Kristoff 685 Woodlawn Perfecto

The Kristoff brand was established by Glen Case in 2004 and is one of the fastest growing boutique manufacturers in the cigar industry. Named after his son, Christopher, with simple packaging and without the use of flashy names, Kristoff lets the cigars speak for themselves. We can hear them loud and clear! Known for their bold and refined flavors as well as immaculate construction, Kristoff has assembled some of the finest master blenders with generations of experience.

The 685 Woodlawn was named after Glen Case’s childhood home that he left he was 21. Quick side note: For obvious reasons he won’t release the name of the city the address is in but said that the family has been out of the house for more than thirty years. He intended this cigar to bring back childhood memories of backyard barbeques, firefly catching, and overall shenanigans. Handmade at the Charles Fairmorn factory in the Dominican Republic, the 685 Woodlawn has super special tobaccos and starts with tightly packed Nicaraguan, Dominican, and mysteriously undisclosed filler leaves that are firmly secured with a Nicaraguan binder and finished with a dark, toothy, and oily Brazilian wrapper. This small-batch production is medium to full in body and features peppery notes that will last throughout the smoke. Our panel recommended pairing it with your favorite rye whiskey.

Though tobacco is indigenous to Hispaniola, the tobacco industry in the Dominican Republic existed in the shadow of Cuba’s dominance through the 1960s. When the exodus of Cuban cigar makers began in the wake of the revolution, many decided the Dominican Republic would be ideal for the resumption of their livelihoods. Unrest in Nicaragua in the 1980s fueled the Dominican cigar industry further. The country now makes more than half of the premium cigars imported into the U.S.

The Cibao Valley and the nearby city of Santiago are the center of cigar production in the Dominican Republic. Three main varieties are grown here: the mild and native Olor Dominicano; the intense Piloto Cubano, brought from the Vuelta Abajo of Cuba; and San Vicente, a milder and more acidic Piloto hybrid. Dominican puros were once unheard of as it was widely thought impossible to grow quality wrapper leaf on the island, but new growing techniques are now allowing some exceptional puros to be produced.