Gran Habano Vintage 2006 Habano 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 in 1998, 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. A great example of those strict quality controls is the Gran Habano Vintage 2006 which you have in your shipment today. This smoke is handmade at their Honduran factory and features a stunning, glistening, and oily Habano wrapper harvested in 2006. Inside is a trio of fillers from Nicaragua, Mexico, and Costa Rica that is secured by a Nicaraguan Habano binder. Together, this mild to medium blend is smooth, full-flavored, and will have you coming back for more. Try pairing it with a WhistlePig 10 Year Old Rye Whiskey.

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.