Felix Assouline EGO Red Habano '98 BXP Passion

In 1997 Felix Assouline’s love and passion for cigars led him to open a retail store in Dania Beach, FL, and in the span of six years he opened an additional three stores in South Florida while also running a successful wholesale cigar business. His passion led him to try as many premium cigars as he could get his hands on and eventually he developed an intricate knowledge of the process of making a cigar, including how different leaves from different regions affect the taste and texture of them. Fast forward to 2004 and Felix opened up his very own factory in Danli, Honduras and began constructing his own cigars and he created two lines, one of which is the EGO that is in your shipment today. In 2007 he took a break from the cigar making business and sold everything he had to focus on his family. Six years later he was back in business with a new factory in Nicaragua with just one goal in mind, to create the best premium cigars in the business. The EGO Red Habano ’98 is truly a special cigar. Starting from the inside out, this baby is filled with carefully aged Honduran and Nicaraguan tobaccos, an Indonesian binder, and is topped with a gorgeous red Habano Criollo ’98 wrapper. This smoke is then finished by ‘pressing’ the tobaccos together and aging them carefully before they are boxed up. Medium to full in body, expect rich notes of cedar, spices, coffee, earth, and a hint of pepper on the finish. Our panel couldn’t stop talking about this smoke and recommended trying a spiced rum as an accompaniment.

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.