Leonel Signature

The Signature Cigars from Leonel are an in-house brand by fellow cigar retailer Paul Bugge, or rather father and son Höldke, who have been running the shop and online business in Villingen-Schwenningen for many years. All tobaccos used in the Leonel Signature line come from Nicaragua; only the wrapper varies depending on the version.

Cigars by Bugge: Leonel Signature

Visually, the currently available vitolas in this series are reminiscent of cigars from Oscar Valladares, who has long used this type of packaging with his The Leaf Cigars. Since the Höldkes handled distribution of his cigars until 2020, it is reasonable to assume that they were looking for an alternative product to fill the resulting gap in their portfolio. That’s not necessarily a bad thing, but the timing strongly suggests this conclusion.

Leonel Signature: Cigars With Maduro and Connecticut

The light Signature cigars use a Connecticut wrapper, while the dark Signature cigars feature a dark, oily Maduro wrapper. Both Toro vitolas are additionally wrapped in a decorative tobacco leaf, which is not intended to be smoked. Accordingly, the two elegant anillas (cigar bands) and the outer leaf should be removed before lighting.