While a blender will concoct his creations based on flavors stemming from certain plants grown from specified seeds in specified regions, determining the strength and intensity of the competing aromas in a complex cigar is an art in itself. A typical tobacco plant has roughly 18 usable leaves that are spread among 5 primings. From bottom to top, these primings are referred to as Volado, Seco, Viso, Ligero and Corona. To alter a cigar’s flavor intensity, blenders will mostly utilize the middle three primings.

The strength of any particular tobacco is determined by the thickness of each leaf and this thickness is directly proportional to the amount of nutrients it receives from the soil and sun. For this reason, the leaves in the higher primings of the plant tend to have more texture and more flavor as they are exposed to more sunlight. Also, when the leaves are harvested they are picked from the bottom to the top over a two-week period. With the lower primings removed, more of the soil’s nutrients are funneled to the top of the plant where the leaves remain for a longer period of time.

How does a blender utilize this process? It depends. If he wants to increase the strength of the entire blend, he may amp up all of the leaves (i.e. change all of the Seco tobacco to Viso, Ligero, etc). However, and most commonly, the blender will change the primings of only some of the tobaccos in an effort to balance the competing aromas. For example, if the sweet notes from a leaf of Cameroon are dominating the palate too much and overshadowing some of the other more subtle notes, a blender might change to a lower priming of the Cameroon (i.e. change from Ligero to Viso) or he might use higher primings from some of the other tobaccos to round out the blend.

As you might imagine, blending quality cigars is more than just throwing together random leaves of tobacco. Narrowing the flavor profile of tobacco down to seed, country, region, farm and priming creates endless possibilities. For this reason, some of the world’s greatest potential blends have most likely not been discovered.

Q: I keep reading about Don Pepin Garcia in various magazines and hear his name mentioned all the time. Who is Don Pepin Garcia?

A: In 2007, many cigar makers enjoyed the limelight for their incredible handmade cigars; however, none of them have a history quite as unique as Jose 'Don Pepin' Garcia. Born in Baez, Cuba, Pepin began working with tobacco at the young age of 11. He quickly fell in love with the art of cigar rolling and worked in Cuba from 1963 until 2001. During this time Pepin perfected his craft, earning the title of 'Class 8 Roller,' the highest achievement a Cuban torcedere can achieve. He also achieved the rank of Master Blender and won awards for his advanced rolling abilities, which astonished not only his superiors but the entire cigar community of Cuba. In 2001, Pepin left Cuba to open his own factory, El Rey de los Habanos, in Miami, Florida. Here, he continues to produce some of the best cigars on the market. Due to heavy demand, Pepin opened a second factory in Esteli, Nicaragua, in 2007.

Pepin's tradition and pride of Cuban cigars can be found in his blends and artwork. His cigars are mostly medium to full in body, while all finished with a Cuban-style triple cap. Each cigar is immaculately constructed, containing a bold variety of earthy flavors that are rich, leaving a long finish on the palate. Many enthusiasts note a familiar, Cuban-esque twang when tasting his blends. Despite being the President of his company, Jose 'Pepin' Garcia still takes pride in the art of rolling, making it possible to obtain cigars rolled by the master himself. His most popular lines include Don Pepin Garcia, Don Pepin Garcia Cuban Classic, and Don Pepin Garcia Serie JJ, while his talents have also been extended to create 5 Vegas Miami and the Cigar.com Cuban Label. Rest assured, if you're burning a Jose 'Don Pepin' Garcia cigar, you will be far from dissatisfied!

• Cigar Jacks does a round up on AVO 787 Cigar Reviews.
• Coffee & Cigars reviews three different cigarillos.
• Cigar Command wasn't impressed with the Olor del Cibao and does a cigar reviews roundup for the week.
• CigarFan smokes the Vegas Cubanas Generosos.
• Stogie Review does their weekly links to what some of the other cigar sites are doing.