Graycliff Platinum Ltd Ed. Pirate

The Graycliff Platinum’s red band is a hint: you may just become passionate about this stogie! The Edicion Limitada series from Graycliff is a rare, one-time production using tiny allotments of vintage, hand-selected tobaccos carefully blended to produce a handmade cigar of superior craftsmanship. The Platinum blend, which is one of two Edicion Limitada blends available in exceedingly limited quantities (the other is called Crystal), delivers a depth of flavor not found in standard Graycliff offerings. The medium-to-full bodied Graycliff Platinum sports a leathery Brazilian wrapper that glistens with natural oils. Beneath that thick and tasty leaf is a spicy Dominican binder, securing an all-Nicaraguan blend of Cuban-seed tobaccos ferreted out from the country’s top growing regions. Expect heavy notes of red pepper from the get-go followed by toasty wood and earth flavors. Look for a long, satisfying finish with notes of sweet cedar after each puff. You’ll appreciate the effortless draw and nice, even burn. After a great meal, puff on this one for a good hour and a half with a full tawny port or a VSOP cognac.

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.