Colonel E.H. Taylor Corojo Robusto

A celebrated bourbon name sets the stage, but the Colonel E.H. Taylor Corojo delivers its character through tobacco rather than added flavoring. Developed to complement its namesake bourbon, this Dominican-made 5 × 50 Robusto combines an Ecuadorian Corojo wrapper with a Nicaraguan binder from Jalapa and Dominican long-fillers. The medium-bodied blend offers toasted oak, natural sweetness, spice, and delicate floral notes. Its appeal lies in that balance: the wood and spice provide depth, while the sweeter, more aromatic touches keep the profile from becoming one-dimensional. It’s a bourbon-inspired cigar without turning the experience into a flavored smoke. Pair it with E.H. Taylor, Jr. Small Batch Bourbon for a fitting combination. The bourbon’s caramel-corn sweetness, butterscotch, and subtle pepper should complement the cigar’s toasted oak and spice, while its sweeter side provides contrast to the tobacco. We’d serve the bourbon neat or with a small splash of water, keeping the pairing focused on the flavors that make each distinctive.

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.