Gispert Churchill

In the vicissitude of the global cigar market, major changes often occur overnight. Some of the world’s great smokes have dropped off the radar permanently, despite years of raging success. This was nearly the case with Gispert, which for many years prior to 1950 was consistently among the top five most highly rated Cuban cigar brands available. While it wasn’t often found outside of Cuba, it nevertheless held a substantial market share among Cuba’s finest. But with Castro’s rise to power and the subsequent trade embargos, business was hit hard, and Gispert was one of those fine stogies that suffered considerably. In the hands of the state-run tobacco industry, brand quality diminished, and popularity waned, leading to a near death experience for the former giant. Recalling the former glory of these fantastic cigars, Altadis, makers of Saint Luis Rey and a host of other top-notch brands, has decided to bring Gispert back to its original grandeur. Combining the great Cuban-seed tobaccos grown in Honduras and Nicaragua with Ecuadorian Connecticut wrapper, Gispert in its renaissance is a cut above the original blend. For the few surviving folks who remember the original pre-Castro Gispert, the new incarnation promises to bring back the nostalgia of days gone by. We found Gispert to be flawlessly constructed with a smooth, oily appearance. As a Churchill, it has that sleek and commanding presence that we all know and love. Expect an overall mellow cigar with herbal tones and plenty of cedar. Easy going, this gentle giant is great for A.M. smoking. If you’re the type of person who likes to smoke while reading the morning paper—and we mean the whole paper—this long-lasting cedary cigar is a good one to have in hand.