| conomic news continues to be, well, less than totally | | | | design, what cigar fans have called a "Cuban |
| encouraging. But cigar aficionados don’t give | | | | Sandwich": trimmed Central American tobacco leaves |
| up easily. And in an ongoing onslaught of depressing | | | | wound around a long central leaf, for a slower burn, |
| headlines, those little pauses-that-refresh become all | | | | longer ash, and general endurance. It does indeed |
| the more important. Thankfully, help is at hand. | | | | offer a bit of the Spirit of a Cuban cigar--without the |
| It’s not always remembered that, in addition | | | | need to travel, circumvent US law, or risk legal |
| to the premium smokes for which they’re | | | | trouble. (The tobacco is grown in other Central |
| best known, some of the most prestigious cigar | | | | American companies that have benefited over the |
| companies make fine discount cigars. These discount | | | | decades from Cuban expertise, both through aid and |
| premium cigars still offer the kind of excellent | | | | training from the Cuban government and because |
| construction, firm handling, and, most of all, complex, | | | | many great Cuban cigar-making families have left the |
| distinctive taste that cigar aficionados look for. | | | | island to work in other Latin American nations.) |
| Coming from Altadis SA, the mild-tasting, | | | | Speaking of Cuba, Ashton Cigars--one of the handful |
| smooth-smoking Bering Hallmark brings Dominican | | | | of successful cigar companies to emerge newly in |
| long-fillers and Connecticut shade wrappers together | | | | the past twenty years--offers a cigar called La |
| with a binder all the way from Indonesia. Despite its | | | | Aroma de Cuba, but that's not the one to get |
| reasonable price, this cigar comes from Altadis's | | | | excited about (at least not if you're looking for |
| Tabacalera de Garcia factory--the Domincan | | | | excellent budget cigars). Ashton also offers the |
| Republic-based cigar factory that also makes Romeo | | | | Savoy and Savoy Maduro, Nicaraguan-made cigars of |
| Y Julieta, Montecristo and Trinidad, among other | | | | high quality, at prices so low it might be dangerous to |
| world-class cigars. Acclaimed by cigar aficionados on | | | | your budget. (Because you'll end up ordering so |
| its debut in July 2008, this cigar offers quality at an | | | | many.) Nicaragua is widely considered one of the |
| affordable price. | | | | three finest sources of premium tobacco (the others |
| Alec Bradley's Spirit of Cuba offers just the transition | | | | being, of course, Cuba--not available just yet, if you |
| you need--if you're a mild cigar smoker who's | | | | live in the United States--and the Dominican Republic). |
| interested in trying something a little heavier. This | | | | It’s hard to go wrong with a Nicaraguan filler, |
| mild-to-medium blend uses high-quality leaves (it is an | | | | especially when the cigar containing it comes from a |
| Alec Bradley cigar, after all) in a unique twinned | | | | company as reputable as Ashton. |