Under-the-Radar Cigar of the Year 2024 – Solstice

In an industry filled with established manufacturers, El Mago emerged in 2022 when founder Nick Fusco launched the brand to honor his grandparents, Maria and Gonzalo Torre, who tragically perished in the Champlain Towers South collapse in 2021. Now in their third year of operations, the company’s limited Solstice release demonstrated Fusco’s thoughtful approach to blending, featuring an uncommon Nicaraguan-grown Sumatra-seed wrapper draped over an Ecuadorian Habano binder and Nicaraguan fillers. Production at Miguel Pinto’s lesser-known MGE Cigars Factory in Estelí has proven to be a strategic choice, allowing El Mago’s offerings to develop their own distinctive character away from Nicaragua’s more prominent facilities. Continuing the brand’s use of vibrant packaging, often utilizing tubo-style packaging (as is the case with the Solstice), the medium-bodied profile opens with classic notes of toasted bread and sweet cedar before developing a gentle spice through the retrohale. The cigar is balanced and approachable for a wide range of palate preferences, offering a clean finish and a refreshing sweetness that lingers in the background from start to finish.

El Mago Solstice Breakdown

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