Caldwell Eastern Standard Manzanita (Box of 27)

Eastern Standard is Caldwell’s morning cigar, and the wrapper is what makes it: a hybrid of Connecticut Shade and Brazilian Mata Fina, two leaves rarely asked to share a cigar.

Underneath sit aged Criollo ’98 and Corojo ligero from the Dominican Republic with Nicaraguan Habano, bound in Dominican Habano. Creamier than a straight Connecticut, and carrying more pepper and spice than its pale colour suggests. The Manzanita is a 4×42 petit corona — a short smoke that keeps the blend intact. Boxes of 27.