Bugatti Potere Torpedo

Bugatti has been for known for decades for their craftsmanship, elegance, engineering, and cutting-edge style for their supercars, but for years now they have been racing into the cigar world using those exact same principles. Although this handmade won’t go 200 mph, its flavorful smoke will have your palate racing. Crafted at the famed Pinar Del Rio factory in the Dominican Republic, the Potere features Mexican and Cuban-seed Nicaraguan long fillers, a Nicaraguan binder, and a handsome and pristine Ecuador Connecticut wrapper. Though “potere” means “power” in Italian, this is actually not a powerhouse; rather, it’s an excellent smoking experience that falls on the milder side of the spectrum. Light up this silky handmade and find a sweet earthiness with hints of pepper, roasted nuts, leather, and cedar, all within a medium-body. Enjoy this smoke with a ginger beer.

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.