Pinar del Rio Small Batch Black Corojo Toro

Pinar del Rio is made in one of the best small factories in the Dominican Republic. PDR cigars are known for boutique charm and, more important, flavor. The PDR Small Batch Black Corojo Toro features a complex blend of Dominican Corojo ligeros and secos that are complemented by a healthy dose of Dominican Criollo 98 that is all held together by a Dominican binder with a silky Dominican Habano wrapper, all of which are extra-fermented. This medium to full bodied smoke will have a bit of a punch to it and will have notes of earth, black pepper, dried fruit, and cedar which remains smooth till the end. Enjoy it with a porter.

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.