Tasting Note

El Pulpo is one of the newest cigars on this list, as it was released in 2023 by Artesano del Tobacco. It impressed us with its dense and powerful character. The cigar is made by A.J. Fernandez in Nicaragua with a Mexican San Andrés wrapper that the company says is aged for a longer period of time than is typical of Mexican wrappers. This is one of the reasons the brand took so long to come to market. When the wrapper was finally ready, the result was a big, bold cigar that also showed balance and purpose. It isn’t strong just for the sake of being strong, but offers layers of coffee bean, dark chocolate, nuts and citrus that make a lasting statement. The cigars come from brothers Gus and Billy Fakih, former New York City cigar-shop owners who left retail to become full-time brand owners. Their first line, Viva La Vida, has appeared on our Top 25 list before. El Pulpo brought them to the next level. The name translates to “the octopus” in Spanish because the tendrils of smoke are supposed to surround your palate the way an octopus grabs its prey. It’s a novel way of describing the smoking experience and one that we don’t disagree with.