Espinosa: Azucar Lonsdale Cigars

Erik Espinosa, the founder of Espinosa Cigars, has had a lengthy history in the cigar world, getting his start in 1997 working in a warehouse before moving on to become a sales manager. After a year, he transitioned into independent brokering, leveraging the business relationships he'd developed earlier to provide a variety of brands to various sellers. In 2004, Erik partnered with Eddie Ortega to form EO Brands, the name a portmanteau of the pair's last names, which produced a number of iconic cigar lines, including the 601 and Murcielago lines. In 2010, EO Brands merged with Rocky Patel, and Eddie left the company in 2012 to form Ortega Cigars. The same year, while still part owner of EO, Erik founded both Espinosa Cigars and the factory which would come to roll almost each of their blends: Estelí, Nicaragua's La Zona. With Erik able to oversee every facet of every cigar's construction, Espinosa has become one of the most respected names in boutique cigars thanks to their consistent, quality smokes.

The Azucar, Spanish for "Sugar" and stylized as "@zucar," is Espinosa's first foray into the realm of infused cigars and was introduced in 2016. Unlike the majority of other cigars made by Espinosa, The Azucar utilizes Dominican tobacco and was rolled at the Aveja Cigar Factory in the Dominican Republic, rather than at the La Zona factory. The cigar is a mild and sweet smoke, true to its name, that's been infused with vanilla essence for a delicious, sumptuous experience sure to please.