The San Cristobal line is mostly known for its powerful and full-flavored cigars.  However, the Elegancia offers up a much smoother and mellower experience.  The cigar is created for Ashton by the legendary Garcia family in the heart of Esteli, Nicaragua.  It uses aged Nicaraguan filler and binder tobaccos for a medium-bodied and slightly spicy center, while its Ecuadorian Connecticut wrapper offers up some sweetness and helps mellow the blend out just a bit.

This cigar is an anomaly for the Garcia family, as they are known for their much stronger blends. However, this cigar shows the versatility and talent of Pepin and his team, as well as the different ways you can utilize Nicaraguan tobacco.

The War Hawk was not only one of the best Connecticut releases of 2019, but also one of the best cigars of the year.  We even included in our first-ever top 25 list. Henry Clay line is known for using a Broadleaf wrapper, and the brand flipped the recipe on this one.  Instead, it uses an Ecuadorian wrapper, followed by a Broadleaf binder, and then aged Honduran filler tobaccos.

The result is a rich, bold, yet smooth smoking experience.  Notes of leather and earth mix with the dark chocolate and espresso notes from the binder.  The wrapper offers a slight touch of cream and sweetness for a well-rounded and balanced cigar.

The Intemperance is one of the best-selling lines from RoMA Craft. This is due to it having the same quality and flavor as the Neanderthal or CroMagnon, but with a friendlier price point.  The Intemperance EC is rolled using aged Dominican and Nicaraguan filler tobaccos, followed by an Indonesian binder and golden brown Ecuadorian Connecticut wrapper.

This blend of tobaccos creates a smooth and creamy smoke.  Its Dominican and Nicaraguan filler gives it a nutty and flavorful core, with a dash of coffee from the Indonesian binder and a hint of cedar and vanilla from its wrapper.

While many new Connecticut releases really harp on the saying, “this isn’t your grandfathers Connecticut”, Steve Saka went the opposite way.  He flat out said, “this is exactly what you think it is”.  However, while this cigar joins the ranks of countless smooth, mellow Connecticut cigars, it is among the best of them.

The Brulee is rolled using Nicaraguan tobaccos from three different growing regions, giving it a tremendous amount of complexity.  It’s Mexican San Andres binder adds in touches of dark coffee and slight chocolate notes.  Its golden wrapper is a Connecticut seed that offers a little sweetness and a smooth and creamy finish.

Many of the more recent releases from Davidoff have been focused on increased strength and using tobaccos from various countries.  However, the original Davidoff cigars were among the best mellow Dominican smokes ever created.  They were one of the first to be able to create a full-flavored smoke without making it full strength.

The Gran Cru uses aged Dominican tobaccos, including some ligero leaves for some solid flavor and excellent mellow-medium strength.  The flavor from its Ecuadorian Connecticut wrapper is outstanding, with notes of creamy coffee and leather, creating an almost perfect, luxury cigar.