H. Upmann 1844 Reserve Churchill

We can think of several reasons why H. Upmann has been around for almost 180 years. But to net it out for you, they make some of the best cigars in the world today. Herman Upmann, a German banker, founded H. Upmann Cigars back in 1844. He distributed these cigars to his best customers as a promotion, but eventually they became one of the most popular Cuban brands smoked in the world. This brand is still currently manufactured in Cuba and the Dominican Republic as well. Unfortunately we can't send you the Cuban brand, but we think that the Dominican brand is just as good, if not better. The 1844 Reserve starts with an oily, leathery, and dark reddish-brown Ecuadorian Habano leaf, wrapped around a Nicaraguan binder and an all-Dominican long-filler blend. A smooth and creamy blend, our panel couldn’t stop talking about it. Cigar Aficionado agreed with a 93-point rating as well as being one of the Top 25 Cigars of the year in 2012! So sit back, relax, and enjoy it with a merlot.

Honduras has been a tobacco growing and cigar manufacturing area for hundreds of years, but it was the Communist revolution in Cuba that really put Honduras on the map. In the 1960s, many Cuban cigar makers fled their homeland and arrived in Honduras to re-establish their way of life. The immigrants took advantage of the climate, soil, and geography, which were well-suited to tobacco growing, and began producing high quality cigars. The center of the Honduran cigar industry is the city of Danli and the nearby Jamastran Valley. The majority of the world’s pure Corojo tobacco is grown here, now that Cuba has stopped production of this iconic, spicy, and rich variety in favor of Corojo hybrids. Other important areas of Honduran cigar production include the Talanga Valley, Copan, and Trojes.