Kristoff San Andres Robusto

The Kristoff brand was established by Glen Case in 2004 and is one of the fastest growing boutique manufacturers in the cigar industry. With simple packaging and without the use of flashy names, Kristoff lets the cigars speak for themselves. We can hear them loud and clear! Known for their bold and refined flavors as well as immaculate construction, Kristoff has assembled some of the finest master blenders with generations of experience. The San Andres is a stunner and comes wrapped in a San Andres Mexican wrapper leaf that secures an Ecuadorian Habano seed binder and triple Nicaraguan Habano seed long-fillers. Medium to full in body, the blend is luxuriously rich with notes of spice, black pepper, and chocolate with a smooth coffee cream finish. Enjoy this with your favor nightcap; our panel recommends Cognac.

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.