Partagas Black Label Bravo

The Partagas line was first developed in 1845 in Cuba, a history that suggests any Partagas cigar is going to be a great smoke. Long before Fidel Castro came into power in Cuba, Partagas cigars were hand-crafted in Havana under the supervision of Ramon Cifuentes and his father. Ramon Cifuentes was one of the last of the legendary cigar-makers to leave Cuba. He did so in the early 1960s when he discovered Santiago, Dominican Republic and deemed it the ideal place to manufacture the line. Over the next several decades, Partagas streamlined its production, with General Cigar taking over production of the line in 1978 and bringing the non-Cuban tobacco to the American market.

Partagas Black Label Bravo was introduced in 2001 by General Cigar company and has since been making waves throughout the cigar industry, including making Robb Report’s “Best of the Best” List in 2002 as well as scoring an impressive 90-point rating with Cigar Aficionado. The construction is nearly flawless and it’s solid while not being overstuffed with its powerful blend of Nicaraguan and Cuban-seed ligero fillers that is secured by a Dominican La Vega Especial binder and finished with an impressive super dark and oily sun-grown Connecticut Medio Tiempo wrapper. This slow burning powerhouse starts with smooth and buttery flavors that quickly give way to more robust flavors of spice, pepper, cocoa, and coffee that will continue to build in strength. Due to its full body, we recommend pairing it with a Cuba Libre.

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.