My Father Cigars: The Complete Guide — Inside the García Family Factory in Estelí

By Michel Besson, Fine Cigars Club — written after visiting the My Father factory in Estelí, Nicaragua, January 2026

Portrait of Don José 'Pepín' García at the entrance to the My Father factory in Estelí, Nicaragua — Don José 'Pepín' García, at the entrance to the factory he built in Estelí

In January 2026 I spent a day inside the My Father factory in Estelí, Nicaragua — guided by Jandy García, part of the family that has, in barely two decades, built one of the most decorated names in the cigar world. This guide is written from that visit: what I saw on the rolling floor, in the aging rooms and among the fermentation pilones, alongside the history of the García family and a look at the cigars themselves. If you want to understand why My Father commands the reputation it does, it helps to have stood in the room where the cigars are made. This is that account — plus everything you need to choose your first, or your next, My Father.

The History of My Father: A Cuban Legacy, Rebuilt in Nicaragua

My Father is the story of one family — the Garcías — and above all of its patriarch, José "Pepín" García. Born in Cuba in 1950, Pepín came from a family steeped in tobacco and began rolling cigars as a child — around the age of eleven — learning the craft the old way in his native Cuba. He would go on to spend some three decades in Cuba as a torcedor, earning a reputation as a master roller of genuine artistry: his "magic hands" became legendary in the trade long before the world outside Cuba knew his name. When he eventually left, he brought that Cuban mastery with him — and it is the foundation everything else here is built on.

In 2003 Pepín opened a tiny factory in Miami's Little Havana, El Rey de los Habanos, and his cigars rapidly drew high scores and industry attention. Pepín's gift — recognised across the trade — was the ability to recreate the classic Cuban profile without Cuban tobacco, using Nicaraguan leaf to chase the flavour of the Havanas he grew up with. Having learned to roll and to blend in Cuba itself, he understood the target better than almost anyone alive.

As demand outgrew Miami, the family opened a large factory in Estelí, Nicaragua, and it was here the brand as we know it was born.

The main rolling floor at the My Father factory in Estelí, with rows of torcedores at work — The main rolling floor in Estelí — rows of torcedores at work

The cigar named "My Father"

The name itself is the brand's most touching story. Pepín's son, Jaime García, secretly blended a cigar as a tribute to his father — and named it My Father. Released to the trade, it caused a genuine stir, and it gave the whole company its name. So "My Father" is not a marketing flourish: it is a son's homage to his father, and the family has built a dynasty on it. Today Pepín works alongside his children Jaime and Janny (and the wider family — my own guide for the day was Jandy García), running an operation that produces cigars not only under the My Father name but for many of the most respected boutique brands in the industry.

Michel Besson of Fine Cigars Club with Jandy García at the My Father factory in Estelí, January 2026 — With Jandy García at the factory in Estelí, January 2026

Total control, from seed to ash

What sets My Father apart — and what the visit made vivid — is complete vertical integration. The Garcías own close to twenty farms across Nicaragua's prime growing regions (Estelí, Jalapa, Condega and beyond), and they control every stage: growing the tobacco, fermenting it, aging it, rolling it, and even making their own cigar boxes in-house. Nothing is outsourced. Standing among the fermentation pilones — great banked heaps of tobacco slowly generating their own heat — you understand that this is not assembly; it is agriculture and craft under one family's hand, seed to ash.

Fermentation pilones (piles of tobacco) at the My Father factory in Estelí — Fermentation pilones — banked heaps of tobacco generating their own heat

Inside the Factory: What I Saw in Estelí

A cigar guide can tell you a brand is "handmade" and "traditional." Standing on the floor shows you what those words actually mean.

The tobacco, before the roll. Before a single cigar is made, workers sort the leaves by hand from the bales — grading, separating, selecting — the unglamorous, essential work that decides what a cigar will become.

A My Father worker hand-sorting tobacco leaves from bales before rolling — Hand-sorting leaves from the bales — the work that decides what a cigar becomes

The secret in the fermentation. If there is one thing that separates a good Nicaraguan cigar from a truly great one, it is fermentation — and this is where My Father guards its edge most closely. The premium blends pass through multiple, distinct fermentation stages, each one carefully controlled, coaxing the tobacco toward the depth, smoothness and complexity that the family's best cigars are known for. It is painstaking, time-consuming work, and it is the real reason a Le Bijou or a Judge tastes the way it does. Tellingly, this was the one part of the factory we were not permitted to photograph or film — the precise sequence of fermentations is a closely held trade secret, and understandably so. You can see the fermentation pilones on the floor; how the family works them through their stages is knowledge they keep to themselves. It is, in a sense, the signature no one is allowed to copy.

The rolling, done in pairs. My Father rolls in the classic Cuban manner. At each table sit a buncher and a wrapper roller, side by side — one forms the bunch (the filler and binder) in the entubado method, rolling the filler leaves into individual tubes for a better draw; the other applies the wrapper and the triple cap, finished the Cuban way.

A cigar buncher and wrapper roller working side by side at My Father, in the Cuban method — Buncher and wrapper roller, side by side — the classic Cuban arrangement

Cigar bunch presses in use at the My Father factory — Bunch presses in use on the floor

Discipline in the detail. One thing that stayed with me: each roller is issued a bag with the exact quantity of tobacco for that day's rolling — no more, no less. It is a small detail that tells you everything about how tightly quality and consistency are controlled here.

Bags of tobacco measured out in exact daily quantities for each My Father roller — Each roller's bag — the exact quantity of tobacco for that day, no more, no less

Aging — the old-school way. In the aging rooms, finished cigars rest — and some are aged the traditional way, wrapped in newspaper, a method that gently mellows the tobacco over time.

The cigar aging room at the My Father factory in Estelí — The aging room, where finished cigars rest

My Father cigars aged the traditional way, wrapped in newspaper — Aged the old-school way — cigars wrapped in newspaper to mellow

Even the boxes. The wooden boxes are made in-house — I watched a worker building them — another link in the chain the family refuses to hand to anyone else.

A My Father worker manufacturing a wooden cigar box in-house at the Estelí factory — Wooden boxes built in-house — nothing outsourced

And a moment of trust. During the visit I was handed a new, unreleased blend to try — no band, no information, nothing but the cigar itself. To be given an unfinished secret by a house of this standing is a privilege, and the cigar was outstanding. It is the kind of experience that reminds you why it is worth travelling to the source.

An unreleased, unbanded My Father cigar given to Michel Besson to try during the visit — An unreleased blend, handed over with no band and no information — just the cigar

More than a factory tour. What stayed with me most, though, was the warmth. The Garcías hosted us for lunch and dinner, we shared glasses of Flor de Caña, we talked, we laughed, and — yes — we danced. Jandy García was generous with his time and utterly open, answering every question I put to him, however detailed, with patience and candour. There was no sense of a guarded corporate visit; it was the hospitality of a family proud of what they do and happy to share it. I left grateful — for the access, for the openness, and for a day I won't forget. It is one thing to admire a brand's cigars; it is another to be welcomed by the family behind them, and it deepened my respect for what they've built.

A Rare Feat: Three Cigars of the Year

Few houses win Cigar Aficionado's #1 Cigar of the Year even once. The Garcías have done it three times — a distinction almost no other maker can claim, and I saw the boxes of all three lined up at the factory:

Flor de las Antillas — Cigar of the Year 2012 (96 points), a pure Nicaraguan puro.
My Father Le Bijou 1922 — Cigar of the Year 2015 (97 points), named to honour Pepín's own father (born 1922), with a dark Nicaraguan Oscuro wrapper.
My Father The Judge — Cigar of the Year, 98 points and the highest-rated of the three, a rich, complex cigar built largely on Estelí tobacco under an Ecuadorian Sumatra wrapper.

Boxes of My Father's three Cigar of the Year winners — Flor de las Antillas, Le Bijou 1922 and The Judge — All three Cigar of the Year winners, lined up at the factory

A My Father worker packing The Judge cigars into a box — Packing The Judge — 98 points, the highest-rated of the three

What Defines the My Father Taste

My Father cigars are, characteristically, medium-to-full-bodied — rich, complex and impeccably constructed, built to recreate the classic Cuban profile with Nicaraguan power. Expect espresso, dark chocolate, leather, cedar, earth and a signature peppery spice, often with a sweetness underneath. These are cigars with depth and structure, made for smokers who want flavour and intensity without any loss of refinement.

The Cuban DNA runs through everything: the entubado bunch, the triple cap, the box-pressing on several lines, the insistence on doing it the way the family learned in Cuba. But the tobacco is Nicaraguan to the core — and it is that marriage, Cuban method and Nicaraguan leaf, that gives My Father its unmistakable character. Underpinning it all is the family's multi-stage fermentation — the guarded process, described above, that draws such depth and smoothness from the leaf and gives the premium blends their signature complexity.

The My Father Range We Stock

We carry a selection of genuine My Father cigars, from the flagship blend to the award-winners.

My Father No. 1 Robusto

A superb introduction to the house style. The No. 1 Robusto delivers the classic My Father profile — rich, spicy, medium-to-full, beautifully made — in the ever-popular robusto format. A benchmark Nicaraguan robusto and a fine place to begin.

My Father Le Bijou 1922 Torpedo

The 2015 Cigar of the Year, in its celebrated box-pressed torpedo. The Le Bijou 1922 Torpedo is full-bodied and deeply complex — espresso, dark chocolate and spice — named in tribute to Pepín's father. One of the most acclaimed cigars of the modern era, and a must-smoke for anyone serious about Nicaraguan cigars.

My Father Blue (Petit Robusto)

A shorter format for when time is limited but you still want the My Father character. The Blue Petit Robusto gives you the family's signature richness and spice in a smaller, quicker smoke.

You can browse the full range on our My Father collection page.

Which My Father Should You Choose?

If you're new to the brand — start with the No. 1 Robusto. It's the classic house profile in the most versatile size.

If you want a legend — the Le Bijou 1922 Torpedo, a Cigar of the Year and one of the great modern cigars. Full-bodied; give it time.

If time is short — the Blue Petit Robusto delivers the character in a quicker smoke.

If you love full-bodied Nicaraguan cigars — My Father is essential. If you already enjoy a rich, powerful smoke, this is a house to explore in depth. Those who like it may also enjoy comparing it against a bold Cuban Partagás, or another great Estelí family house in our first-hand Padrón guide — written after a morning with Jorge Padrón a few streets away. There is more of Nicaragua in our Nicaragua TOR Tour 2026 account.

How to Spot Genuine My Father Cigars

My Father is widely counterfeited, so buy with care:

Buy from a reputable source. We source our My Father through official UK channels — genuine stock, correctly stored.
Check construction. Genuine My Father cigars are superbly made — the entubado bunch gives an excellent draw, the triple cap is neat, the box-press (where applicable) is crisp. Poor construction is a warning sign.
Check bands and boxes. Genuine bands are sharply printed; boxes carry correct markings. Suspiciously low prices are the commonest sign of a fake.

Frequently Asked Questions

Who makes My Father cigars, and where? My Father Cigars is made by the García family — patriarch José "Pepín" García with his children Jaime and Janny — principally at their factory in Estelí, Nicaragua (the family also operates a factory in El Paraíso, Honduras, and a boutique factory in Miami). The family are Cuban by origin and make their cigars using traditional Cuban methods with Nicaraguan tobacco. I visited the Estelí factory in January 2026.

Why is the brand called "My Father"? Pepín's son Jaime García secretly blended a cigar as a tribute to his father and named it "My Father." It caused a stir on release and gave the whole company its name — a genuine father-and-son story rather than a marketing invention.

Are My Father cigars strong? They're characteristically medium-to-full-bodied — rich and complex, with espresso, dark chocolate, leather, cedar and a signature peppery spice. Powerful but refined. The Le Bijou 1922 is at the fuller end; the No. 1 is a touch more approachable.

Has My Father really won Cigar of the Year three times? Yes — a rare feat. Flor de las Antillas (2012, 96 points), Le Bijou 1922 (2015, 97 points) and The Judge (98 points) have all taken Cigar Aficionado's #1 Cigar of the Year. Very few makers have done it even twice.

What is the "entubado" method? It's a traditional Cuban rolling technique in which each filler leaf is rolled into an individual tube before bunching, which improves airflow and the draw. My Father rolls this way and finishes with a triple cap, Cuban-style — I watched it done, buncher and wrapper roller working in pairs, on the visit.

Is My Father tobacco really grown by the family? Yes. The Garcías are fully vertically integrated — they own around twenty farms in Nicaragua and control every stage from seed to finished cigar, including making their own boxes in-house. This seed-to-ash control is a large part of why the cigars are so consistent.

What makes My Father's premium blends taste so distinctive? A large part of the answer is fermentation. The premium blends go through multiple, carefully controlled fermentation stages that develop the depth, smoothness and complexity the cigars are known for — the process behind a Le Bijou or The Judge. It's a closely guarded trade secret; on our January 2026 visit it was the one part of the factory we were not permitted to photograph, which tells you how central the family considers it to their cigars' character.

Who is Don Pepín García? José "Pepín" García is the founder and patriarch of My Father Cigars. Born in Cuba in 1950 into a tobacco family, he began rolling cigars as a child (around age eleven) and spent roughly three decades in Cuba becoming a master torcedor renowned for his artistry. After leaving Cuba he opened a small factory in Miami in 2003, then built the Estelí operation — bringing genuine Cuban rolling and blending mastery to Nicaraguan tobacco. He works today alongside his children Jaime and Janny.

Explore our full range of My Father cigars, read our Nicaragua TOR Tour 2026 account of the wider trip, or browse our flagship Cuban guides to Cohiba, Montecristo and Partagás.