Macanudo Café Hyde Park

General Cigar has been producing premium cigars since the 19th century, with an impressive portfolio that includes legendary names like Bolívar, Cifuentes, Cohiba (non-Cuban version), Partagas, Punch, and Macanudo. The Macanudo Café line is among their most iconic offerings and is one of the top-selling cigars in the United States. The name “Macanudo” roughly translates from Spanish to “great” or “first-rate,” and this cigar lives up to the title. It earned a 90-point rating from Cigar Aficionado, thanks to its consistently smooth, mild profile and exceptional construction. Each hand-rolled cigar features a blend of Dominican Piloto Cubano and Mexican filler tobaccos, bound with a Mexican San Andrés binder and finished in a silky, shade-grown Connecticut wrapper. The flavor profile is mellow and creamy, offering delicate notes of almonds, cashews, and fresh herbs, with a light pepper nuance that builds gently midway through. The aroma is inviting and often appreciated even by non-smokers. Try pairing this classic stogie with a White Russian for a smooth, indulgent experience.

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.