Augusto Reyes Platinum Belicoso

Maker of some of the finest brand names in the business—including Indian Tabac, Cameroon Legend and Fittipaldi—the Augusto Reyes family has been in the tobacco and cigar world for over 150 years. The Augusto Reyes Platinum Belicoso you have in your shipment today shows the quality of this family’s cigar making traditions from foot to nub. It all starts with Dominican and Nicaraguan long-fillers that are secured by a Dominican binder which is concealed with a handsome Dominican-grown Cuban-seed wrapper. Our panel said that this well balanced combination provides a rich and slightly sweet flavor profile with hints of spices, leather, and coffee. Mild to medium in body, it’s a perfect any-time-of-day treat that will pair perfectly with a rye whiskey.

Though tobacco is indigenous to Hispaniola, the tobacco industry in the Dominican Republic existed in the shadow of Cuba’s dominance through the 1960s. When the exodus of Cuban cigar makers began in the wake of the revolution, many decided the Dominican Republic would be ideal for the resumption of their livelihoods. Unrest in Nicaragua in the 1980s fueled the Dominican cigar industry further. The country now makes more than half of the premium cigars imported into the U.S.

The Cibao Valley and the nearby city of Santiago are the center of cigar production in the Dominican Republic. Three main varieties are grown here: the mild and native Olor Dominicano; the intense Piloto Cubano, brought from the Vuelta Abajo of Cuba; and San Vicente, a milder and more acidic Piloto hybrid. Dominican puros were once unheard of as it was widely thought impossible to grow quality wrapper leaf on the island, but new growing techniques are now allowing some exceptional puros to be produced.