Why would a couple of guys with beards use the barber’s straight razor as a logo for their cigar company? Well, you can’t have a perfectly trimmed and lined up beard without a quality razor, right? The two go hand in hand.
Ohioan Tony Bellato’s family has been in the cigar business for a few generations as tobacconists. As he gained a love and knowledge of all our favorite vices, he eventually became passionate about launching his own cigar brand. “After many different ideas, cigars and a few too many bourbons,” he decided to team up with his friend Craig Rossi and La Barba (the “Beard”) cigars were born.
The Caldwell La Barba Red cigar was their first release from around 2010, but the one you see here has been reblended. What once was focused on Honduran tobacco is now a Dominican puro made in the Tabacalera William Ventura factory alongside many other Caldwell releases. This one takes an original Cuban-seed (unhybridized) Corojo wrapper and binder and combines it with a Habano and Corojo filler blend from Nicaragua, Peru, and the DR that’s about 50% Ligero.
That means strength, potency, and spice.
Ligero is the leaf that grows at the top of the stalk of the tobacco plant. There, it gets the most sun and grows large and robust, packing a hefty nicotine content and powering blends to new heights when it is incorporated into a cigar-like the Caldwell La Barba Red.
“It’s important for us not to just be another cigar on the shelf,” Bellato said in a Facebook video shot while on a trip to the Dominican Republic. We think Bellato and his team have succeeded pretty well here, making a blend that’s spicy, full-bodied, and memorable. Flavors of white pepper, cedar, caramel, and vanilla give you plenty to think about in each draw.
The bearded Ohioans have got their foot firmly in the door with blends like this, and we’re eagerly anticipating their next steps. When you’re as knowledgeable as Bellato about wine (he’s a certified sommelier), coffee, tobacco, and all the good things in life, you really can’t go wrong.
Please browse our selection of Caldwell La Barba Red cigars at your leisure.
