Smokeasy's top 4 memorable smokes for the month of December
Pictured clockwise: Bolivar Heritage, Señorial 65th Anniversary, OpusX Forbidden X, Perdomo Lot 23. All images are courtesy of the respective cigar manufacturers.
Bolivar Heritage (Foundry Tobacco Company)
Bolivar cigars are named for Simon Bolivar, the legendary liberator who led wars of independence in South America. The brand began in Cuba in the 1900s, with its classic taste reimagined by Foundry Tobacco Company. Released in the Fall of 2015, this cigar is a bold tribute, containing viso and ligero tobaccos spanning six countries.
Country of origin: Dominican Republic
Wrapper: Havana Connecticut Maduro
Binder: Proprietary Ecuadoran Sumatra
Filler: Honduran single farm, Nicaraguan Esteli ligero, proprietary Nicaraguan ligero
Vitolas (3): 660 (6" x 60); 652 (6" x 52); 550 (5" x 50)
Full-bodied | Medium-Full strength
-------------------------------------------------------
Señorial 65th Anniversary (Las Cumbres Tabaco)
A commemorative cigar to celebrate Jose Blanco's 65th birthday. Coming off the success of the inaugural Señorial blend released in June 2014, Blanco released this Dominican puro in just one size, which boasts greater strength than the original, as the wrapper leaves were cultivated in the La Canela region of the Dominican Republic, which is supposedly known for stronger tobaccos.
Country of origin: Dominican Republic
Wrapper: Dominican Piloto Cubano (aged 7 years)
Binder: Dominican Corojo
Filler: Dominican Piloto Cubano, Dominican Corojo, Dominican Corojo Seco (each aged 5 years)
Vitolas (1): Perfecto Elégance (5¾" x 55)
Full-bodied | Full strength
-------------------------------------------------------
Arturo Fuente OpusX Forbidden X (Chateau de la Fuente)
This particular OpusX I smoked this month was part of the Cigar Rights of America (CRA) Sampler #7, released earlier this year. The OpusX is the first ever Dominican puro and one of the most exclusive, rarest, and most sought after cigar in the world, manufactured from tobacco grown within a very specific field at the Chateau de la Fuente.
Country of origin: Dominican Republic
Wrapper: Dominican
Binder: Dominican
Filler: Dominican
Vitolas (2): Heart of the Bull (5¼" x 50); Keeper of the Flame (6¼" x 49)
Medium to Full-bodied | Medium strength
-------------------------------------------------------
Perdomo Lot 23 Maduro (Tabacalera Perdomo)
This is one of my go-to sticks that I generally keep in my humidor quite regularly. Appararently, the story behind this particular Perdomo blend is that Nick Perdomo, Sr. and his son, Nick Jr. had cleared an untouched plot of land near the tabacalera. In 2000, after running a complete soil analysis and careful preparation of the grounds, this specific plot was deemed to be extraordinarily fertile. Thus, the cigar cultivated from this plot was named accordingly.
Country of origin: Nicaragua
Wrapper: Nicaragua
Binder: Nicaragua
Filler: Nicaragua
Vitolas (6): Churchill (7" x 50); Toro (6" x 50); Belicoso (5¾" x 54); Robusto (5" x 50); Punta Gorda (5" x 60); Gordito (4½" x 60)
Full-bodied | Medium strength
-------------------------------------------------------