93

05/31/2026

$10

Dominican

Perfecto

I'm on my second box of these after a 5-pack, so this is not a new cigar to me. While I generally smoke Nicaraguan cigars, the Hemingway has always been special to me. Aside from possibly a random stick from samplers, I'm not really familiar with Dominican cigars.

Unmistakable cinnamon and a creaminess after just the first few puffs. There is an undertone of a flavor that I can't quite identify but is very pleasant. Burn line is not good, needed a touch up.

Brown sugar and/or molasses and caramel. Medium spiciness on retrohale. So so good!

A little more spice, maybe white pepper still with that same undertone I mentioned earlier that I can't pin down, and some cedar.

I love the Hemingway. It's pretty unique as far my personal taste goes. Once I got into Nicaraguan blends early on into my cigar smoking journey, which is now over 25 years, I've rarely smoked anything else. But I picked up a five pack of the Best Seller some years ago and was immediately hooked. These can be outstanding cigars but they are far from perfect. I've had a couple of stinkers I've thrown straight into the fire after the first third, and I've had several that have had a painfully tight draw that I've had to use a draw poker to fix. The foot shape tends to cause an uneven burn that requires a touch-up more often than not. But most of the time once I get past the first few minutes, the ride is bliss. Another thing that irks me is the carelessness of the band application. In the box I'm smoking through now I find more than half where they didn't even try to line up the overlapping ends. Not a big deal, and with the tapered shape of these, it's probably really hard to get right, but it is something that draws my attention. On the other hand, these come in some of the most beautiful boxes you'll ever find. I'd never throw one away. I think I'd be happier with the Signature or the Classic size-wise because I think the burn and draw problems may be lesser with those as compared with the Best Seller or the Short Story. Another thing to mention is that I think these are an excellent value for the money. These range from $7 to $11 per stick when you buy a box of Short Story to Classic and you are getting truly complex and enjoyable cigars that easily beat sticks that cost double that price.

Brown Sugar, Caramel, Cinnamon, Cream, Molasses, Pepper (White), Spice (General), Wood

Scotch