Family is an important part of many cigar manufacturer’s businesses, and as such, there have been a multitude of cigar lines and releases over the years that have referenced families, either in the name of the line directly or in the explanation of why the cigars were made in the first place.

Examples abound, with a list that includes La Familia Robaina, Padrón’s Family Reserve line, Viaje’s Friends and Family line and—perhaps most obviously—the My Father Cigars brand, which was named in honor of the company’s patriarch, Jose ‘Pepin’ Garcia.

Enter the newest creation from United Cigars, a four-viola line named Abuelo, which translates to grandfather from Spanish. The Honduran puro is made up of tobacco grown on the Eiroa family farms in Las Lomas, Honduras—specifically a Honduran habano wrapper covering a corojo binder as well as corojo fillers. In fact, each of the vitolas are the Spanish words for various names used to describe relatives: Nieto is Spanish for Grandson and Nieta translates to Granddaughter, while Padre is Spanish for Father and Gran Abuelo translates to Great grandfather.

“This is 100% tobacco from our farm,” said Justo Eiroa, president of JRE Tobacco Co., in a press release. “Filler and Binder are authentic Corojo with our Habano wrapper. A true puro from Julio’s farm.”

The new regular production line is being produced at Fabrica de Puros Aladino factory located at Las Lomas Jamastran Honduras, and the four debut vitolas began shipping to retailers in June packaged in 20-count boxes:

  • Abuelo Nieto (5 x 50) — $10.50 (Box of 20, $210)
  • Abuelo Nieta (5 1/4 x 44) — $10 (Box of 20, $200)
  • Abuelo Padre (6 x 52) — $11.50 (Box of 20, $230)
  • Abuelo Gran Abuelo (6 1/2 x 60) — $12.50 (Box of 20, $250)

  • Cigar Reviewed: Abuelo Nieto
  • Country of Origin: Honduras
  • Factory: Fabrica de Puros Aladino at Las Lomas Jamastran
  • Wrapper: Honduras (Habano)
  • Binder: Honduras (Corojo)
  • Filler: Honduras (Corojo)
  • Length: 5 Inches
  • Ring Gauge: 50
  • Vitola: Robusto
  • MSRP: $10.50 (Box of 20, $210)
  • Release Date: June 2021
  • Number of Cigars Released: Regular Production
  • Number of Cigars Smoked For Review: 3

Covered in a cinnamon brown wrapper that is parchment rough to the touch, the Abuelo Nieto is just short of rock hard when squeezed and features very little overt oils. In addition, the cigar features a number of very prominent veins and the caps could have been applied better on two of the three samples. Aroma from the wrapper is a combination of strong earth, barnyard, leather and generic nuts, while the foot brings notes of creamy almonds, earth, manure, cinnamon and a hint of vanilla sweetness. Finally, the cold draw is made up of strong black tea leaves, aged oak, sawdust, creamy almonds and honey sweetness.

Immediately after toasting the foot of the Abuelo Nieto, the profile starts off with some massive spice on my tongue and a strong leather flavor on the palate, the latter of which quickly morphs into a main combination of vegetal flavors and leather. Secondary notes of anise, dry tea leaves, earth, hay and dark chocolate flit in and out at various points, while the retrohale features plenty of black pepper along with some maple syrup sweetness. Flavor is medium, body is medium and strength is between mild and medium, but increasing. Construction-wise, the draw is excellent after a straight cut, while the burn is wavy but non-problematic and there is a copious amount of smoke rolling off of the foot.

The profile of the Abuelo becomes noticeably creamier in the second third, but the main flavors of leather and vegetal remain largely the same, albeit with more of the former than the latter. Additional flavors of roasted espresso beans, earth, hay, peanuts and cocoa nibs are all present at various points, although none of them come close to being strong enough to take over the top spot. The amount of black pepper on the retrohale decreases noticeably from its high point in the first third, which allows more of the maple sweetness to shine through, while the spice on my tongue continues to be a major component in the profile. The burn evens up very nicely while the draw continues to impress and the smoke production remains fairly high off of the foot. Both the flavor and body remain at medium, while the strength has increased enough to also hit medium, although it does not seem to be going much higher anytime soon.

While the profile of the Abuelo Nieto continues to be quite creamy during the final third, the main flavor changes from the leather and vegetal combination to a distinct—and more enjoyable—dry tea leaf note. Secondary flavors of hay, peanut butter, earth, espresso beans, cinnamon and dark chocolate are also present, while the amount of spice on my tongue has finally receded somewhat, albeit not enough to totally disappear by any means. In addition, the amount of both the black pepper and maple syrup sweetness on the retrohale has not changed compared to the second third. Flavor ends at medium-full, body ends at medium and the strength ends up solidly medium by the time I put the nub down with a little less than an inch remaining. Construction continues to give me no major issues that need correcting.

Final Notes

  • While there are a number of cigars that have been named Abuelo—or have Abuelo as part of its name—there are other products using the word as well, including Ron Abuelo rum.
  • It is not often I can discern between types of tea leaf flavors—especially on the cold draw—but this cigar features very distinct black tea flavor that I enjoy fairly often during the winter months, most prominently on the cold draw and in the final third.

  • Interestingly, on the robusto vitola the “United Cigars” logo on the band actually covers the A in the Abuelo logo.
  • Two of the three cigars I smoked for this review featured tighter draws than I would have liked—albeit still within an acceptable range—while the last sample had no issues at all in that regard.
  • Having said the above, the burn on all three samples—while not exactly razor-sharp most of the time—was rarely bad enough that it needed attention from my lighter.
  • The cigars smoked for this review were purchased by halfwheel.
  • Final smoking time averaged just under one hour and 36 minutes for the three samples.
88 Overall Score

Until about two years ago, I was not a huge fan of Honduran tobacco in general and Honduran puros specifically. However, cigars like the Eiroa Jamastran 11/18 and Aladino Cameroon Elegante have opened my eyes to what is possible with the right blend. While the Abuelo Nieto is not as good as either one of those, it is another very enjoyable cigar, with main flavors that shift between thirds, some significant—but never overpowering—black pepper and an ever-present maple syrup sweetness on the retrohale, the latter of which gets stronger in the final third. In the end, the Abuelo Nieto would be a nice introduction cigar for someone wanting to try a Honduran puro, but there are much better examples in the same vein for those wanting a bit more complexity.

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Brooks Whittington

I have been smoking cigars for over eight years. A documentary wedding photographer by trade, I spent seven years as a photojournalist for the Dallas Morning News and the Fort Worth Star Telegram. I started the cigar blog SmokingStogie in 2008 after realizing that there was a need for a cigar blog with better photographs and more in-depth information about each release. SmokingStogie quickly became one of the more influential cigar blogs on the internet, known for reviewing preproduction, prerelease, rare, extremely hard-to-find and expensive cigars. I am a co-founder of halfwheel and now serve as an editor for halfwheel.