PCA 2022: DBL Cigars
DBL Cigars, the shorthand and official name for what they call Dominican Big Leaguer Cigars, is a reference to the Dominican Republic’s love of both cigars and baseball.
Francisco Almonte started the brand in 2013 but has been in the tobacco industry since he was only seven-years-old. According to the DBL Cigars’ website, he started helping his father devein leaves and moved on to learning how to roll cigars by the time he was twelve.
I can’t speak to the differences in booths from year to year as this is the first time covering DBL Cigars, but what I can speak to is the excitement and passion that Almonte exuded talking about the things happening at the factory. A few things that he wanted to highlight include: the company is creating a scholar for employees working for DBL Cigars that would fund 100 percent of an employee’s college. In 2023, the company will add an onsite daycare with certified teachers to also be able to teach the children that are being cared for. In addition, towards late 2023 or 2024, the company will be implementing a 401k plan for employees, which Almonte noted in the Dominican Republic is not the norm, leaving many retired individuals in a difficult financial situation.
While I’m sure many of you can appreciate the care for the employees that DBL Cigars is providing, I know you’re also wondering what new cigars are coming down the line.
DBL El Final is the new release this year that is being shown off here at the show. The interesting thing about this series is that the same blend was taken and then given three separate wrappers in two different sizes. So for all three releases, the sizes, filler and binder are identical, while the wrapper is the only variable. The company only had the San Andrés version at the show, but all three blends are shipping now.
- Wrapper: Mexico (San Andrés Maduro)
- Binder: Dominican Republic
- Filler: Dominican Republic
- DBL El Final San Andrés Robusto (5 1/2 x 48) — $7.70 (Box of 20, $154)
- DBL El Final San Andrés Toro (5 7/8 x 52) — $8.50 (Box of 20, $170)
Production: Regular Production
Release Date: July 2022
- Wrapper: Ecuador (Cameroon)
- Binder: Dominican Republic
- Filler: Dominican Republic
- DBL El Final Cameroon Robusto (5 1/2 x 48) — $7.70 (Box of 20, $154)
- DBL El Final Cameroon Toro (5 7/8 x 52) — $8.50 (Box of 20, $170)
Production: Regular Production
Release Date: July 2022
Not pictured.
- Wrapper: Ecuador (Connecticut)
- Binder: Dominican Republic
- Filler: Dominican Republic
- DBL El Final Connecticut Robusto (5 1/2 x 48) — $7.70 (Box of 20, $154)
- DBL El Final Connecticut Toro (5 7/8 x 52) — $8.50 (Box of 20, $170)
Production: Regular Production
Release Date: July 2022
Brian Burt
I have been smoking cigars since 2005 and reviewing them as a hobby since 2010. Initially, I started out small with a 50-count humidor and only smoking one or two cigars a month. Not knowing anybody else that smoked cigars, it was only an occasional hobby that I took part in. In March of 2010, I joined Nublive and Cigar Asylum, connecting me with many people who also shared an interest in cigars. Reading what they had to say about brands I had never heard of, I quickly immersed myself in the boutique brands of the industry and it was then that cigars transformed from a hobby into a passion.
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