Perhaps the biggest Dominican puro success story has been the Fuente Fuente OpusX, developed by Carlos "Carlito" Fuente Jr. More recently, Daniél Nuñez of General Cigar introduced the Partagas Cifuentes Winter Blend, which sports an all Dominican-grown filler, binder and wrapper. The result is an extraordinary cigar. I ranked the Cifuentes Winter Blend "Enero" as one of the best new cigars of 2006.

In 2003, Tabacalera La Aurora introduced their Cien Años premium cigars series, an all Dominican leaf blend created by José Blanco. Although a bit on the pricey side, this exquisite luxury cigar is also one of the best cigars I've had the pleasure of putting to my lips.

In an article that appeared today on CigarCyclopedia.com, titled "Better Cigars Are On The Way," José Blanco talks about how he and his team developed their unique Dominican wrapper:

"Last year’s crop was supposed to be the 'crop of the crop,'" said Señor Blanco, “But this year’s crop is as good as last year’s . . . really!"

If you're interested in reading the entire article, you can do so by clicking here. I think you'll find it very enlightening. Check it out.

~ Gary Korb