From Cigar Aficionado

Jun 18, 2021 | By  Thomas Pappalardo

Serino Cigar Co. is finally sending out shipments of the delayed Serino Taíno Heritage, a line extension of their Nicaraguan Taíno brand, but Heritage is made in the Dominican Republic, a first for the Florida-based company. Originally announced in 2019 for 2020, production was delayed due to the global pandemic.

Taíno Heritage was developed in collaboration with José “Jochy” Blanco at his Tabacalera Palma factory in Santiago. The Ecuadoran Sumatra wrapper and Dominican binder hold a filler blend of Dominican Piloto Cubano, Criollo ’98 and Olor, with a quarter leaf of Criollo ’98 from Nicaragua for additional body. According to the company, the fillers were aged for a minimum of four-and-a-half years.

“After the tough year that 2020 was for many, it brings us great joy to release Taíno Heritage,” company vice president Carson Serino said in a press release. “I find there to be some poeticism regarding this release in that this brand is centered around people, customs and community; an area for most that has been limited over the past year.”

As with the original Taíno release, Taíno Heritage is dedicated to the indigenous tribes of Hispaniola and the Caribbean islands—a people who smoked tobacco for both pleasure and spiritual purposes well before the arrival of Spanish colonials.

The new brand comes in three sizes: Hamaca, measuring 5 1/8 inches by 50 ring gauge; Yocahū, at 6 by 47 and Manicato  at 6 1/4 by 54. They range in price from $9 to $10 and ship in wooden boxes of 20.