When did Pepin take over La Aroma de Cuba?

[T.G]

Originally Posted by neoflex

Originally Pepins only stick for LADC was the EE which I want to say has been out at least 4 years now. I am not sure if he has total control over the brand and it no longer belongs to Ashton but the EE seemed to be an instant hit so I would guess that they had him make more blends to breathe some new life into the brand. I would be curious to hear from those in the know if Pepin has more in LADC than just blending for them.

The LAdC EE came out in 2008 and yes, it was always a Pepin blended & rolled cigar. It was in 2009 that Ashton had Pepin take over production of the the "regular" LAdC from Altadis in Honduras, which included his reblending of the cigar with more Nicaraguan tobacco.

I can't honestly say if Pepin now has a partial stake in the ownership of the LAdC name or not, I really don't know - I will say that I haven't heard anything to that effect though.

Originally Posted by T.G

The LAdC EE came out in 2008 and yes, it was always a Pepin blended & rolled cigar. It was in 2009 that Ashton had Pepin take over production of the the "regular" LAdC from Altadis in Honduras, which included his reblending of the cigar with more Nicaraguan tobacco.

I can't honestly say if Pepin now has a partial stake in the ownership of the LAdC name or not, I really don't know - I will say that I haven't heard anything to that effect though.

Ok, ok, guys....I just texted Jose and he told me to tell you guys to settle down...he only blends these and has no ownership of the brand. He also said to those of you who say you're not a big fan of the EE anymore, he's black-listing you and will personally come to your home and stip you of all Pepin-blended sticks in your humi. I realize you're all jealous that Pepin and I are close and text all the time as well as me being invited to Nicaragua to roll the My Father Limited Edition with he and his son. I'd also like to remind everyone that I'm totally serious and never sarcastic. Ever. I promise.

On a serious note....the new blend of the LadC is fantastic and at under $6 for the belicoso, it's a fantastic value. The EE has better flavor to me- outstanding flavor as a matter of fact- but I seem to always have construction problems with this one. I dunno if they don't roll them tight or if there's just not much tobacco in them, but across the board (from a sampling of the same cigar from different humidors), they almost always seem to tunnel very badly in the middle. Has anyone else noticed this with the EE?