La Aroma de Cuba Monarch 6″ * 52

The Monarch is the toro vitola of the original La Aroma de Cuba blend, which sits at the foundation of the Ashton-owned brand’s lineup.

A Connecticut Broadleaf wrapper covers Nicaraguan binder and Nicaraguan long-filler, with the cigars hand-rolled at My Father Cigars in Estelí, Nicaragua. The current recipe was reblended by Don Pepin Garcia in 2009, replacing the original Dominican-made version that launched in 2002. The Monarch measures 6 by 52 and ships in boxes of 25.

The flavor tends to lean toward cocoa, cedar, and earth, with leather and a soft caramel or molasses sweetness from the Broadleaf wrapper running through the middle, then a touch of black pepper on the finish. Body sits in the medium-to-full range across the burn. Rated 93 by Cigar Aficionado. The 52 ring gauge gives the wrapper enough surface to carry the sweeter notes without overpowering the spice from the Nicaraguan filler. The size fits a standard hour-plus session.

Pairings: bourbon, espresso, or porter.