Ashton Symmetry Prism

Ashton is one of the most premier luxury cigar brands out there. Founded in 1985 by Robert Levin, the company today is still family-owned and operated and is committed to quality and consumer satisfaction. The Ashton Symmetry in your shipment was four years in the making and is a collaboration between Ashton and the famed Arturo Fuente. Originally, there were delays in the project due to fires at Fuente’s factory, but that only gave the Fuentes more motivation to deliver yet another masterpiece, and the Symmetry was well worth the wait. Inside, this tasty morsel is packed full of Nicaraguan and Dominican long-fillers and a Dominican binder, while on top is a smooth, oily, golden-brown Ecuadorian Habano wrapper. Well-aged with a soft box-press, expect well-balanced notes of cinnamon, caramel, and a hint of white pepper on the finish. Our panel loved this cigar and Cigar Aficionado agreed by awarding it #8 in the 2015 Top 25 Cigars and a well-deserved rating of 94. Flavorful to the last puff, enjoy this medium-bodied smoke with your favorite IPA.

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.