Caldwell Hit & Run Corona Large (Club Exclusive)

The Caldwell Cigar Company burst onto the boutique cigar scene when it was founded by Robert Caldwell in 2014, and quickly made another splash with four new cigars that premiered at the IPCPR in July 2015. When starting the company, Robert decided that he was going to do things his way and began scouring the world for the best tobacco leaves which he would test over and over again until getting the exact flavors he was looking for — before testing it again. He is so committed to his product that he keeps production limited to ensure that he is delivering a superior cigar. Currently, Caldwell Cigar Company is based in the Dominican Republic where they have built a new factory aptly named the Caldwell Cigar Factory.

Robert Caldwell teamed up with the one and only Matt Booth from Room 101 to help Booth make his triumphant return to the cigar industry with the Hit & Run you have in your shipment today. Handcrafted at the William Venture Factory in the Dominican Republic, this stunning cigar (in a size exclusive to the Rare Cigar Club) features an Ecuadoran Habano wrapper that holds an Indonesian binder and Dominican long fillers. Together this blend will lend rich notes of caramel and roasted nuts. Medium in body, this smoke is perfect any time of day, so try pairing it with an afternoon Americano.

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.