Purofino Gold Label

The Purofino Gold and Blue Label cigars are manufactured entirely by hand in the mountainous heart of Spanish Honduras' lush Jamastram Valley, and represent a tradition of more than two decades of experience in the art of creating the finest, premium quality cigars possible. While being made in the hands of Honduran Master Cigar Makers, both blends are brought together from a complex spectrum of individually selected tobaccos from select growing regions in Nicaragua, Costa Rica, Mexico, and Ecuador, where their Sumatran-seed wrappers are produced. Much of the tobacco used in both lines is grown on Purofino’s plantations located in the Jalapa Valley in Nicaragua. Tobacco obtained from Costa Rica, Mexico and Ecuador are also cured and processed at the Jalapa Valley plantation. Purofino’s Gold Label line is a rich, complex five-tobacco blend of Nicaraguan Habano (Cuban Havana seed) long filler, combined with select leaves of the finest sweet Morron tobaccos, from San Andreas, Mexico, which is then wrapped in a premium, Sumatran Capa Rosada, grown in the tropical valleys of southern Ecuador. The Blue line is rolled with a sweetly mysterious blend of six assorted leaves from Nicaragua, Costa Rica, Mexico and comes in a premium, naturally cured, demi-maduro Sumatran Capa Oscura wrapper, grown in southern Ecuador. Purofino Cigars International's founder and president, Roger Ralphs, became enamored with cigars in the late sixties, when, while traveling in South America. While there, he met and was invited to work with ethno-botanists from Harvard University, researching, photographing and illustrating the various plant phylum used by the indigenous tribes in the Amazon Basin. During the course of this activity, he encountered a tribe of Cofan Indians, living at the headwaters of an Amazonian tributary, on the border of Colombia and Ecuador. The Cofan's have a very highly developed horticultural tradition, including the growing and curing of sacramental tobacco. It was here that the seventy-two year old casique, Don Elias, first introduced Roger to the sacramental use of tobacco in the form of rustic, hand made cigars. His travels later carried him to the Far East where he met with tobacco farmers in Turkey, Pakistan, and India, as well as the makers of primitive cigars in Burma and Malaysia. It was three years ago that Roger decided to become involved in the production of his own cigar lines and since that time, he has come to be recognized by many industry professionals as being a first rate blender and maker of uniquely delicious gourmet cigars. We know that you will enjoy this rich line of finely crafted cigars. For more information about Purofino cigars, call 505-989-4250.

Look for a relatively firm roll that is neither too hard or too soft. This is a very aesthetically pleasing cigar, nicely shaped, smooth and constructed of well-chosen wrapper leaf. Note a medium-bodied smoke, rich, with warm roasted nutty tones evident. Overall, a very pleasant smoke offering many varied flavors that worked well together. We really like it very much. Consider pairing it with either a dry Martini, a good Cognac or fine Armagnac.