A. Flores Gran Reserva Corojo Grand Toro

Throughout the cigar world, blends to commemorate certain people, anniversaries, legacies, and even legends can be somewhat common. Some can be hit or miss but the A. Flores Gran Reserva Corojo is most certainly a hit. First released at the IPCPR in 2013, this handmade from Pinar del Rio cigars in the Dominican Republic was created to honor master cigar blender Abe Flores, considered by many to be one of the best and brightest cigar blenders in the business. Meticulously handcrafted, each cigar is chocked full of Dominican and Nicaraguan Habano filler leaves and a Dominican binder, which is all secured with a 2006 Dominican Corojo wrapper that has been extensively aged. To finish the cigar, it’s wrapped with a thin sheet of cedar which you can use to light the cigar. Medium to full bodied, expect rich and creamy notes of tobacco, black pepper, earth, and wood with a touch of sweetness. We recommend trying it with your favorite bourbon.

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.