Augusto Reyes Maduro Robusto

This medium-bodied chocolate-colored Maduro is the latest addition to the high-end Augusto Reyes family of blends. Reyes is known for high quality—and often expensive—smokes so we’re pleased when we find one that is up to their usual high standards and also affordable. (You might want to check out our re-order prices on this one.) Note how firm and hefty it feels in the hand. It has no spongy areas, no bumps, no valleys and very tiny veins. The prelight aroma is earthy and leathery with a hint of sweet tobacco and chocolate. The filler blend consists of aged Dominican Criollo, Corojo, and Cuban-seed long-leaf tobaccos and they’re wrapped by an especially dark Connecticut Broadleaf maduro wrapper. Novice smokers need not be intimidated by its dark, lush color. From the moment you spark it, any fears will be calmed. You’re in for a rich, hearty smoke with deep tobacco flavors, coffee notes, and a spicy-sweet finish—one that’s complex and satisfying without overpowering. Look for an enjoyable, long, chewy finish. Pair this complex stogie with a strong ale or a full tawny port.

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.