Aladino 85 Aniversario Reserva Robusto (5×50)

There is a seed that almost disappeared from the tobacco world entirely. Pinareño, named for the Pinar del Río region of Cuba where it originated, produces smaller yields than Corojo, gets sick easier, and demands more attention than most growers are willing to give it. Tino Agurdin brought it to Honduras in 1960, and for decades it quietly survived on the margins while the industry moved on to hardier varieties. Julio Eiroa did not move on. He spent years cultivating Pinareño crops on the JRE farm in the Jamastrán Valley, developing the expertise to keep this fragile seed alive and productive, and then built the 85 Aniversario Reserva around it as both a birthday tribute and a statement about what this leaf can do in the right hands.

In this 5×50 Robusto, the result is about 45 minutes of one of the most refined, nuanced mild-to-medium smokes in the entire Aladino catalog. Cedar, cinnamon, chestnuts, a quiet stone fruit sweetness, and a delicate floral character on the retrohale that you simply will not find in any other Honduran cigar. Halfwheel reviewers pulled apple peel, cinnamon, and anise right off the cold draw. Seventeen fifty a stick. Four boxes a month. This one is worth setting an alert for.