Bohemian Bamboo Big Sur

The big claim to fame with this Victor Sinclair cigar is its chunky 6x60 size which affords a longer smoking time and, thanks to its large ring gauge, a much cooler burning cigar. The larger ring gauge also causes more tobacco to be burned in a slower fashion which changes the flavors produced in the smoke. The Bohemian "Bamboo" series is another of the manufacturer's physically beautiful cigars. Draped in a delicious, ultra-smooth and silky Connecticut-seed wrapper with a gentle pig tail twist at the head, its size and shape make it ideal for a medium-length smoke. The wide foot provides a large intake that is funneled down through the narrowing body of the cigar, delivering a gentle spiciness and medium-bodied fullness. The filler is a tasty blend of Dominican tobaccos, and the binder is Dominican, as well. Though the taste is quite mild, it is extraordinarily pleasant: deep and complex with distinct notes of cedar, pepper, and coffee. This brand was introduced in 2003 by Victor Sinclair cigars to offer a mild-to-medium-bodied, somewhat spicy taste—and they nailed it! This is a good cigar for beginners and a great morning cigar for novices and aficionados alike. Enjoy it with a cup of java or cappuccino and the Sunday paper.

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.