SWAG Fierce

A new breed of Dominican cigars, SWAG is a force to be reckoned with. This cigar has received numerous 90-point ratings since its release in 2010; it also received the honor of being Cigar Aficionado’s Cigar of the Week in June 2011! Created by Oliveros, the SWAG brand uses only one-hundred percent Dominican ligero tobaccos that are grown on the same farm. The Fierce is a torpedo constructed with a Dominican Habano wrapper, Dominican binder and packed with Dominican long-fillers that give this medium to full-bodied smoke layers of flavor and richness. Starting more on the mild side and gaining strength as the smoke progresses, notes of earth, cedar, coffee, and a slightly sweet, peppery finish characterize this smooth well-made cigar. We enjoyed this cigar on a sunny afternoon with a double IPA.

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.