The cigars celebrating Eladio Díaz’s 73rd birthday are on their way to U.S. retailers today after getting a small soft launch in the Dominican Republic in late May as part of Díaz’s birthday celebration.
Called the Eladio Díaz 73 Aniversario “Unforgettable Edition”, this limited edition release is an all-Dominican blend that uses a corojo-seed wrapper from the southern part of the country. Next are two binders, one a Sumatra-seed and the other a San Andrés negro seed, both grown in the southern part of the Dominican Republic. Rounding out the blend, the filler includes barrel-aged habano 2000, corojo 99, criollo 98, corojo 06 and piloto cubano, with the criollo 98 coming from the southern part of the Dominican Republic.
The use of tobacco from the southern part of the Dominican Republic has become a frequent feature of Díaz’s most recent blends. While the majority of Dominican tobacco comes from the northern part of the country, there has been a government-led initiative to bring tobacco growing back to the southern part. Specifically, in the region of San Juan de Maguana and the more specific areas of Matas and Defarfan. This land is higher in elevation than the north, and the soil content is a bit different, a combination that results in unique, distinct flavor profiles.
But beyond broadening the flavor profiles of Dominican tobacco, the push to grow in the south comes as tobacco fields in the north face the realities of a growing population and industrial sector. Fields have been converted into free trade zones and apartments, and there’s concern that more repurposing of agricultural land could be on the way.
The Eladio Díaz 73 Aniversario “Unforgettable Edition” is offered in two sizes, a 6 1/2 x 54 toro extra priced at $25, and a 5 x 50 robusto priced at $20. While this is a limited release, the robusto is particularly limited, as each of the 2,000 boxes of 11 cigars, priced at $270, contains 10 toro extras but just one robusto.
The cigars are made at Tabacalera Díaz Cabrera in the Dominican Republic, and are distributed in the U.S. by Arango Cigar Co. In addition to the U.S., the cigars are sold in the Dominican Republic, and next week will begin shipping to stores in Europe and Asia beginning next week.
Select images courtesy of Tabacalera Díaz Cabrera.
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Arango
Arango Cigar Co.
Eladio Díaz
Eladio Díaz 73 Aniversario
Eladio Díaz Aniversario
Tabacalera Díaz Cabrera
