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Family is an important word in the business of cigars, an industry in which the secrets of tobacco are often passed down from father to son. Alan Rubin has made family a priority since he founded his cigar company in 1997: he named it Alec Bradley Cigars after his two sons. This year, he decided to honor not only his father, but the fathers of his two key associates in the business, by releasing Alec Bradley Family Blend, a one-size fat cigar capped with a tight pigtail. The smoke is marvelous, subtle, elegant and balanced, with a medium body.
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MADE BY: Fabrica de Tabacos Raices Cubanas S. de R.L.
FACTORY LOCATION: Honduras
WRAPPER: Honduras
BINDER: Indonesia
FILLER: Honduras, Nicaragua
PRICE: $6.50
RING GAUGE: 50
LENGTH: 5 1/2"
RATING: 92
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German cigar merchant Christopher Wolters resurrected this classy, highly artisanal shape from the Partagas factory in 1996, when he asked the fabrica to make him 100 special humidors of 50 cigars, and they took a place among the most sought-after collectible boxes ever made. Twelve years later the big figurado became commercially produced as an exclusive for La Casa del Habano cigar stores. The smoke delivers wonderfully spicy and opulent aromas and flavors, and is ultra-cool with its large girth and substantial length. This is a cigar to take your time with, preferably in a Havana bar with a glass of rum, buoyant salsa and the right company.
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MADE BY: Habanos S.A.
FACTORY LOCATION: Cuba
WRAPPER: Cuba
BINDER: Cuba
FILLER: Cuba
PRICE: £19.00
RING GAUGE: 57
LENGTH: 7 1/4"
RATING: 92
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When Pete Johnson created Tatuaje cigars with José "Pepin" Garcia in 2003, the high cost of Miami labor translated into a lofty price tag. Garcia's expansion into Nicaragua offered less expensive alternatives that allowed Johnson to create this bargain-priced brand, the least expensive on our Top 25 list. "I made this cigar partly due to the economy and partly because this is where I originally wanted the cigar to be priced," says Johnson. Despite the price, Ambos Mundos (which means "both worlds") is still handmade from long-filler tobacco. And it's tasty: a hearty cigar with roasted coffee bean, earth and leather notes, and a long, peppery finish.
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MADE BY: My Father Cigars Inc.
FACTORY LOCATION: Nicaragua
WRAPPER: Ecuador
BINDER: Nicaragua
FILLER: Nicaragua
PRICE: $5.00
RING GAUGE: 50
LENGTH: 5"
RATING: 92
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Illusione is a small-production brand created by Dion Giolito, an eclectic cigar retailer from Reno, Nevada. Epernay is a lighter cigar than Giolito's original Illusione brand and is made in Honduras from all Nicaraguan tobacco. Epernay takes its name from the town in France built upon chalk rock in the heart of the Champagne region. The smoke is beautifully rolled with an oily wrapper and round head. The first puffs have an incense and leather character, then take on spice and, fittingly, notes of Sauternes dessert wine on the finish.
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MADE BY: Fabrica de Tabacos Raices Cubanas S. de R.L.
FACTORY LOCATION: Honduras
WRAPPER: Nicaragua
BINDER: Nicaragua
FILLER: Nicaragua
PRICE: $8.50
RING GAUGE: 48
LENGTH: 5 1/4"
RATING: 92
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Mi Dominicana is one of a growing number of Dominican puros on the American market. The cigar is the brainchild of José Seijas, the man who runs the massive Tabacalera de Garcia Ltd. factory in La Romana, Dominican Republic. The factory is owned by the giant of the cigar business, Altadis U.S.A. Inc., and makes tens of millions of cigars, including such large brands as Romeo y Julieta, H. Upmann and Montecristo. Mi Dominicana is a quiet, relatively small production brand not known to the general smoking populace. The cigars are dark and oily in appearance, with heavy nutty flavors paired with coffee bean, pepper and a long finish.
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MADE BY: Tabacalera de Garcia Ltd.
FACTORY LOCATION: Dom. Rep.
WRAPPER: Dom. Rep.
BINDER: Dom. Rep.
FILLER: Dom. Rep.
PRICE: $8.00
RING GAUGE: 40
LENGTH: 7 1/2"
RATING: 92
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