El Septimo Culinary Art

The El Septimo cigars first became known for their rarity and their rather ambitious prices. In keeping with our aim of offering customers the widest possible range, we imported the first cigars from this premium brand from Costa Rica ourselves as early as 2018. Since 2019, US-Armenian real estate entrepreneur Zaya Younan has been responsible for the originally French cigar brand, which is produced in Costa Rica. It was founded back in 2005 by French cigar merchant Gilles Botquin and was therefore almost exclusively represented in Europe.

El Septimo Cigars: Luxury from Costa Rica for Connoisseurs

Zaya Younan set out to change this and to make a push into the US cigar market as well. To that end, in 2021 he brought on board, for example, the former head of sales at Ashton Cigars, Chip Goldeen, whose many years of experience and extensive network were intended to take these cigars from Costa Rica to new heights. Zaya sees the El Septimo cigars as a sleeping giant that is set to enrich the world of premium cigars.

Among other things, this also led to the launch of the comparatively very attractively priced cigars in the Culinary Art series. All four formats each reference a wine-growing region, one of the other fields of activity of the family, which owns several wineries in France. Wine enthusiasts will easily recognize the inspiration: Rioja takes its name from the region in southern Spain, while Nigori is named after a sweet Japanese sake. Toscana is named after the region in Italy, and Bordeaux is certainly self-explanatory.

Aromas in the Test: Culinary Art Cigars from El Septimo

All tobaccos used are identical; only the proportions of the individual components vary, which in turn results in subtle differences in flavor. The wrapper is an Ecuadorian Connecticut, rolled over an Ecuadorian H-2000 binder and fillers from Brazil, the Dominican Republic, Ecuador, and Nicaragua. The company states that all tobaccos have been aged for at least five years.

Personally, I found the El Septimo Culinary Art Bordeaux a bit too large; these 6x60 formats are simply not my thing. As a second test sample, while writing this article I am currently enjoying the Toscana; I get along very well with this mild and harmonious cigar. On the cold draw, distinct cocoa notes are evident; in the smoke it is lightly woody, perhaps even slightly herbal – all without even a hint of pepper or spice. These cigars are certainly not an aroma bomb for the more experienced aficionado late in the evening, but as a mild cigar during the day or in the evening for lovers of mild cigars, they are perfectly suited.