Sarzedas Corona 5 1/2″ * 43

The slimmest format in the relaunched Sarzedas line, the Corona is a traditional shape that carries the brand’s historic identity into a tighter ring gauge.

J.C. Newman first trademarked the Sarzedas brand in 1916, with U.S. Patent Office records placing the original cigar in production by 1900. The line returned in 2025, 125 years after its debut, in four sizes built around a silky Ecuadorian Shade wrapper, binder and filler from the Dominican Republic and Nicaragua, and a sweetened cap that nods to the brand’s original Aromatic Cigar positioning. Rich Dolak handled the blend, with production at the PENSA factory in Estelí, Nicaragua. The Corona measures 5 1/2 by 43, sitting mild-to-medium.

Expect cream, cedar, and a soft caramel sweetness from the sweet tip up front, with toasted nut and light leather running through the middle before a finish carrying mild pepper and dry wood as the cap sweetness fades. The narrower 43 ring gauge concentrates the smoke and pushes the wrapper character forward, with the sweet element reading more pronounced in the first half than it does in the wider vitolas. The format suits a shorter session.

Pairings: bourbon, espresso, or aged white rum.