The Mexican San Andrés Cigar Sampler: Seven Makers, One Wrapper
Seven cigars, seven different makers, one wrapper. Here's what's in the new Mexican San Andrés Cigar Sampler and how to smoke your way through it.
San Andrés is one of the most interesting wrappers in cigars to compare. The same leaf can taste completely different depending on who rolls it, what goes underneath it, and what shape it ends up in. So I rebuilt the Mexican San Andrés Cigar Sampler around that idea. Every cigar in this box wears Mexican San Andrés and comes from a different maker, and the lineup covers robustos, toros, a corona gorda, a petit corona, a belicoso and a torpedo.
Shop the Mexican San Andrés Cigar Sampler
The Sampler at a Glance
| Cigar | Size | Why It's In the Box |
|---|---|---|
| Crowned Heads Jericho Hill OBS | 4.75 x 52 | Earthy, sweet and compact |
| Rodriguez Primera Clase Toro | 6 x 52 | Four-year-aged tobacco from the oldest cigar maker in the Florida Keys |
| Lure Cigars Wahoo PCA Exclusive 2026 | 6 x 52 | Limited to 1,700 cigars |
| Warped Corto Maduro X46 | 4.5 x 46 | Full-bodied flavor in a short smoke |
| Tradecraft Gladius Box Press | 5.5 x 52 | New in 2026, with a unique oval head |
| Valacari Decimus Toro | 6 x 52 | Valacari's 10th anniversary blend |
| Powstanie San Andrés Corona Gorda | 5 5/8 x 46 | Limited to 400 boxes, made to show off the wrapper |
What Is San Andrés?
San Andrés tobacco comes from the San Andrés Tuxtla Valley in Veracruz, on Mexico's Gulf coast. The valley sits in the shadow of the Los Tuxtlas volcanoes, and that mineral-rich volcanic soil plus constant humidity is a big part of why the leaf tastes the way it does. The Turrent family has been growing tobacco there since 1880, and San Andrés leaf now shows up on maduro cigars made all over Nicaragua and the Dominican Republic.
The variety most people mean when they say San Andrés is San Andrés Negro. It's a thick, dark, oily leaf that's tough enough to handle the long fermentation maduro wrappers need. That fermentation is where the signature flavors come from: dark chocolate, espresso, earth and a natural sweetness that doesn't need any help.
The Cigars in the Mexican San Andrés Sampler
Here's the lineup in the order I'd smoke it, starting with the more approachable San Andrés cigars and building to the fullest.
Crowned Heads Jericho Hill OBS (4.75 x 52)
Jericho Hill is the Crowned Heads line inspired by Johnny Cash, and OBS is short for "Orange Blossom Special." It's a dark, toothy San Andrés wrapper over a Nicaraguan binder and fillers. It opens with earth, leather, dark wood, pepper and a molasses-like sweetness, then picks up cocoa, bittersweet chocolate, espresso and sweet spice. Medium-full and a great place to start. Shop Jericho Hill OBS
Rodriguez Cigars Primera Clase Toro (6 x 52)
Rodriguez Cigars has been making cigars in Key West since 1984. The Primera Clase is their box-pressed San Andrés blend, with a Nicaraguan binder and fillers that are aged four years before rolling. Expect dark cocoa, roasted nuts, cedar, espresso and a touch of nutmeg, getting creamier as it goes. It's balanced and polished, and a great bourbon or coffee cigar. Shop Primera Clase Toro
Lure Cigars Wahoo PCA Exclusive 2026 (6 x 52)
Lure Cigars made The Wahoo as a thank-you for retailers who ordered at the 2026 PCA trade show, so you won't find it everywhere. This is the Ono, a box-pressed torpedo limited to 1,700 cigars. It's a San Andrés Maduro wrapper over an Estelí binder with fillers from Estelí and Jalapa. Earth, roasted peanut, cocoa nibs, espresso and black pepper lead, with leather, cinnamon and baking spice building toward a dark chocolate finish. Shop The Wahoo
Powstanie San Andrés Corona Gorda (5 5/8 x 46)
San Andrés is the fourth core line from Mike Szczepankiewicz's Powstanie, and the Corona Gorda was picked specifically to let the wrapper lead. "This vitola lets the San Andrés wrapper shine," Mike said when it was announced. A dark, oily San Andrés Maduro leaf covers Nicaraguan and Dominican fillers, and it's rolled at Fábrica de Tabacos Nica Sueño in Estelí. Expect dark chocolate, earth, espresso and soft spice in a medium-full smoke that stays refined from start to finish. The first run is limited to 400 boxes. Shop Powstanie Corona Gorda
Warped Corto Maduro X46 (4.5 x 46)
Kyle Gellis's Corto Maduro packs a full-bodied San Andrés blend into a box-pressed petit corona. A dark San Andrés Maduro wrapper sits over Nicaraguan binder and filler tobaccos. Earth, espresso and black pepper come first, followed by dark chocolate, leather and natural sweetness. It's a great pick when you want a lot of flavor and don't have a lot of time. Shop Corto Maduro X46
Tradecraft Gladius Box Press (5.5 x 52)
This one is brand new for 2026. Tradecraft took its Gladius maduro blend, made in the Dominican Republic, and put it in a box press with what Rob Blumenthal calls a "109 x belicoso" cap. The head is more oval than a regular belicoso and sits comfortably in your mouth. The San Andrés wrapper covers an Ecuadorian Sumatra binder and a filler of Dominican Criollo 98 ligero, Ecuadorian Puntiao and Pennsylvania tobaccos. Rob says this shape has more body, more spice and more chocolate than the round Gladius, and it's one of the most complex cigars in the box. Shop Gladius Box Press
Valacari Decimus Toro (6 x 52)
Decimus is Valacari's 10th anniversary blend, the boldest they've made, and it's limited to 10,000 cigars. A San Andrés Maduro wrapper covers Nicaraguan tobaccos from Estelí, Jalapa and Ometepe. It's dense and velvety, with earth, dark chocolate, espresso and pepper at the core, and a long sweetness that hints at molasses and dried fruit. Baking spice and charred oak come out on the retrohale. Save this one for a night that matters. Shop Decimus Toro
How to Smoke the Sampler
- Short on time: Grab the Corto Maduro X46 or the Jericho Hill OBS.
- With coffee or bourbon: The Primera Clase Toro, The Wahoo and the Powstanie Corona Gorda all pair well with a dark roast or a neat pour.
- For a long evening: Save the Decimus and the Gladius Box Press.
- The side-by-side: Smoke the Powstanie Corona Gorda and the Corto Maduro back to back. Same wrapper, similar ring gauge, very different cigars.
Get the Mexican San Andrés Cigar Sampler
Seven premium San Andrés cigars, three limited releases and one of the newest cigars of the year, all in one box. Every cigar ships from our humidor in Maineville, Ohio, and you can pick it up at the lounge too.
