Non-Cuban Cigars that Pay Homage to Cuba

Few dispute that cigars made with tobacco originating in Nicaragua, the Dominican Republic, Honduras, and a few other locations can now compete on equal footing with Cuban cigars in terms of quality and flavor. However, there is still a strong tie to Cuba in the cigar industry, since so many of the top manufacturers have roots in the “motherland.” Older cigar enthusiasts and those who travel outside the US and enjoy Cuban cigars have an affinity to them, and they have a certain mystique for many others who have never tried them. Given these circumstances, there are quite a few great non-Cuban stogies that use Cuban seeds planted in soils similar to those found in the Pinar del Rio, Cuba. While some Cuban seeds are actually harvested in Cuba, others are heirlooms seeds. This means that the original plants were grown in Cuba. The seeds being planted in other countries are descendants of those first plants, those they were harvested in those other countries. Here are 4 great cigars that taste like Cuban stogies. Don Pepin Garcia Cuban Classic cigars are Nicaraguan puros, but all the tobaccos used are Cuban seeded. The result is a robust smoke that delivers full-flavor that includes roasted nuts, leather, pepper, and other spices. The construction is very traditionally Cuban that uses accordion-type folding methods in the leaves. Cuba Libre Cigars also feature Cuban-seeded tobacco under the masterful blending and direction of Nestor Plasencia. The aged Nicaragua-grown tobaccos are wrapped in a lovely Corojo leaf to produce a complex blend. Sol Cubano cigars by Oliva offer a tasty variety of Cuban-seeded tobaccos. The Connecticut blend will have you thinking of a Cuban Montecristo with its smooth and creamy texture and smoke. There’s plenty of flavor in a medium body. Sumatra and Maduro wrappers add their own unique charm to the blend. The Maduro is oily and lightly sweet while the Sumatra is rich and complex, with some sweet notes and cedar and pepper for variety. Gurkha Cuban Legacy These are affordable cigars with a very Cubanesque construction. They make really nice stogies to add to your rotation or to have available for guests.