Duran Signature Tainos

The Duran cigar line was created by Roberto Pelayo Duran – not to be confused with boxing legend Roberto “no mas” Duran or any member of the band Duran Duran – an expatriate whose cigar industry lineage can be traced back to 1928. Wanting to start his own brand, Roberto recruited some of the best and most respected Cuban master blenders and farmers to bring Cuban style cigars to the United States market. Handmade in Nicaragua, the Duran Signature Tainos has a mélange of long filler tobaccos from Nicaragua and other undisclosed Latin American countries. A Nicaraguan binder holds it all together before being finished with a gorgeous oily brown Ecuadoran Habano Criollo wrapper. Complex from start to finish, this medium-bodied stogie lends flavors of pepper, sweetness, citrus, wood, vanilla, and nuts. A great cigar for any time of day, our panel recommend pairing it with a spiced rum.

The Nicaraguan cigar industry originated when Cuban cigar makers escaped the revolution and re-established their livelihood in Nicaragua with Cuban-seed tobacco. Blessed with dark, rich soil, their new home was ideal for tobacco cultivation and Nicaragua quickly became known for cigars that rivaled Cuban quality. Unfortunately, revolution and war came to Nicaragua in the 1980s and devastated the industry, but it’s rebounded dramatically and is once again producing tobacco considered by many to be the finest in the world.

The Esteli Valley is in many ways the heart of Nicaraguan production and is known for its very powerful and spicy tobacco. The Jalapa Valley produces arguably the finest tobacco in the country: somewhat sweeter and less intense than Esteli, but extremely complex. The tobacco of the Condega Valley is often described as a blend of the other two regions.