5 Vegas Miami

5 Vegas Miami
By Don Pepin Garcia and Cigars International

My fearless brother Rico reviewed this stogie not long ago...but in typical big brother fashion, I feel that I may have to double-check his work...and since the task at hand involves smoking a stogie and drinking beer, I may have to review it again...Practice makes perfect, yes? That reminds me of a joke H.T. makes from time to time about marrying an English Teacher...but I'll save that for another day...



Since it's a lazy Sunday, I might as well start off with a meandering course. Here's a photo of Ry and Holly enjoying a stogie at the Outlaw in Kansas City last month. Eric and Kellie hosted for us and it was Holly's birthday...and Don Pepin Garcia at the Outlaw may have made one of the most memorable birthdays for her ever! (possibly not in a good way for her but...)


Here's Kellie competing with Ry for the longest ash. I think she got second as Rico, Michelle and I weren't doing so well. We really enjoyed the bbq pork, free beer, and Don Pepin rolling event.

Here's the star of the show. The 5 Vegas Miami torpedo.

This smoke is created by DPG for Cigars International. It tastes nothing like the other 5 Vegas lines (which are pretty good for a house blend) and can be had for $3 apiece or so on Cigarbid.com. They're $5 or more apiece on CI so I never buy them there. Not sure if you can get them anywhere else.

This stogie had a typical Pepin tangy smell and the prelight taste was peppery and a little tart-but not bitter. It was a smooth and attractive smoke. I really like the label-seems understated and classier than many other bands-really like the blue and gold.
I smoked this stogie while drinking Murphy's Irish Red and watching Rescue Me shorts on Youtube with Michelle. It was a great combo-the smoke did not demand my attention but several times I found myself really enjoying the combination of pepper, cocoa, and buttery love that Miami imparted. The Pepin "twang" that I crave was there, of course.

I could go on...but the bottom line is that I nubbed this baby. I give it 8.5. overall with construction and flavor being the stogie's biggest strength. I wish I could get these for $1.50 or $2 each-but hey, they're pretty good.

Rico's rating of 9.5 is a little high to me. However, there is no escaping the simple fact that the 5 Vegas Miami is a damn good smoke. I wonder if his higher rating is due to the undeniably exotic ambiance of the Twilight Lounge.



Here is my sweet sweet 5 Vegas Miami, getting close to the end!



And here's my triple-sweet daughter Anne-Marie with another guest appearance in my blog! She loves to make the funny faces.