Hellas

The famous Greek poet Homer, author of Iliad and Odyssey, was of course one of the most influential men in history and helped shape Western civilization as we know it. Like Homer, Raymond Pages is a master at his craft. The best young tobacco man we have seen since discovering AJ Fernandez in a small bodega back in 2008. Which is fitting, as Raymond emigrated from Cuba to Nicaragua some years later and became AJ's protege and top blender. Today, Raymond runs the Tabacalera Pages factory and is no doubt one of the top boutique cigar makers in Estelí.

Hellas pays homage to Homer and ancient Greece, with a complex and flavor-packed joyride of a blend. To the eye, this cigar boasts Raymond's signature brick shithouse construction - perfect level of firmness, a beautiful, dark, almost reddish-brown Habano wrapper, a lovely oily sheen and toothy texture, and perfect combustion and draw, including a firm stack-of-dimes grey-white ash that seems to hold for miles. Off the bat, there is pepper and spice with a sweet component and it's medium in strength. By the middle third of the cigar, you're taking the elevator to the top floor of Complexity HQ, as the richness and sweetness intensify. We're now in medium to full-bodied territory with a warm, satisfying feeling in the belly and the lips are tingling nicely. There's a creaminess and coffee bean component now, and the pepperiness lingers, yet remains balanced through the end. Hellas is a highly enjoyable, medium to full-bodied masterpiece from Raymond. 

Our staff of cigar nuts compares Hellas favorably to AJ Fernandez San Lotano Habano and My Father Le Bijou in terms of cost and flavor profile.

Other great brands by Raymond Pages: Last of My Kind, Penn Standard, Hoofty, Florida Man