Time does fly in the cigar industry. Just over 12 years ago. Francisco Almonte launched his Dominican Big Leaguer (DBL) Cigar company. From the very first DBL cigar I smoked, I knew this man, who was mentored by Litto Gomez, had something special in his craft. Now time may fly by in the industry, but time is also your friend, especially if you take the time to do things right. When it comes to premium hand rolled cigars, Francisco has always taken time to do things right, never rushing the process. He grew his company from a small factory on the outskirts of Tamboril, Dominican Republic to a brand new larger modern facility. He has acquired farmlands to grow and process leaf all while maintaining the highest quality in his finished products.
This year, at the PCA trade show, DBL Cigars showcased their 12th anniversary cigar. It comes in two wrapper configurations, Mexican Habano and Mexican San Andres maduro. For this review I sampled three of the DBL 12th Anniversary Mexican Habano variety, which I purchased at one of my local shops – His & Hers Cigar Lounge in Cocoa Village, Florida.
DBL Cigars has been working on a project for the past five years and Francisco Almonte’s painstaking efforts came to fruition this past weekend at the 2025 PCA trade show in New Orleans.
The company describes the 12th Anniversary Habano blend as:
- Wrapper: Mexican Sun Grown Habano
- Binder: Organic Corojo ’99 Cuban seed grown on the DBL Tobacco Farm
- Filler: Organic Criollo ’98 Cuban seed, Organic Carbonell, and DBL T-13
The DBL T-13 leaf is a special hybrid leaf grown and cultivated on DBL Farms and was created by DBL Cigars’ chief horticulturist, Chengo, who spearheaded the growing efforts of this new Dominican hybrid tobacco seed. This tobacco is used as the primary filler in the new Chengo line, eponymously named after its grower but is also used in the 12th Anniversary.
The DBL 12th Anniversary comes packaged in 20-count boxes with an MSRP of $13.50. Yes, you heard that right. This incredible cigar is only $13.50. The company notes that they will be producing 20,000 cigars, each of the Habano and the San Andres. They will be producing these at the rate of 20,000 per year for each blend for the next 3 years as they prepare for their 15th Anniversary.
Pre-Light Examination
The DBL 12th Anniversary Habano is draped in a silky smooth, milk chocolate brown leaf that exhibits a fine oily sheen. The cigar is a well-formed box pressed toro vitola that measures (5 7/8 x 56). It has all but minimal veins and invisible seams. The cigar has just the right give when gently pressed between the fingers. Construction is finished with an expertly applied pigtail cap.
The cigar is nicely adorned with two bands and a cedar sleeve. The primary band boldly declares this as a DBL Cigars product including a colorful image of the company’s tobacco field. The sides of the band display the letters FA and Legacy, standing for Francisco Almonte. The bottom of the band displays the top of a tobacco Pilóne with the word Supériorité printed across it along with a trio of golden coins representing the company. A secondary black and gold band is placed on the bottom of the cedar sleeve and simply declares this as the 12th Anniversary.
Once I removed the cedar sleeve and ran the barrel along the nose, I picked up notes of cocoa and spice while the foot exuded notes of pepper and earth. A very pleasant pre-light start to the journey.
Moving onto the cold draw, I straight cut the cap and gave it some cold puffs that I found to be rich in pepper notes with a growing tingle on the palate. A few more cold draws and the flavor already started to develop with buttery pepper notes.
I used my dual flame torch to warm the foot to an even orange glow which was no problem for the cigar as It started to burn even right off the first lit puff. Follow along as I burn this one to ash.
Cigar Review Notes
- Right into the first lit puffs the pre-light pepper continues to address the palate.
- A light grey ash forms on top of a thin and even char line
- Fruity jam and vanilla notes add to the initial pleasure toning down the pepper a notch
- Thick and chewy smoke fills the palate on each puff
I like artful bands, especially on a fine smoke like this, as I stare at it between puffs examining the band art and remembering the walks through the DBL fields of luscious green leaf with Francisco himself along with the aging Pilónes in his factory.
- There is quite a bit of spicy nasal opener on the retro hale
- Cocoa and sweet cream notes begin to open up after an inch plus of burn
- Mild, sweet grapefruit notes join the mix near the end of the 1st third
- Moving through the second third, the flavors begin to morph into leather and spice
- A sweet woody aroma wafts off the foot, filling the air around me
- The fruit notes intensify becoming more non-citrus in flavor
- The extreme ash finall dropped revealing a perfect burn cone
- Fruit and spice dominate the final third with a continued sweet woody aroma
- Strength has moved up to medium-full down to the end
- Total Smoking Time was 1 hour and 40 minutes down to the nub
Final Analysis
As I stated in the beginning of this review, Time is Your Friend in the Cigar business and the DBL Cigars 12th Anniversary Habano is a testament to this. The pre-light intrigued the palate with evolving flavor notes and then once ignited, the journey continued with a bold burst of pepper, immediately engaging the palate with its lively character. As the initial spice settles, rich notes of fruity jam and vanilla emerge, softening the intensity and providing a more rounded, approachable profile.
The smoke was thick and full, with each draw enveloping the palate in a rich texture. The retrohale is notably spicy, adding a sharp, sinus-clearing freshness. After an inch of burn, deeper notes of cocoa and sweet cream begin to unfold, enriching the experience with a layer of complexity.
As the cigar progresses into the second third, the flavor shifts towards leather and spice, introducing a more earthy, savory depth. A sweet, woody aroma drifts from the foot, complementing the evolving flavor profile. Fruit notes intensify, moving away from the early sweet grapefruit note to reveal a fuller, more rounded sweetness.
In the final third, the fruit and spice continue to dominate, while the sweet woody aroma lingers in the air. Strength peaks at medium-full, leaving a lasting, balanced impression of depth and refinement.
This is a one of the worthiest cigars for a box buy. At just $13.50/cigar, the DBL 12th Anniversary Habano is one that should be in every cigar enthusiast’s rotation. One can only imagine what the next three years will bring to DBL when they release their 15th Anniversary. I rate this an outstanding 99.
- Point Deductions: NONE
- Bonus Points: (+1) Pristine Burn; (+1) Extreme Ash; (+1) Complex and Balanced; (+1) Box Buy; (+1) Positive experience is the same through multiple samples
