Don Felix Toro

Hailing from the Dominican Republic, this everyday smoke comes from the El Artista Factory, the same factory that produces smokes from Big Papi, Puro Ambar, and Pulita to name a few. Even though there are a lot of Dons out there these days, such as Pepin, Rafael, Smith, and Diego, to name just a few, there isn’t a lot out there about who Don Felix is, or was, but we can assure you we do like his namesake toro. This mild smoke has a smooth Sumatra wrapper, and a Dominican binder and Dominican fillers, with notes of earth, coffee, and hay, with a zesty cinnamon finish. Try this any-time-of-day smoke with your favorite lager.

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.