Top 6 Sumatra Cigars
When we talk about Sumatra cigars, we’re primarily talking about cigars with a Sumatra wrapper leaf, and more specifically, cigars with an Ecuador Sumatra wrapper – the most common varietal you’ll find on premium handmade blends. Ecuador Sumatra tobacco is Sumatra-seed tobacco planted and harvested in Ecuador. Here is some quick background on Sumatra followed by the best Sumatra cigars you should add to your humidor.
Sumatra is the largest island in Indonesia, and it’s the sixth largest island in the world. Sumatra is south of the Malay Peninsula and west of Jakarta, and it’s a formidable grower of tobacco as well as a place where cigars are produced, but most cigars exported from Sumatra are machine made. You’ll find Sumatra, or Indonesian, wrappers on wide variety of cigars, especially budget-friendly bundles like Argyle Fumas and Rocky Patel Mulligans Caddy’s Choice.
The seeds of Sumatra tobacco have been planted in countries around the world, mostly by Cuban expatriates who fled Cuba when Castro came to power in the 1950s. Without question, the best place for growing Sumatra-seed tobacco is in Ecuador, specifically the Los Rios region, where the fertile volcanic soils and natural cloud cover culminate in crops that are exceptionally rich and flavorful. When these crops are aged and blended by today’s foremost cigar-makers, the cigars they produce make up some of the highest-rated and bestselling blends you’ll encounter. Consider this list when you want to smoke the best Sumatra cigars available today.
1. Ashton VSG
When Ashton Virgin Sun Grown (VSG) debuted in 1999, its full-flavored, full-bodied profile was in a class of its own. World-renowned cigar-maker Carlito Fuente blends VSG from an extremely well-aged, oily Ecuador Sumatra wrapper over a substantial interior of premium Dominican long-fillers. The name, Virgin Sun Grown, refers to the cigar’s Sumatra-seed wrapper, which is grown under sunlight naturally filtered by clouds that hang over the fertile landscape. VSG is rated 94 points by the critics in Cigar Aficionado for its decadent profile of leather, cedar, espresso bean, and black pepper. Over the past two decades, VSG has been rated in the annual ‘Top 10 Cigar of the Year’ on numerous occasions.
2. Oliva Serie V Melanio
Oliva Serie V Melanio is among the best-known blends in the Oliva cigars portfolio thanks to a 96-point rating and a ‘#1 Cigar of the Year’ title in Cigar Aficionado for 2014. Tasting notes of coffee bean, caramel, and wood characterize this medium-bodied smoke, made popular in several box-pressed shapes like the award-winning Figurado. A toothy Ecuador Sumatra wrapper leaf conceals a hearty blend of vintage Nicaraguan long-fillers.
3. San Cristobal Revelation
One of the top-selling San Cristobal cigars is Revelation with its versatile and luscious profile. Master cigar-maker Jose ‘Pepin’ Garcia blends Revelation from premium Nicaraguan binder and filler tobaccos grown on Garcia family estates and a milk-chocolate-hued Ecuador Sumatra wrapper leaf. Succulent notes of smoked almond, cedar, and cocoa weave a vibrant tapestry over the palate with hints of cinnamon and black pepper. Four soft box-pressed sizes and two big ring gauge formats resonate with delicious distinction in a 92-rated blend.
4. My Father The Judge
My Father cigars are blended by celebrated father-and-son cigar-makers Pepin and Jaime Garcia in Estelí, Nicaragua, where the pair owns and operates a sprawling, modern cigar factory and an extensive network of tobacco farms. The Judge debuted in 2016 and is drawn from a cocoa-hued Sumatra-seed wrapper grown in Ecuador and Nicaraguan long-fillers grown by the Garcias. Corojo and Criollo binder tobaccos contribute a unique zest to a full-bodied, 93-rated profile that beams with notes of chocolate, red pepper, nuts, and earth before a robust finish lingers.
5. Punch Vintage
Punch is one of the longest-running Cuban-legacy brands, and Punch Vintage is one of the most popular Punch cigars ever blended. A medium-bodied profile of cedar, coffee, and leather satisfies the palate with a plethora of woody and spicy notes, including red pepper, black pepper, and mesquite. An oily Ecuador Sumatra wrapper leaf embraces a bountiful core of Dominican and Honduran long-fillers tucked beneath well-aged Connecticut Broadleaf binders. Punch Vintage is considered one of the best value cigars you can buy.
6. Old Henry Pure Breed
If you enjoy top-rated cigars from My Father, Flor de las Antillas, and La Aroma de Cuba, the Old Henry brand is comprised of hidden gems blended by legendary cigar-maker Jose ‘Pepin’ Garcia that deserve of your attention. Old Henry Pure Breed glistens with an oily sheen courtesy of an extra-dark Ecuador Sumatra wrapper leaf and a beefy blend of select Nicaraguan long-fillers. Peppery and smooth notes of leather, cedar, and fresh ground coffee register in four classic formats.
More Sumatra Cigars from Holt’s
Shop Holt’s complete collection of Sumatra cigars. We carry a wide variety of inexpensive bundle cigars blended with Sumatra wrappers, including Bella Cuba, Flor de Oliva, and Don Lino Fumas, as well as everyday value brands like Oliva Gilberto Oliva Reserva for an unbeatable discount. Because so many cigar-makers love to blend with Sumatra tobacco, there are dozens of premium Sumatra cigars worthy of your taste.
