El Credito Torpedo No. 2 Natural

Hailing from the Dominican Republic, this smoke received a 90 rating from Cigar Aficionado and we wholeheartedly agree with that rating. This cigar features tobaccos from three countries, starting with Dominican and Nicaraguan long-fillers, followed by a Nicaraguan binder, and finished with a well-aged Ecuadorian Sumatra wrapper. Suspenseful, complex and medium to full in body, this smoke starts with bold and meaty flavors that evolve into hearty notes of hickory with a spicy-sweet undertone. Satsifying down to the nub, enjoy this smoke with a bourbon after dinner on a warm summer night.

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.