Nothing can be better than smoking a good cigar and sipping a glass of Laphroaig 18 Years after a great dinner with friends. While I am not necessarily a big fan of Dominican cigars and I prefer Habanos due to my Cuban heritage, the Leon Jimenes Imperiales Clásico Toro is handcrafted with love and care at one of the premier cigar factories in the world—and the Dominican Republic's oldest.
Guillermo Leon Herbert's family has been cultivating tobacco for six generations. His grandfather, Don Eduardo Leon Jimenes, was the founder of La Aurora Cigars, situated on the outskirts of Santiago. This beauty is chocked full of Cuban-seed Dominican and Nicaraguan long-fillers, bound with a Dominican long leaf and wrapped with an oily, toothy Connecticut Shade wrapper. You can expect a tobacco core with notes of cream, nuts, leather, small hints of coffee, and a soft bready finish.
The Cibao Valley and the nearby city of Santiago are the center of cigar production in the Dominican Republic. Three main varieties are grown here: the mild and native Olor Dominicano; the intense Piloto Cubano, brought from the Vuelta Abajo of Cuba; and San Vicente, a milder and more acidic Piloto hybrid.
As a side note, my father was born in Las Vueltas, Cuba —home to some of the best Cuban tobacco leaves— therefore, I have all the the right in the world to be picky about my cigars. Now, after smoking this smooth but rich cigar I can confidently say that Jimenes Imperial will not disappoint you.
