My Father The Judge Grand Robusto

It's big. It's bold. And it's box-pressed. Made by the Garcia family in Nicaragua, My Father's The Judge Grand Robusto can be an imposing cigar, just by way of its girth. This is certainly a powerful smoke, but it isn't just strong for the sake of being strong. There's a purpose to its strength, and plenty of interesting flavor to justify the high-octane tobacco inside.

It starts with an Ecuadoran Sumatra-seed wrapper, two Nicaraguan binders (Corojo and Criollo), and filler from three of the Garcia family farms. My Father The Judge was intended to be a more full-bodied offshoot of the first My Father, and that's saying a lot—the original is no mild blend. My Father The Judge debuted in 2016 with two chunky sizes. The Grand Robusto is the shorter, fatter of the two—and a reflection of today's smokers who have a large appetite for thick, strong cigars.

If high volumes of heavy smoke are what you want, this cigar delivers, satisfying notes of chocolate and gingersnap driven by an underlying red pepper spice and plenty of nutty character. It burns slow and cool, and while the blend doesn't show much restraint, The Judge has an unforgettable beauty to its brashness.