Rediscovering the Legacy of Don Candido 501

I’ve always been fascinated by cigars with real history behind them, and the Don Candido line is one of those names that quietly sits in the background until you discover just how special it actually is. These cigars were created exclusively for Alfred Dunhill shops in both the UK and the US, and produced at the El Rey del Mundo factory in Cuba—back when it was owned by Cándido Vega Díaz. He meant for Don Candido to be the factory’s super-premium line, and it truly was, at least until it disappeared. Once the Alfred Dunhill brand launched in 1982, Don Candido was removed from production, and that’s how it slipped into rarity. Today, unless you’re dealing with a retailer who specializes in vintage cigars, you won’t randomly stumble upon them. They show up mostly at auctions, and every appearance feels like a little piece of cigar history resurfacing.

One thing that made the Dunhill versions even more interesting was the treatment they gave every cigar that came from Havana. Unlike most tobacconists at the time, Dunhill put their cigars through a three-stage reconditioning process before they ever hit the shelves. They called it Selección Suprema, and it wasn’t just a fancy name. First, cigars sat in the Maturing Room to get past what Dunhill described as the “sickness” period after traveling from Cuba—basically letting the tobacco settle, ripen, and develop sweetness. From there, they moved to the Storing Room, where conditions were ideal to keep them stable without rushing the aging process. Finally, they reached the Humidor, a room meant to recreate the warmth of Cuba. Only after all that were the cigars considered ready to smoke.

There was even a 1957 Dunhill ad from their Fifth Avenue shop in New York saying that cigars “rest and mature” in their humidor for at least three months. Imagine telling a retailer today that they need to wait 90 days before selling a shipment!

Shipping and storage conditions are far better now, and many manufacturers age cigars before releasing them, so modern cigars don’t need the same level of reconditioning. Still, it’s incredible to think how much effort went into preparing those Don Candido 501s. For decades now, they’ve been carefully stored in the humidors at Cigar Aficionado, and I know they’ve had exactly the kind of environment cigars of this age deserve.

Anyone on the senior team who’s tried a Don Candido agrees—they’ve held on to a surprising amount of flavor despite their age. Some of them taste shockingly alive for cigars this old. The No. 501 itself is a long corona at 6 1/2 inches with a 42 ring gauge, a size that isn’t very popular anymore but one I personally enjoy.

source: cigaraficionado