The Judge by @myfathercigars showed up on the scene with a reputation akin to the infamous Judge Isaac Charles Parker. In fact, #TheJudge was inspired by a friend of the Garcia family who was an actual judge. My Father released the Judge in 2016 at IPCR. A year later, it received a 93 from Cigar Aficionado and was ranked 7th for the cigar of the year. The Judge is made of a dark Ecuadorian Sumatra seed wrapper, a very unique double binder of Corojo and Criollo leaf, and packed full of 3 different Nicaraguan long leaf filler.
The Judge’s presentation is fitting of its name. It is regal, dignified, and powerful. Behind it’s 2 antiqued middle bands and its satin gold footer, the cigar is a deep chocolate brown. The aroma has a classic tobacco and leather nose. I noticed that the ventilation is slightly loose. I regret using a V-cut and should have used the Punch cut instead. In the case of flavor….the loose ventilation actually assists in delivering the various notes in the cigar. Immediately, you are given a mouth full of leather, cocoa powder, and a red pepper spice.
The hefty cigar surprised me by being quite a quick burner. In roughly 15-20 minutes I’m midway through the cigar (and that’s with a few sips in between). There’s a slight change in the flavor profile which brings in dry hay and wood. Finishing up the second 3rd, the spice and leather mellows going into the final portion. I will admit that #MyFather brand is highly ranked on my “go to” list due to its consistency and balance. TheJudge steps away from the MyFather norm by throwing an array of flavors at you but none being attention-grabbing.
Looking to identify the high points in the profile, I can put my finger on 3 primary notes at play, spice at first base, hay at second, and wood/nut rounding third. I also notice that the cigar relaxes even more..in fact, it becomes creamy in delivery and in its velvety smoke. For it to be such an audacious cigar up front, it has done a complete 180 in its finish. It comes in like a lion and leaves as meek as a lamb.PAIRING:@the_macallan 15. It has a layered profile that’ll keep things interesting.
