Featured Cigars

January 2007

Featured Cigar	Shape	Size	Strength	Country	Panel Rating
Felipe Dominicana T	Torpedo	6 x 52	5.5	Dominican	91
Indian Tabac Super Fuerte Super-Gordo Maduro	Grand Toro	6 x 58	8.5	Honduras	90
Petrus Etiquette Rouge	Churchill	7 x 48	6.0	Dominican	91
Romeo y Julieta 1875 Bully	Robusot	5 x 50	5.0	Dominican	90
Toraño Exodus Gold	Toro	6 x 50	7.5	Honduras	93

Felipe Dominicana T Torpedo

Felipe Gregorio founder Philip Wynne was born and raised in Switzerland. Because he grew up in Europe where Cuban cigars were legal, when he decided to get into the cigar business, he wanted to produce hearty cigars similar to the many Cuban brands he grew up with. Made in the Dominican Republic, the Felipe Dominicana series was the first Felipe Gregorio cigar made outside of his original Nicaraguan factories. Certainly, the first cigars to come out of the new Dominican "Tabacalera Real de Felipe Gregorio" factory were something worth celebrating. And make no mistake, these cigars are still celebrated to this day. Rolled with Havana-seed Nicaraguan filler, Dominican Piloto Cubano binder and an Ecuadorian Connecticut Shade wrapper leaf, these cigars are mild-to-medium-bodied, with a creamy, peppery taste and robust aroma. Note the excellent construction—seamless and smooth with the perfect amount of oil in the wrapper. It delivers an earthy complexity with plenty of spicy coffee bean flavors and aromas with peppery, woody notes. Very rich tasting, creamy, robust, yet extremely smooth as a result of the use of 1999 Tabacage. Expect a finish that is spicy and woody, with a subtle nuttiness. Pair with an American Pale Ale.

Indian Tabac Super Fuerte Super-Gordo Maduro Grand Toro

These gorgeous cigars are handmade in Danli, Honduras—a region that enjoys warm weather even during the winter months. But for those of us who live in cold-weather climates, this is a great winter-time smoke, as the thick Costa Rican wrapper will hold up well in cold weather, which is part of why we chose to feature it this month. Well, that, and the fantastically deep, dark color of the maduro wrapper that has us drooling like Murl on a hot summer day (just kidding Murl!) Indian Tabac is a superior brand that constantly presents fantastic multi-national tobacco blends. In the Super Fuerte, we've got Nicaraguan, Honduran and Costa Rican fillers, which yield some of the most delicious and rich flavors available in the modern cigar market, not to mention tremendously aromatic smoke. Already 4 years old, these premium tobacco leaves are great for extended aging in your humidor. Look for mature, full-bodied and rounded tobacco and leathery flavors with creamy, spicy, hazelnut notes and hints of chocolate. Try with your favorite winter warmer style ale.

Petrus Etiquette Rouge Churchill

This charming new addition to the popular Petrus line was a smashing success in Europe, where Petrus cigars have been popular since their introduction. Created by Philip Wynne of Felipe Gregorio cigars, Petrus was pretty much a failure when first released in the states back in 1989. The cigar industry in the states back then was very green, with American cigar seekers not yet accustomed to fuller-bodied cigars. As such, Petrus did not sell well here (though it did quite well in Europe and the Middle East where palates were accustomed to higher intensity smokes). As the U.S. cigar boom came, domestic cigar smokers developed more sophisticated palates. Eventually, Philip recognized that it was time for Petrus to be reborn. It was re-released in 2000. The Petrus Etiquette Rouge is a bit different, though equally as good. These cigars are made with Nicaraguan, Dominican and Honduran tobaccos that have been carefully aging since 2000, and the years of mellowing of this rich blend has resulted in a depth of character and complexity of flavor that is tough to match. The Ecuadorian grown, Connecticut seed, shade grown wrapper is silky smooth and quite flavorful. Of particular note is the pre-burn aroma, with notes of cinnamon and nutmeg. Look for mild spices with notes of toasted caramel and a touch of cinnamon. This well-balanced smoke burns slow and smokes cool. A good partner to the morning news and coffee.

Romeo y Julieta 1875 Bully Robusto

The Romeo y Julieta brand is legendary, and hugely popular among premium cigar fans. The "Bully" is the brand's top-selling size. Handmade in La Romana, Dominican Republic, the Bully is the Dominican made version of the original Cuban brand, which originated in the 19th century. The Romeo y Julieta 1875 blend features Dominican Olor binders and Dominican, and interestingly, Pennsylvania fillers. Despite its relatively widespread appearance in the market, each cigar bears a rare wrapper—Indonesian TBN (an abbreviation for Tabaco Bawah Naungan, which translates to "tobacco under sheet," or shade-grown tobacco). We found that it burned with a characteristic white ash—stiff and solid—not surprising when you realize how densely packed with tobacco this cigar is. Its smooth, mellow taste is presented with a medium body and possesses a strong herbal quality, with prominent notes of aromatic cedar. Note the woody finish and strongly herbal, almost mentholated flavors and a minor note of lemon essence in the very pleasant aftertaste. For those of you who prefer tea to coffee, this cigar actually goes quite well with a cup of Earl Grey. Alternatively, try a smooth, floral sake as a liquid counterpart.

Toraño Exodus Gold 1959 Toro

Carlos Toraño cigars have been around for 90 years! Their four generations of family cigar-making tradition began back in 1916 when Don Santiago Toraño emigrated from Spain to Cuba. After the Cuban revolution of 1959, his son Carlos would forever change the tobacco industry by introducing the concept of growing Cuban seed tobacco plants in the Dominican Republic. The seeds he brought from Cuba to the Dominican Republic yield tobacco that is today known as 'Piloto Cubano'—a term you may be familiar with—which we can all enjoy these days due to the instincts of this cigar maestro. Since Carlos' untimely death, his son, Carlos A. Toraño has continued the family business, expanding tobacco-growing to Nicaragua, Mexico and Ecuador, while also bringing Carlos Sr.'s grandson in to the trade. Today, the company is the only family cigar business to own and operate three cigar factories in each of the leading cigar producing countries (Nicaragua, Honduras and the Dominican Republic). The Exodus Gold 1959 commemorates the mass departure of Cuban cigar families and their impact on the cigar industry after the nationalization of all tobacco farms and cigar factories by the Cuban government in 1959. The Toraños were one of those very important families. The Toraño Exodus Gold is filled with creamy and herbal tones. After lighting, you'll immediately notice creamy, slightly spicy, nutty notes, with hints of chocolate. The taste is medium-to-full-bodied, powered mainly by the Habano 'H-2000' wrapper, accompanied by a complex, five-country blend of Dominican, Honduran, Mexican, Nicaraguan, and Costa Rican tobaccos. It is excellently constructed with a perfectly saturated draw. Its robust character and cocoa & coffee notes make it great with a double espresso.