Cigar Review: My Father Le Bijou Box Press Torpedo

For today's review I'm smoking Cigar Aficionado's #1 ranked cigar of 2015, My Father's Le Bijou Box Pressed Torpedo. This cigar has been on the market for a while, most of it's offerings are rounded and not pressed, this is the only box pressed and the only torpedo cap. Boy do those two make a difference, I can see why the magazine gave it's highest honor to this cigar. At the store we stock the Toro size and this Torpedo and I much prefer the Torpedo. Why is that? It's all in the draw. I found myself sometimes working to get a good draw off of the Le Bijou Toro and that is enough for me to be unhappy with a cigar experience.

From the initial light up the Le Bijou delivers big flavor and an easy draw. I think being able to take more off the Torpedo end have a lot to do with the improved draw over the Toro. Being a box press too the filler tobacco has more room inside the cigar to allow more air flow, thus a more open draw. It's a hard thing to balance, as too much air flowing through the filler means it'll burn hot and unevenly, and not enough air flow means you have to huff and puff on it to get a meager draw.  My Father got that balancing act down well and it really shows as this cigar progresses.

This cigar gives a big Maduro leaf flavor that I really enjoy, most of my go-to cigars are Maduros. This is definitely a big step up in flavor from the Diamond Crown I recently reviewed. A good way to compare those two would be Le Bijou is a nighttime cigar, and the Diamond Crown Maduro is a good daytime cigar, or for the more casual smoker. I wouldn't recommend the My Father Le Bijou to a  beginner or somebody not used to full bodied smokes. This would pair well with a Cabernet Sauvingon or a VSOP Cognac. The chalkiness of a Cabernet would compliment the rich flavors of this cigar, it definitely has a strong finish and long lasting flavors on the palate. Don't smoke this unless you want to taste it for a while.