Peterson Gran Reserva

You might be familiar with the Peterson name—they're well respected for their high quality smoking pipes. In 1995 they expanded into the cigar market, but the cigar boom went bust, and production ceased. But in 2001, Tom Palmer of Peterson asked Robert Levin of Aston Distributors to create a new Peterson cigar, which debuted in 2004. Their return effort is a 91-rated darling that's been ranked among the world's top 25 cigars by Cigar Aficionado magazine. Aston's skilled Manny Ferrero oversaw the careful blending of this new, spicy, medium-to-full-bodied cigar, wrapped in a rustic Cameroon wrapper. Nicaraguan binders and fillers are blended with Honduran long leaves to generate a cigar with a slightly sweet start, complemented by cedar and toasty, woody, peanutty notes. Peterson cigars are today crafted in the same factory as Saint Luis Rey, Gispert and La Aroma de Cuba, among others, in Santa Rosa de Copan, Honduras. Great with a nutty brown ale.