Smoke Inn Blog
The Ashton Cigar Family Legacy
If someone were to ask you to list the first 5 brands that come to mind when you think “premium cigars” the chances are excellent that Ashton Cigars would be among them. One of the younger of the established legacy cigar brands, Ashton Cigars was the brainchild of respected cigar industry veteran, Robert Levin. Levin cut his teeth in the industry working in his father’s legendary cigar shop Holt’s Cigar Company in Philadelphia in the 50s and 60s.
Levin took the reins of Holt’s in the 1970s and expanded the business. After a decade of steady growth, he decided to follow his dream and create his own cigar brand and Ashton was born in 1985. Robert Levin wanted to ensure that Ashton Cigars would come out of the gate strong and get noticed. So, it was no surprise when he enlisted the talents of Carlos Fuente Sr. and his son, Carlito, to ensure Ashton’s debut cigar production would be top notch.
A Bumper Crop of Classics from Ashton
Ashton has become so synonymous with the premium cigar trade that it’s no wonder the first cigar many of us ever try is an Ashton. Ashton cigars are known for their smoothness, tantalizing aroma and an uncanny ability to weave complex flavors into the smoke without ever pummeled the senses.
The Ashton Classic, Ashton Aged Maduro and Ashton Cabinet have all become icons in their own right and earned their spot in the pickiest aficionado humidor. They are truly among the great cigars handcrafted from premium-quality aged Dominican tobaccos.
The Ashton Cigar brand has since expanded to include the La Aroma de Cuba and San Cristobal cigar brands as well.
La Aroma de Cuba Cigars Under the Ashton Banner
La Aroma de Cuba’s roots run back to 1880s Cuba and they were a favorite of Winston Churchill when he first tried one as a young lieutenant stationed in Cuba. Today, Ashton oversees modern La Aroma de Cuba production out of Nicaragua. La Aroma de Cuba cigars continue to be created by the experienced hands of The Garcia family today.
The family grows and harvests a magnificent variety of binder, filler, and wrapper leaves in Nicaragua’s most desirable tobacco-producing regions, including Estelí, Condega, Jalapa, and Namanji. From the namesake La Aroma de Cuba to the Mi Amor Reserva, you’re sure to find something to savor here.
San Cristobal Cigars: Another Jewel in Ashton’s Crown
Also hailing from Nicaragua is the newer San Cristobal line, which began in 2007 under the steady hand of storied Master Blender, Jose “Pepin” Garcia. Garcia was born and raised in Cuba, where he began rolling cigars at the tender age of 11. Deep into an illustrious, decades-long career, “Pepin” Garcia and his family emigrated to the U.S. the early 2000s where he began establishing a handful of smaller boutique brands in Miami’s Little Havana district.
It was serendipitous fate that Garcia crossed paths with Robert Levin of Ashton Cigars in the United States. One of the fruits of their partnership has been the San Cristobal cigars brand hailing out of Nicaragua. Check out 2021’s CA #3 Cigar of the Year, San Cristobal Quintessence. Or you might sample the San Cristobal Revelation, especially if you appreciate a flavorful medium strength stick or are fans of the Ecuador Sumatra wrapper.
Ashton Classic Review
No conversation about Ashton would be right without mentioning the Ashton Classic. This no-nonsense premium stick is a stalwart favorite for its class, tradition, and dependability. Ashton (aka Ashton Classic) is hand-crafted in the Dominican Republic, made under the watchful eyes of the world-renowned Fuente family of tobacco artisans.
The Ashton Classic begins with Dominican tobaccos grown on Fuente family farms and aged 3-4 years. The Dominican filler/binder recipe is cloaked with a flawless Connecticut Shade wrapper leaf that delivers the kind of refined complexity Ashton is known best for. This is a mild to medium-bodied smoking experience, offering a soft and creamy texture and smooth flavors of buttered crackers, barnyard hay, sweet honey, light cabinet spices, and freshly cut cedar wood.
You can buy Ashton Classic HERE.
Ashton Aged Maduro Review
There is no unwritten rule that says every maduro cigar needs pack a wallop. The Ashton Aged Maduro is a perfect opportunity for the newer cigar smoker, or one who leans towards the milder and medium side to explore what makes maduros so beloved among cigar connoisseurs. The mahogany-hued beauties are put together with a premium blend of vintage Dominican tobaccos and finished in the blend’s signature Connecticut Broadleaf maduro wrapper.
Born in the early ’90s, the Ashton Aged Maduro is among the oldest and longest-running Dominican maduro cigars on the market today. Prized for its slow, even burn and solid ash, the Ashton Aged Maduro is a testimonial to superior construction and attention to detail. Treat yourself to a truly exceptional smoking experience with the Ashton Aged Maduro, a mild-to-medium-bodied cigar with smooth and long-lasting flavors of earth, leather, toasted oak, and classic baking cocoa.
You can buy Ashton Aged Maduro HERE.
Ashton Cabinet Review
The Ashton Cabinet Selection, where among the very first super-premium cigars of the latter half of the 20th century. The Ashton Cabinet Selection first appeared in the late ’80s. The story goes that the Cabinet Selection was inspired by the Fuentes’ Hemingway line. Robert Levin fell in love with the shapely Figurado sizes that Hemingway’s are famous for. He requested a Connecticut Shade-wrapped variant for Ashton and the Ashton Cabinet cigar was born. You may notice the Hemigway-esque large Figurado elements across the Ashton Cabinet Selection lineup today.
The Ashton Cabinet Selection’s tobacco underpinnings begin with an all-Dominican binder/filler, aged 5-7 years before being rolled. These carefully chosen tobaccos are embraced by the Cabinet Selection cigar’s signature bronze-hued Connecticut Shade wrapper. The result? A velvety and indulgent smoking experience of almond butter, clean cedar, roasted chestnuts, and semi-sweet natural honey.
You can buy Ashton Cabinet Selection HERE.
Smoke Inn is Your Cigar Shop
We trust you enjoyed our short historical background and overview of Ashton Cigars along with the reviews of a few of our favorites. The chances you’ve enjoyed an Ashton cigar before are excellent—but we still feel a responsibility to highlight the seminal brands in the premium cigar universe for new and seasoned lovers of the leaf alike. We think Ashton’s are a staple that ought to be in regular rotation for most serious cigar hounds and they also made an outstanding onramp into the rollicking adventure that is being a premium cigar aficionado in the 21st century.
Before You Go…
Check out our Cigar of the Month Club section which offers a snapshot of the month’s selections. As always, if you’re local or happen to be visiting South Florida, be sure to reward yourself with a visit to one of the country’s best cigar shops in person. We’d love to see you.
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