White pepper is the spice that belongs to mild tobacco. It comes from a well-fermented Connecticut wrapper rather than a fistful of ligero, and it arrives gently: a brightness at the edge of the cream that keeps a smooth cigar from going flat. This month is devoted to the cigars that get it right, and to a few small shops that get it right by hand.
The Darling Standard: Ecuadorian Connecticut · Gentle white pepper · Cream, cedar, and nut underneath · Mild to medium · Never a spice bomb, never an ashtray
Adventura The Royal Return
Ecuadorian Connecticut wrapper, Dominican binder, Dominican and Nicaraguan filler · Tabacalera William Ventura · Dominican Republic
Gentle white pepper, cream, cedar, toasted almond, honey, a floral lift.
Midday
Perdomo Reserve Champagne
Bourbon barrel-aged Ecuadorian Connecticut wrapper, Nicaraguan binder, Nicaraguan filler · Tabacalera Perdomo · Nicaragua
Cream, cedar, white pepper, oak, vanilla, roasted nut.
Evening
Montecristo White Series
Ecuadorian Connecticut wrapper, Nicaraguan binder, Dominican and Nicaraguan filler · Tabacalera de García (Altadis) · Dominican Republic
Cream, almond, vanilla, baked bread, white pepper, honey. The reference point for the style.
Midday
Macanudo Inspirado White
Ecuadorian Connecticut wrapper, Honduran binder, Dominican and Nicaraguan filler · General Cigar · Dominican Republic
Cream, cedar, white pepper, cashew, light sweetness.
Morning
Gilberto Oliva Reserva Blanc
Ecuadorian Connecticut wrapper, Nicaraguan binder, Nicaraguan filler · Tabacalera Oliva · Nicaragua
Cream, cedar, white pepper, hay, nuts, a touch of citrus.
Midday / Evening
AVO Classic
Ecuadorian Connecticut wrapper, Dominican binder, Dominican filler · Davidoff · Dominican Republic
Cream, cedar, roasted nut, white pepper, honey, soft leather.
Morning
Tabanero Cigars, Connecticut
Connecticut wrapper, hand-rolled in small batches · Tabanero Cigars · East 7th Avenue, Ybor City, Tampa
Cream, cedar, gentle white pepper, toasted nut. Rolled in the old cigar capital, a few steps from where it started.
Midday
Bello, Mild
Cuban-seed Connecticut wrapper, aged in Spanish cedar · Cuba Tobacco Cigar Co. · Calle Ocho, Little Havana, Miami
Cream, white pepper, cedar, honey, a soft finish. The Bello family has been rolling since before the revolution.
Morning / Midday
Clandestinos, Custom Roll
Connecticut wrapper, Dominican and Nicaraguan filler, custom rolled · Clandestinos Cigars Boutique Factory · Calle Ocho, Little Havana, Miami
Cream, cedar, gentle white pepper, bread, light sweetness. Ask for the mild Connecticut; the rollers will make it while you wait.
Midday / Evening