Enthusiasts of wine, beer, whiskey, and almost any other form of alcohol are most likely familiar with the Spanish term “solera,” but when the term is applied to premium cigars, the same enthusiasts may be left scratching their heads…

For those unfamiliar, the solera process is an aging technique used to bring enhanced blending and consistency to a spirit. Essentially, you have a row of barrels containing different vintages of the same spirit; when the oldest barrel is tapped (only partially) and bottled, the next oldest barrel is used to refill the tapped barrel. This process continues down the line until the youngest bottle is filled with fresh distillate. No barrel is ever fully dumped, therefore the finished product is more mature each time the cycle completes.

Now for the cigar part. Aging Room Cigars, known for their small-batch production and usage of select tobacco vintages, has adopted a form of solera aging for the realm of premium cigars, releasing a suite of blends known as “Aging Room Solera.” The process involves aging different tobacco varietals and vintages together post-fermentation—allowing the leaves to meld and impart intermingling flavors. Tobaccos are typically only blended when rolled into the finished product, but Aging Room Solera introduces this stage to a blend of Dominican Habano tobaccos for a minimum of one year before being rolled into cigars.

Aging Room Solera Shade is the most mild blend in the Solera series. For this version, the cigar’s premium, solera-aged, Dominican filler/binder tobaccos have been finished in a silky smooth Ecuadorian Connecticut Shade wrapper. This combination allows for a body just under medium, showing smooth and creamy nuances of honey, wheat, light malts, lemon grass, and sweet, sweet vanilla!