Cigars in Dante’s Inferno?

It takes capital, guts and some industry knowledge to design and launch a brand of cigars. Some retailers want to surpass just selling sticks and the more adventurous of them invest their own capital and enter the production side. One retailer in the DC area did just that and launched the Dante brand, named after Dante’s Divine Comedy where the nine circles of Inferno (Italian for hell) are described and visited. This review is about Dante’s Canto III (the third circle of hell – gluttony) and the company, M. Tabacos, was started by M. A. Fakhro although the VP, Michael Huff, reportedly provided the Divine comedy naming convention. Dante uses the Casa Fernandez factory in Miami for production.

The Canto III is a 5 X 50 boutique robusto with Nicaraguan binder and fillers along with a fine San Andreas Maduro wrapper. This wrapper comes from the San Andreas region of Mexico and that generally exhibit a smooth and sweet taste that easily flavors most blends. That is certainly true with this robusto. The wrapper is dark with an earthy aroma and added sweetness to the coffee and nuts flavor of the cigar. Smoke volume was above average and cinnamon notes appeared about halfway through. The final third moved strongly towards pepper and spice with a moderate aftertaste. Although I experienced an uneven burn, the ash was acceptable.

This robusto was flavorful and lasted 1 hour. The appearance was attractive and the band was simplyDante spelled in red flame Dante on a black background – in keeping with the naming convention. This is a full bodied cigar but at $10.50 each I found the price a little gluttonous. I rate it a 4 out of 5.