Casa Magna Dominican Robusto

The Casa Magna made its debut a few years back and the original took the cigar world by storm with ratings of 92 points from both Cigar Insider and Cigar Aficiondo as well as being named “2008 Cigar of the Year” by Cigar Aficiondo. Well luckily for us, the mastermind behind Casa Magna, Manuel ‘Manolo’ Quesada, has created another top-notch cigar made in his very own MATASA factory in the Dominican Republic, Casa Magna Dominican. This Dominican handmade puro starts with a scrumptious, thick, and oily, Dominican Corojo wrapper with a beautiful reddish hue that holds together a rich blend of Cuban-seed Dominican long-fillers and binder. Once lit you will notice flavours of caramel, nuts and wood that will build in strength, and about halfway through notes of pepper, spice, and ginger will also start to appear. This baby is a home run and we enjoyed it with a nice cabernet after dinner.

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.