Tasting Note

The sleepy Saint Luis Rey brand got some new life last year when Altadis released the Saint Luis Rey Carenas, which is made in Honduras at the Flor de Copan factory. The theme here is “old world meets new world” and Altadis explains that the Puerto de Carenas is the antiquated name for the Port of Havana. That’s the “old world” part. The “new world” is represented in the blend of tobacco, an arrangement that’s all Honduran, save for the Nicaraguan wrapper. Of note is the binder, which is Honduran broadleaf, a thick varietal normally grown in Connecticut. The Toro kept us wide awake as spicy notes of ground red pepper, snaps of leather and almond played off the woody core.