Value-Priced Cigar of the Year 2018 - 300 Manos Habano

Known for their focus on family values, Southern Draw Cigars embarked on an ambitious project for 2018, aiming to highlight the stories of 300 Nicaraguan factory and farm workers throughout the coming years. The project is collectively known as 300 Hands, expanding on the common estimation that every cigar is thought to come into contact with roughly 300 human hands by the time the final product reaches consumers. At the project’s launch, five of the overall 300 Nicaraguans were featured, highlighting their job descriptions, personal life, and local charity work. Unsurprisingly, the project is intended to give back to the people of Nicaragua, with Southern Draw donating 25% of profits to the Nicaraguans that offered their stories and donated their time to the 300 Hands project.

300 Hands features two unique blends: 300 Hands Maduro and 300 Manos Habano, with each blend being offered in five identical sizes that are priced in the extremely attractive $6 range (including vitolas as small as a short robusto, or as large as a Churchill). According to Southern Draw, both blends originate from the company’s private collection, where the quality of tobaccos used would realistically be priced closer to the $10 range, had the factory workers not donated their time and efforts to ensure the project’s success.

In our experience, both varieties far outperform their modest price points, but it is the 300 Manos Habano that really drives the point home. This cigar—pronounced “Trescientos Manos”—features an Ecuadorian Habano wrapper over a multi-national filler recipe, including an African Cameroon binder and fillers of Nicaragua and the Dominican Republic. This blend smokes like your classic habano, only showing an enhanced buttery quality and much more complexity than the price point would suggest. Flavors include browned butter, aromatic cabinet spices, barnyard hay, medium-roast coffee beans, and salted nuts. This is value at its best—offering cigar enthusiasts a gratifying smoking experience that can be enjoyed on a daily basis, while simultaneously supporting the tireless workers that make the cigar-smoking hobby/lifestyle possible!