Saint Luis Rey Toro

A worldwide favorite, this venerable brand has been around, in many guises, for decades. First manufactured in Cuba, then the Dominican Republic, Saint Luis Rey is now hand-rolled in Danlí, Honduras. Using a hefty blend of Nicaraguan, Peruvian and Honduran long-fillers, this "re-mastered" version of the cigar maintains the rich, full-bodied smoking experience of its predecessors. Over the blend of fillers is a Nicaraguan binder which is topped with a dark, oily, and rich Nicaraguan wrapper leaf. Clip the cap and you’ll find notes of wood in addition to dried fruits, vanilla, and touches of charcoal. This Saint Luis Rey draws beautifully and burns evenly with a strong, dark ash and a great aromatic plume. This is a stogie that can be smoked to the nub without burning the tongue or losing its flavor. Pair this Cigar Aficionado 91-rated smoke with a Nut Brown Ale.

Honduras has been a tobacco growing and cigar manufacturing area for hundreds of years, but it was the Communist revolution in Cuba that really put Honduras on the map. In the 1960s, many Cuban cigar makers fled their homeland and arrived in Honduras to re-establish their way of life. The immigrants took advantage of the climate, soil, and geography, which were well-suited to tobacco growing, and began producing high quality cigars. The center of the Honduran cigar industry is the city of Danli and the nearby Jamastran Valley. The majority of the world’s pure Corojo tobacco is grown here, now that Cuba has stopped production of this iconic, spicy, and rich variety in favor of Corojo hybrids. Other important areas of Honduran cigar production include the Talanga Valley, Copan, and Trojes.