Partagas Cifuentes Maduro Toro

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 Ramón Cifuentes and his father. Ramón 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 and to continue the tradition of fine craftsmanship. The Partagas Cifuentes Maduro keeps with Ramón Cifuentes’ time honored tradition of quality and craftsmanship that we know and love today. With a ring gauge of 54, this medium to full-bodied handmade starts with a dark and toothy Connecticut Havana Media Tiempo wrapper leaf that glistens with oils while securing a feisty blend of Dominican long-fillers and a Dominican binder. Once you light this baby up, you can expect a bold flavor profile of spices, espresso, sweet cream, and wood. One of our panelists described it as “Meaty till the very end” and recommended pairing it with an americano.

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.