Gran Habano Vintage 2004 Connecticut XO

Guillermo Rico has been a leaf broker, a grower, and such an accomplished catador (cigar taster) that he reportedly can differentiate five different leaves in a single blend. Born in Cubita, Colombia to a family of tobacco growers, he and his son George own the Gran Habano and GR Tabacaleras Unidas lines of cigars. They established their Danli, Honduras factory, La Perla Hondureña, in 1966, initially producing cigars for Alec Bradley and other top cigar labels. Given their knowledge and experience, they inevitably started their own brands, as well. They now also have farms in Colombia, Costa Rica, and Nicaragua. Not surprisingly, the Ricos take great pride in both their process and products. The Vintage line from Gran Habano has been a long-time fan favorite and it now comes in a Connecticut version, the Vintage 2004 Connecticut that you have in your shipment today. This beauty comes wrapped in a stunning light brown Connecticut Shade Grown wrapper cultivated in 2004 that hugs a Nicaraguan binder and a bevy of fillers. This mild cigar is well balanced but full flavored down to the nub. A perfect anytime cigar, our panel recommended pairing it with a session IPA.

Honduras has been a tobacco growing and cigar manufacturing area for hundreds of years, but it was the Communist revolution in Cuba that really put Honduras on the map. In the 1960s, many Cuban cigar makers fled their homeland and arrived in Honduras to re-establish their way of life. The immigrants took advantage of the climate, soil, and geography, which were well-suited to tobacco growing, and began producing high quality cigars. The center of the Honduran cigar industry is the city of Danli and the nearby Jamastran Valley. The majority of the world’s pure Corojo tobacco is grown here, now that Cuba has stopped production of this iconic, spicy, and rich variety in favor of Corojo hybrids. Other important areas of Honduran cigar production include the Talanga Valley, Copan, and Trojes.