Today, we are reviewing the Fratello Puro 1821 from the Dominican Republic. We have been covering Fratello Cigars since the company was launched in 2013. Fratello primarily produces its cigars at Joya de Nicaragua in Nicaragua and La Aurora in the Dominican Republic. There are several common threads between these two locations. First, both Nicaragua and the Dominican Republic are leading cigar-producing countries. Second, Joya de Nicaragua and La Aurora are the two oldest continuously operating factories in their respective countries. Lastly, both countries gained their independence in 1821. To honor this shared history, owner Omar de Frias decided to create a unique release.
To celebrate these countries, Fratello has launched the Puro Collection. The first release is the Puro 1821 Dominican Republic, a cigar that contains 100% Dominican tobacco. Soon, Fratello will introduce the Puro 1821 Nicaragua, which will also feature 100% Dominican tobaccos. I believe this is the first national release from Fratello to use all Dominican tobaccos. The Puro 1821 Dominican Republic was first showcased at the 2025 Premium Cigar Association (PCA) Trade Show and was released earlier this year. The cigar is priced at $18.21, reflecting both its name and its premium status as one of Fratello’s most upscale offerings to date.
Without further ado, let’s break down the Puro 1821 Dominican Republic and see what this cigar brings to the table.
SPECIFICATIONS
Blend and Origin
In terms of the specific Dominican tobacco varietals that are used in the Puro 1821 Dominican Republic, Fratello has not disclosed those details. The company is making the cigar at its longtime Dominican production partner, La Aurora.
- Wrapper: Dominican
- Binder: Dominican
- Filler: Dominican
- Country of Origin: Dominican Republic
- Factory: La Aurora S.A.
Vitolas Available
The Puro 1821 Dominican Republic was launched in one size – a plump 6 x 58 parejo. This is a size the La Aurora factory is known for. The cigars come in 12-count boxes.
Appearance (*)
The Dominican wrapper of the Puro 1821 Dominican Republic had a medium-brown color with a slight caramel tint. There was a slight sheen of oil on the wrapper. Upon closer examination, there was a slight amount of mottling on the wrapper. The wrapper had some prominent visible veins. Any visible wrapper seams were minimal.
PERFORMANCE
Pre-Light Draw (*)
Before lighting up the Puro 1821 Dominican Republic, a straight cut was used to remove the cap. Once the cap was removed, it was time to commence with the pre-light draw. The cold draw delivered a mix of natural tobacco and a sweetness that resembled turbinado sugar. By no means was this a sweetened tip. But it was a very natural flavor. In fact, overall, this made for an excellent pre-light draw. At this point it was time to remove the footer ribbon, toast up the Puro 1821 Dominican Republic and move into the smoking phase.
Tasting Notes
The Puro 1821 Dominican Republic picked up where the pre-light draw left off. This included more notes of that natural-tasting turbinado sugar as well as natural tobacco notes. In addition, there were notes of hay, wood, and mixed pepper. Early on, the natural tobacco moved into the forefront. There was a definite sweetness to the natural tobacco. The turbinado, wood, hay, and pepper notes settled in the background. The combination of the natural tobacco in the forefront complemented by the turbinado notes in the background gave the cigar a near pastry-like quality, but still very much a natural tobacco profile. Meanwhile, the retro-hale delivered additional layers of pepper and wood.
During the second third of the Puro 1821 Dominican Republic, the natural tobacco notes slowly began to see some bitter qualities balance the sweetness. The bitterness was not bad and, in fact, complemented the flavor profile nicely. The cigar lost some sweetness, but not to its detriment. Meanwhile, some earth notes surfaced in the background. Both the earth and pepper notes slowly began to increase in intensity. The turbinado, wood, and hay notes remained.
By the final third, the earth notes joined the natural tobacco in the forefront. The pepper was now a more prominent secondary note. Meanwhile, the turbinado, wood, and hay notes continued to round out the flavor profile. This is the way the Puro 1821 Dominican Republic came to a close. The resulting nub was firm to the touch and cool in temperature.
Burn
The Puro 1821 Dominican Republic was a cigar that needed multiple touchups to maintain a straight burn path and burn line. The touchups worked, but a large number of touchups were needed. The resulting ash was silver-gray. This ash was skewed toward the firmer side. The burn rate temperature was ideal. I found this cigar to be a slow burner, so prepare for a near three-hour smoke.
Draw
Overall, the draw of the Puro 1821 Dominican Republic performed quite well. It had a touch of resistance to it – which is something that I really like. Sometimes with a Gordo (or near Gordo) this can be a detriment, but it was not a problem here.
Strength and Body
The Puro 1821 Dominican Republic delivered a medium-strength, medium-bodied smoking experience from start to finish. There was an increase in intensity in both the strength and body, but in the end, the cigar remained in the medium range for both attributes in their respective spectrums.
In terms of strength versus body, both attributes balanced each other very nicely with neither overpowering the other.
BANDING AND PACKAGING NOTES (*)
As mentioned, this is one of the most premium releases to date from Fratello Cigars. It was really nice to see the packaging reflect this. Omar and his team did a great job with the presentation here. Importantly, Puro 1821 Dominican Republic’s box comes packaged inside a soft outer box. Mine got damaged during shipping, but it didn’t affect the inside contents.
The inner box is a sleek red lacquer box with gold font. I really like the beveled edges. The bands are a gold foil version of the signature Fratello zig-zag Marquis band.
The certificate of origin is a nice touch. The boxes are also packed with Boveda humidification.
OVERALL ASSESSMENT
Final Thoughts
This cigar is an absolute home run for Omar de Frias and Fratello Cigars. In fact, this might rank as his best work. As many know, it’s not easy to get a really good Dominican puro because it’s hard to grow good Dominican wrapper leaf (ask Carlito Fuente); however, Omar and La Aurora deliver something special. It’s a flavorful and well-balanced blend with enough complexity to keep me interested. I also think this blend works great in the large ring format. The 58 ring gauge might not be for everyone, but I still would highly recommend this even if it’s not your thing. Without a doubt, this is a box purchase recommendation – even with the $18.21 price point. Coming in at 91 points, this cigar exceeds the threshold for Cigar Coop Standard of Excellence.
Summary
- Key Flavors: Natural Tobacco, Turbinado Sugar, Wood, Hay, Earth, Pepper
- Burn: Very Good
- Draw: Excellent
- Complexity: Medium Plus
- Strength: Medium
- Body: Medium
- Finish: Excellent
Rating
Value: Box Purchase
Score: 91
REFERENCES
(*) Indicates this is not factored into the score or value rating
Photo Credits: Cigar Coop
