A. Flores Serie Privada Maduro SP52

Pinar del Rio is one of the most popular cigar brands out there and their impressive portfolio of highly rated cigars is one reason why. The A. Flores Serie Privada Maduro in your shipment today was released in 2012, and since then this smoke has been making waves throughout the cigar world. Produced in small quantities, this smoke was handmade with care under the watchful eye of Abe Flores at his Pinar del Rio factory in the Dominican Republic. This beautifully constructed smoke features a chocolaty Ecuadorian Habano Maduro wrapper that holds a Nicaraguan Habano binder, and is filled with top-tier Nicaraguan Habano and Corojo fillers. Toast the foot and your palate will welcome decadent notes of natural sweetness, dark chocolate, dried fruits and hints of spice. Medium in body, enjoy this stogie with a milk stout.

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.