Churchill
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Ashton Heritage Puro Sol
$225.21 – $265.16There’s a few reasons why 90 rated Ashtons have remained in the top ten for decades. They are made by the folks at Arturo Fuente. They are insanely consistent and remain one of the benchmarks for mild to mellow taste. If you’ve smoked them you know. If you haven’t, I envy you!
Those of us that have enjoyed Ashton’s Classic series over the years have become accustomed to their signature taste. When the Puro Sol edition was launched it was Ashton’s first venture into the medium bodied category. Bang! Not only did it get a 94 rating, it placed #7 of the top 25 best cigars of the year. So if you’ve enjoyed Ashton Classics, you must step up and try the Ashton Heritage Puro Sol flavorful beauty.
Country: Dominican Republic
Strength: Medium-Full
Wrapper: Ecuadorian Habano wrapper
Binder: Dominican
Filler: DominicanACCOLADES
Top 10 Cigars of the Year – Cigar Aficionado, 2012
Top 10 Cigars of the Year – Cigar Aficionado, 2008
Top 10 Cigars of the Year – Cigar Aficionado, 2005
Top 25 Cigars of the Year – Cigar Aficionado, 2021
Top 25 Cigars of the Year – Cigar Aficionado, 2004
94 Rated – Cigar Aficionado, May 2021 -
Romeo y Julieta Reserva Real
$88.21 – $237.33Romeo y Julieta Reserva Real is another highly rated offering of this iconic brand.
When the original 1875 White line was launched it rapidly became one of the country’s top sellers. Shortly after, the Reserva Real series hit the ground running. While this blend upped the flavor to the medium bodied level it remained smooth and balanced with just a hint of spice to liven up your palate.
As luck would have it, Cigar Aficionado recently rated the Lonsdale size a respectable 91. Their description says it best. Initial notes of dried citrus and vanilla combine on the palate for an orange creamsicle effect. There’s a slightly cedary element as well, making for a bright, sweet cigar that draws and burns evenly.” Not convinced yet? The Porto Real came in at 92!
Origin – Dominican Republic
Filler – Dominican-Nicaraguan
Binder – Dominican
Wrapper Type – Ecuadorian grown ConnecticutSee all the Romeo y Julieta cigars available at The Cigar Thief HERE
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Oliva Serie O Maduro
$109.20 – $190.10Oliva has been turning out amazing cigars for many years. Most of their selections offer smokers a wide array of top rated cigars ranging in taste from mild to medium.
Enter the Series O Maduro and things change dramatically! The great aspect of this 90 rated stick is that it delivers a solid full flavor with an uncanny smoothness
Origin – Nicaragua
Filler – Nicaraguan
Binder – Coming Soon!
Wrapper Type – Connecticut Broadleaf Maduro -
La Estrella Cubana Habano
$61.02 – $71.82Take the band off this Habano wrapped cigar, give it to your buddy, let him light it up and get it going and then tell him it’s about a $3 smoke! General Cigar produced Las Estrella to give us a value priced BOXED cigar worthy of any occasion.
It’s medium bodied in taste with an even burn.Origin – Nicaragua
Filler – Coming Soon!
Binder – Coming Soon!
Wrapper Type – Habano -
Macanudo Inspirado White
$51.49 – $142.50Macanudo Inspirado White is another of the company’s hugely successful boutique entries.
With attention to detail, Inspirado White features a six year old proprietary Ecuadorian Connecticut Shade leaf. This unique wrapper encases a vintage Indonesian binder. The fillers are four year old Mexican San Andrés and Nicaraguan Condega leaves and two year old Jalapa Valley tobacco. To say this is a very complex blend is an understatement!
The company describes this great cigar best. “We spent several years developing this blend, using tobaccos we refined and aged to perfection. Think of the most creamy, alluring cigar you’ve ever had, amplify the complexity and you have Inspirado White.” What more do you need to know?
Like all Macanudos, this Inspirado is perfectly constructed with a consistently good draw. You can be rest assured that Macanudo is still one of the world’s reigning brands for all the right reasons.
Wrapper: Ecuadorian Connecticut Shade (6-year-aged)
Binder: Indonesian
Filler: Condega, Nicaragua (4-year-aged) | Jalapa, Nicaragua (2-year-aged) | Mexican San Andrés (4-year-aged)
Factory: General Cigar Dominicana (Dominican Republic)Looking for more Macanudo products available on The Cigar Thief? Click HERE
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Cusano M1 Connecticut
$52.20 – $66.60The Cusano family sold their company to the folks at Davidoff some years ago. This value priced cigar is probably one of the best sticks available for under $3! This is a mild to medium bodied smoke that’s worth far more than its price!
Origin – Dominican Republic
Filler – Dominican
Binder – Connecticut
Wrapper Type – Ecuador Connecticut
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Baccarat Game
$17.00 – $216.00First off this brand is produced by Davidoff. This value priced cigar is one of America’s top sellers. Why? It’s mild, consistent and affordable. Baccarat is an everyday smoke for countless smokers throughout the country. I recommend a five pack of very cool burning Lanceros and you’ll see what I mean. The bonus is that if you age them for at least six months they get better!
Origin – Honduras
Filler – Honduran
Binder – Mexican
Wrapper Type – Connecticut Broadleaf
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Dunbarton Umbagog Bundle
$82.88 – $93.08If you’ve read my “Bundles of Joy” article posted in the ASK RICHIE section of this website, you know how most cigar makers increased the amount of bundled value brands they offer to budget conscious smokers. Umbagog, named for Dunbarton’s owner’s favorite New Hampshire lake, doesn’t quite fall into this category. While the cigars are wrapped in paper and priced considerably lower than their other entries, they’re definitely not bargain smokes. What they are is another great medium to full bodied edition that is well made like the others offering a more straightforward taste. Natural tobacco, black licorice and some peppery spices appears early on and remain throughout.
Origin – Nicaragua
Filler – Nicaragua
Binder – Nicaragua
Wrapper Type – USA Connecticut Broadleaf
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Camacho Connecticut
$31.68 – $180.00The Camacho website introduces the Connecticut by stating, “This is one Camacho smoke that doesn’t kick in the door. It knocks. And enters with a mild, smooth taste.” With that being said, as the high ratings came in, the industry knew this cigar was a winner. Without a doubt, this well made cigar is not your father’s Connecticut. When the highly critical folks at Cigar Dojo rated it a 90, they described it best, “The Connecticut begins with notes of spice that grows the further you go along. It’s the same bold flavor I have come to expect from Camacho, sans the heaviness you get from stronger blends. The blend of Dominican and Honduran tobaccos brought out the spice but with hints of sweetness not found in other Camachos.”
Wrapper: Ecuadorian Grown Connecticut
Binder: Corojo (Camacho’s original Cuban seed)
Filler: Generoso, Aleman Ligero
Factory: Agroindustrias Laepe S.A. (Honduras) -
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Alec Bradley Project 40
$119.88 – $205.20Alec Bradley Project 40 is the first of the company’s new Experimental Series blended by Alan Rubin himself.
With attention to detail, Project 40 is being produced at Jesus Fuego’s factory in Estelí, Nicaragua. With this in mind, it includes a complex blend made up of a Nicaraguan wrapper covering a Brazilian habano binder and filler tobaccos from Nicaragua. What’s more amazing is that this amazing medium bodied cigar sells for around $5.
It’s safe to say that this 2019 “Experiment” is a huge success. To put it another way, Cigar Aficionado @ 92, Halfwheel @ 91, Blind Man’s Puff @ 92 and Cigar Authority @ 91. And that’s just for starters! Need we say more about this fantastic cigar that you can thoroughly enjoy any time of the day!
Country of Origin: Nicaragua
Wrapper: Nicaraguan Colorado
Binder: Habano Brazilian
Filler: Nicaraguan
Factory: J. Fuego Cigar Co. De Nicaragua SA.
Blender: Alan RubinSee all the Alec Bradley cigars available at The Cigar Thief HERE
