La Aroma de Cuba Reserva Maximo

Ashton Distributors have owned several cigar brands for more than 25 years. Though there are several other micro-brands out there in the cigar market, there are very few that have been built as well as Ashton’s La Aroma de Cuba Mi Amor, which was Cigar Aficionado’s #2 cigar of 2011. The La Aroma de Cuba Reserva is the follow up to the wildly successful Mi Amor, and it doesn’t feature a drastic overhaul but instead tweaks the existing blend. Handmade at Don Pepin Garcia’s renowned My Father Cigars factory in Estelí, Nicaragua, the Reserva starts with a deep hued, extensively fermented San Andrés Oscuro wrapper leaf harvested from the top priming securing a Nicaraguan binder and a blend of perfectly aged and potent Nicaraguan long-fillers. Full in body, expect rich and incredibly smooth notes of hickory, espresso bean, dark chocolate, leather and black pepper with hints of spice. With a slow and cool burn, this medium to full bodied smoke earned a very well deserved 90 rating from Cigar Aficionado. Accompany this stogie with your favorite cognac, such as Courvoisier Napoleon.

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.