Broncano’s Classic Toro cigars bring bold flavors to premium retailers

Looking for your next great smoke? Try the Classic Toro

By Sarah Joseph Published February 22, 2025

Silver Toro from Broncano Cigar Co — Broncano Cigar Co / Broncano Cigar Co

Who doesn’t love relaxing with a good cigar? There are cigars for beginners, cigars for specific events like golf outings, and cigars that you turn to when you want a specific flavor profile. Broncano Cigar Co, founded in 2022 by U.S. Marine Corps veteran Martin Smith, just announced the official expansion of their Classic Toro line into more premium cigar shops and lounges following their debut in January. This builds on the growing momentum of the Broncano Vintage Toro, which is 20-year aged and was released in February of 2024.

The New Classic Toro offerings include the Broncano Classic Royal Blue Toro (6×52), which comes in an Ecuadorian Habano wrapper and Dominican Monteplata binder. Inside, the filler contains Dominican Criollo 98 Seco, USA Broadleaf Ligero, BVS Seco African Tobacco, and Dominican Corojo. This cigar has a bold, earthy flavor profile with a bit of spice and subtle sweetness.

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For those who crave a darker profile, the Broncano Classic Silver (6×50) comes in a San Andrés (Mexico) wrapper and an Ecuadorian Habano binder. This cigar is often described as rich and dark, with cocoa, espresso, and pepper notes, thanks to the Dominican Criollo 98 and Dominican Corojo filler.

Both cigars come in 20-count boxes and are now available in premium cigar retailers nationwide, distributed by City of Palms Cigar Distribution.

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Cigars

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With a bright sense of adventure and a heart for the mountains, Sarah is always thrilled to share nature with others through…

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Lovely Cigars is revitalizing a classic brand with modern elegance

Ain't They Lovely cigar box with original artwork from Green Bay's Ain't They Lovely cigar company.

Mike Gehm is a cool guy. That’s probably not the best descriptor or opener for an expose on a brand, but hey, that’s what I’m going with. He’s down to Earth. We had a great conversation and smoked some great cigars — virtually, of course — and he was very candid about his venture, something that’s always a net positive for inquisitive minds like mine. As for what we discussed, it was all about Lovely Cigars, a humble cigar maker with not-so-humble origins from the early days of the cigar trade in Green Bay. What’s remarkable about Lovely Cigars, at least the modern brand, is that it’s going up against veritable giants in the industry — brands that have been around for centuries or even longer in some cases. That is also what intrigues me the most about Mike and the Lovely Cigars team, including co-owners Keith Archiquette and Dylan Masse.

Around the 1990s, boutique cigar brands started popping up all over. But it wasn't until the early 2000s, maybe even a little later, that some of the small-batch brands we know and love today really hit it big. Plasencia, Aganorsa, Warped, Caldwell, AJ Fernandez, even the Garcia family and My Father were less popular back then if they were even around. For example, Plasencia was founded in 1993, and the first My Father cigar debuted in 2008. But the point is that boutique brands are a fairly recent addition to the world of cigars. Sure, there have always been what you might call "craft" or independent rollers, but never like this. Well, Lovely Cigars is a boutique brand, like many others, except it's a welcome juxtaposition of old and new. Allow me to explain.
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man smoking small cigar by engin-akyurt unsplash

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Man in pink suit smoking and enjoying what a cigar tastes like.

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