Graycliff Turbo

Founded by Graycliff Resort owner, Enrico Garzaroli, the Graycliff Cigar Company has achieved fame worldwide for high-end, handcrafted cigars produced in the lush tropical setting of the prestigious Bahamian resort by the same name. The site of the Graycliff Resort was originally a church built in 1666, one of Nassau's first structures. Known as the "Pride of the Bahamas," this historic site later served as a fort before becoming home to the 5-star resort. Winston Churchill, Aristotle Onassis, Paul Newman, King Constantine and the Beatles are among the many who have visited over the years. An enthusiastic cigar aficionado, Garzaroli dreamed of producing truly top-shelf cigars to complement the fine wine and cuisine in his first class restaurants so he partnered with Cuban cigar legend Avelino Lara to create Graycliff Cigar Company. Graycliffs—initially offered as an amenity for guests at the hotel—are handmade in a small area behind the renowned Nassau resort. With an unyielding devotion to superior quality and consistency, Lara oversees the production of each cigar. Operating with just a dozen rollers, only a few hundred are rolled each day. They're known for exceptional body and flavor without being overly harsh. Because of the focus on quality, Graycliff has thrived in spite of entering the premium cigar business in 1998 at the end of the cigar boom. Exciting new blends under the Graycliff label are few and far between. Every so often—after years of careful planning—they unveil a new gem made with some of the industry’s most elusive tobaccos. We’re pleased to include their latest gem in this month’s club selections. The Turbo is dressed in a leathery Habano wrapper leaf from the San Andres Valley that cloaks a bold combination of Cuban-seed, long-leaf ligeros grown in Nicaragua. Each leaf has been extensively aged and, prior to rolling, expertly fermented to achieve optimum flavor and body. Expect the smoke to be hearty up front, producing a toasty, somewhat zesty bouquet with notes of earth and sweet cedar that grow more intense throughout the burn. Look for the strength to elevate midway through from medium to full as it develops more spice until it finishes with a full-flavored finale at the nub. The power is nicely done – balanced and refined, a “gentleman’s full-bodied cigar.” The Turbo, a slow burner, is perfect after a king-size meal. Pair it, fittingly, with one of the Caribbean’s finest rums like Mount Gay, Barbacourt or Bacardi.

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.