PDR 1878 Cubano Especial Capa Natural Churchill

Pinar del Rio cigars are made in one of the best small factories in the Dominican Republic and are known for boutique charm and, more importantly, flavor. In fact, PDR cigars use a unique and complex rolling technique to bunch the filler tobacco called “Entunado”. By using this technique, it lets them build more complex flavors by adding more filler tobacco, but placing it in such a way that it will allow an easier draw with more flavor. This mild smoke uses that technique with Dominican Criollo 98 and Nicaraguan Criollo 98 fillers, which are held by a zesty Dominican Criollo 98 binder, which in turn is secured with a sleek Ecuadorian Connecticut Shade wrapper. This Dominican handmade is mild to medium in body and lends ultra smooth, balanced woody and herbal character with hints of sweetness. Mild enough for any time of day, try pairing it with a black coffee, perhaps after brunch.

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.