Don Elias Edicion Limitada Sumatra Churchill

Don Elias cigars have been out since the 1990’s cigar boom and have been beloved since. This classic brand is about to get even more popular with the help of Rhadames Rodriguez. His artful craftsmanship starts with top-quality Dominican Piloto and Cubano long-fillers that have been aged for 4 years, and is followed by a Dominican Olor binder, and finished off with a silky Connecticut wrapper. Give the foot a toast and you’ll soon discover notes of earth, pepper, and a touch of sweetness. Medium in strength, pair this smoke with a Dogfish Head Indian Brown Ale.

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.