Ashton Churchill

The Ashton Churchill in your shipment today is a gold standard benchmark to which all mild smokes can be compared and measured against. This Cigar Aficionado 90-rated smoke hails from the Dominican Republic and comes dressed in a sun-kissed Connecticut shade wrapper that hugs a Dominican binder and well-aged Dominican long-fillers. Perfect for any time of day, this mild smoke has rich and creamy notes of toasted almonds, coffee beans, cream, and cedar. Try it with a Caffè Americano.

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.