EGM Ninfa

Among the cigar companies we covered at the 2026 PCA Convention & Trade Show, there are always a handful that need a formal introduction to our readers, as they are either new, or new to the U.S. market. One of those companies is EGM Cigars, a Swiss retailer that has turned into a cigar company. It’s led by Ettore Moraschinelli, and based in southern Switzerland, just north of the Italian border.

While the company has its roots as a cigar retailer, notably Cuban cigars, as my colleague Charlie Minato noted, the company has tried to remove the posts that show the connection.

Some might say that the design of the company’s packaging, however, doesn’t do much to distance EGM from Habanos S.A. Likewise, the company’s prices feel a bit more in line with the current Cuban portfolio, with robustos starting around $30, and a series of accessories priced above what is likely found in most U.S. cigar shops.

In February 2026, the company added a new line, named after a size rarely seen in the cigar world: Ninfa. It’s a 7 x 34 vitola, shorter and thinner than a lancero, and one of the thinnest sizes in which you will see a premium cigar offered. The blend features three-year-old Dominican tobacco, with Moraschinelli saying that it is seco dominant but also has some ligero in it. It is produced at ABAM Cigars S.R.L. in the Dominican Republic.

“Ninfas are a dream come true,” said Moraschinelli in a press release. “These elegant cigars speak to us about a bygone era. It’s a size that asks you to slow down and listen to the leaf.”

The cigar debuted on Feb. 9 at The Cabinet Club in Kuwait City, and would be exclusive to Kuwait for three months. When it arrived in the U.S., it had an MSRP of $19.99 per cigar. It is offered in both 10-count and 25-count boxes.

• Cigar Reviewed: EGM Ninfa
• Country of Origin: Dominican Republic
• Factory: ABAM Cigars S.R.L.
• Wrapper: Dominican Republic
• Binder: Dominican Republic
• Filler: Dominican Republic
• Length: 7 Inches
• Ring Gauge: 34
• Shape: Round
• MSRP: $19.99 (Box of 10, $199.90; Box of 25, $499.75)
• Release Date: Feb. 9, 2026
• Number of Cigars Released: Regular Production
• Number of Cigars Smoked For Review: 3

It’s hard, maybe even impossible, to overlook the thin ring gauge of the EGM Ninfa. I can’t recall the last time I smoked a cigar of this ring gauge, though I can remember a handful of cigars that had similar thicknesses. Given the perceived pushback against lanceros that I hear is out there in the retail space, I can only imagine what some people say about this cigar as they pass by it without even entertaining the idea of purchasing one. The word Ninfa is kind of hard to read due to the lack of contrast between the light silver color in which it is printed and white background on which it sits. The color of the wrapper is a very familiar medium-brown, while the wrappers have a slightly oily or waxy finish to them. The seams are generally—but not perfectly–flat, there aren’t a lot of veins, the color of the leaves is even, all of which makes for a good-looking cigar, though one that doesn’t have anything that stands out one way or another beyond the ring gauge. The first cigar is on the soft side; I never try to pinch a cigar, but this feels like one that I could compress a good amount if I were to try. The second is a bit firmer and the third firmer still. As for the aroma, the first cigar is dry thanks to bready and toasty sensations. The second has a touch of cardboard but is largely the same as the first, while the third has a slightly warmer sensation that is more thick wheat bread and mixed nuts. The cold draw on the first cigar is a touch firm but nowhere near tight or obstructed, offering a flavor that has a bit of buttery oiliness but not much else. The second cigar’s is better, though I feel like I have to take a bit more off the head than I would like to get to it. The first cut, which I thought would be fine, yielded no airflow. The flavor is pretty mild, while my lips tingle from the tobacco. As for the third, airflow is near perfect, while the flavor has the oiliness of movie theater popcorn butter at first, but then earthiness and pepper take over, with a little bit of creaminess emerging on the finish.

The first puffs of the EGM Ninfa have a dry profile that reminds me of both corn flakes and wheat flakes, but there’s also a bit of earthiness, and just touches of creaminess and pepper to round things out. The first retrohale, which I take after a puff or two, is quite punchy and sharp, delivering a series of sharp, clean sensations into my nostrils. That, in turn, helps make the pepper stand out on my taste buds. For as full as the retrohales are, the flavor and body still feel a bit thin. There’s some creaminess, crisp black pepper, and a touch of light wood, but it feels like the body could fill out a bit to get to what I’d call a normal thickness of smoke. In the second cigar, I’m wondering if this experience might simply be a byproduct of the ring gauge, as there’s less filler that tends to deliver what I’m requesting. While creaminess isn’t much of a factor in the first two cigars, in the third cigar, I find it fairly abundant, which I very much enjoy and appreciate. After a mild start, flavor is medium-plus, body is medium-minus, and strength is mild. Construction has been very good thus far, and in particular, the ash builds up pretty nicely, though it doesn’t take much to detach it.

The start of the second third of the EGM Ninfa has some variance, as there’s not really a defined transition from the first third; rather, it’s just a continuation of the first third. Without doubt, I prefer the third cigar due to the creaminess, which helps add some depth to a profile that I would describe as largely singular and fairly brash in the first two cigars. Around the midpoint of the cigar, another transition emerges, as the profile begins to sharpen up a bit. There is also a touch of nicotine beginning to emerge in the third cigar, a sensation I don’t get in the other two. The closing puffs of this section amp up the pepper a touch, enough that it elicits a cough from me in the first cigar. The draw, smoke production, and burn line all remain very good, but some combustion issues emerge towards the end of this section, with the cigar suddenly not wanting to burn anywhere nearly as well as it has thus far.

By the final third of the second cigar, I’m hesitant to put it down for too long out of fear it will go out, but at the same time, I wonder if the quicker puffing rate is going to adversely affect the flavor. Regardless of how quickly I smoke the cigar, the flavor leads with a crisp, lively black pepper both through the nose and on my tongue. There’s wood behind that, leading me to think this is a habano-seed blend that’s really putting those core flavors front-and-center without the softening of some filler tobacco. There is some creaminess still in the profile, but it seems overmatched in its attempt to balance or soften the profile, though I still appreciate its presence. The final two inches are where the tradeoffs between a quicker puffing rate and an enjoyable flavor become apparent; the flavor had already been lively enough for my liking, but the heat pushes it further. The pepper now feels oversimplified and overly dominant in the flavor, while the thin body of the smoke reinforces the sensation. Retrohales are as punchy as they have been, and even some ambient smoke in the nose can produce a vigorous tickle. A surge of earthiness comes in before the final puffs, beefing up the flavor and giving the profile a more lingering, pepper-driven finish. Flavor is full, body is medium-minus, as is the strength. The draw, burn line and smoke production are all fantastic, but in terms of combustion, the first cigar really struggles, probably due to me trying to maintain a normal puffing rate when it needed me to quicken it up. The second cigar does better as I’m more focused on keeping it burning by way of smoking more quickly, but the third cigar doesn’t respond to that and also struggles.

Final Notes

• It doesn’t even take a retrohale in the first puffs to get the nostrils activated, as even a little bit of ambient smoke delivers plenty of stimulation.
• There were moments in the second half of the EGM Ninfa when I was mentally comparing it to a barrel-proof spirit, where the core flavors and intensity are ratcheted up a few clicks.
• Thankfully, things never get too intense, but this is certainly one of the more lively profiles I’ve smoked recently, and outside of the first puffs, there’s never a let-up in the intensity.
• Charlie Minato covered EGM Cigars at the 2026 PCA Convention & Trade Show.
• You won’t see a lot of ninfa vitolas on halfwheel, but there are some. The ones that came to mind first was the Ninfamaniac from Crux, as well as the Ninfamaniac Collection that was created for STOGIES World Class Cigars.
• Beyond that, Quesada Cigars created an España Ninfa, Illusione’s ~33~ is a ninfa vitola, and as part of Holy Grail Week 2022, Brooks Whittington reviewed the La Escepción Longos, a Cuban cigar from the 1980s.
• Nicotine wasn’t much of a concern in the EGM Ninfa; there were just a few moments where I could pick any up, but it certainly didn’t linger after the cigar.
• The cigars for this review were purchased by halfwheel.

• The company lists these as a 7 x 34 ninfa. The numbers above are the measurements we found for the three cigars used for this review.
• Final smoking time was two hours and 10 minutes on average, a number driven up by combustion problems. If the first and third cigars burned properly, it would have been a bit under two hours, and that’s with my slow smokng rate.
• Site sponsor Small Batch Cigar carries the EGM Ninfa.

ABAM Cigars S.R.L
Dominican Republic
EGM Cigars
EGM Ninfa
Ninfa