Pinar del Rio Habano Sun Grown Torpedo

Pinar del Rio cigars are made in one of the best small factories in the Dominican Republic and are known for boutique charm and, more importantly, flavor. In fact, PDR cigars use a unique and complex rolling technique to bunch the filler tobacco called “Entunado”. By using this technique, it lets them build more complex flavors by adding more filler tobacco, but placing it in such a way that it will allow an easier draw with more flavor. The PDR Habano Sun Grown starts with an oily, slightly toothy, reddish-brown Dominican Habano Sun Grown wrapper which encases a rich Dominican Criollo ’98 binder and a bold blend of Dominican and Nicaraguan long-fillers. This combination leads to complex yet smooth flavors of earth, spices, cedar, coffee, and a hint of pepper on the finish. Enjoy this stogie with bourbon on a warm spring afternoon.

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.