin Garcia and Jamie Garcia teamed up to make a cigar with its namesake after the company. My Father cigars come in many sizes, but we’re showcasing this review on the No. 2 Belicoso, which is touted to be of the most prestigious blends released by the Garcia Family.

With a gorgeous Ecuadorian Habano Rosado Leaf used for the wrapper, the No. 2 Belicoso has spicy Nicaraguan tobaccos from the brand’s famous farm in Esteli to make up the binder and filler.

I’ve been told that this gem of a cigar is the closest thing I may have to experience a real Cuban cigar. Being that this is my first time having this smoke, my anticipation was rather higher than most reviews I’ve in the past.

I’ve had the pleasure of smoking the La Promesa, Flor de Las Antillas, and Fonseca by My Father the three years I’ve been here. So, I was very honored to be able to smoke and review the best of the best from My Father according to most cigar publications.

Let’s dive right into my experience smoking the My Father No. 2 in the Belicoso size!

• Country of Origin: Nicaragua
• Wrapper: Ecuadorian Habano Rosado
• Binder: Nicaragua
• Filler: Nicaragua
• Cigar Strength: Full
• Smoke Time: 75-80 minutes
• Sizes Available:
  • My Father No. 2 Belicoso (5.50 x 54)

With this being my first time smoking this #16 ranked cigar from Cigar Aficionado in 2010, I decided to use my V-Cut on this bad boy. V-Cutters give the most outpour of smoke and flavor in my humble opinion, so I wanted to get the most out of my experience.

Right off the bat, black pepper hit my palate. That’s all I detected on the first few pulls in my cold draw test. Usually, I detect two or three different flavors during a cold draw test, but black pepper was at the forefront of what I discovered.

So, I was highly interested to see what else I detected while I smoked through the My Father No. 2 Belicoso.

Fifteen minutes into the first third and the black pepper flavor note, alongside a sweet spice like cinnamon overtook my taste buds completely. The two worked very well with one another. But throughout the first third, there were only spice flavors which were a tad bit disheartening.

My hopes as I entered the second third that this smoke would balance out and open more so I could detect more flavors throughout this full-bodied gem.

Any doubts or tribulations I had in the first third about only tasting spice immediately vanished as I was well into the second third. The No. 2 Belicoso from My Father, in fact, opened in an extremely prominent way.

Other flavors I detected were earth and a touch of leather that mixed exquisitely with the black pepper and cinnamon. Those spicy and peppery flavors took a backseat to the earthy tones I tasted as I kept puffing on this award-winning smoke.

I couldn’t help but be overwhelmed with the freshness of the earthy tones I was presented within the second third of this smoke. It gave me a fresh of breath air, so to speak, that I could not get enough of.

As I entered the final third of this delicious smoke from My Father, I only encountered minor changes to the smoke. The spice that was dominating in the first third seemed to be all but gone in the final third.

Earth tones balanced out perfectly, which made this full-bodied smoke a little more tolerable for my lightweight self.

For a moment, I detected a hint of cocoa, but it did not last that long. It might have been the beverage I was enjoying alongside the No. 2 that I’m about to get into in the next paragraph. But overall, I was very happy with the plethora of different flavors I was able to detect in this highly recognized cigar the whole industry seems to absolutely love.

As mentioned in the previous paragraph, I believe what I had to drink alongside the My Father No. 2 Belicoso added to the cocoa flavor note I detected. A local brewery here in New Jersey called “Czig Meister” has an oatmeal stout “Blacksmith” that is a favorite of mine.

With a 5.5% ABV, the Blacksmith worked extremely well with the My Father’s flavor notes, specifically the notes I detected in the second and final third.

Other options I would recommend are dark chocolate, Sangria, or a non-alcoholic fruit drink such as grape juice or grape soda. I have not tried any of these options alongside this smoke, but I feel like the fruitiness of some of these options would be a perfect combination.

Overall, this smoke lived up to its award-winning hype. While smoking this, I had a realization that not a  lot of cigars I’ve tried even comes close to this one. That says something for a smoke that was released over a decade ago.

For a pack of five, you’re looking at $54.00 before tax. That averages out to a little less than $11.00 per stick. Coincidentally, it comes out to the same exact price per stick if you purchase a box of 23 for $248.65.

So, if you’re hesitant to buy a box of any cigar, going with the pack of five is always the best option since they’re coming out to be the same price for one single cigar.

As always, I think it’s worth every penny to invest in excellence such as the My Father No. 2 Belicoso. But I’m not here to spend your money. Check out the review below and if you like what you see, stop by our online store, and pick up this legendary smoke from My Father today.