The King Street Emporium

La Unica Connecticut

By J.C. Newman

Before 1986, bundle packaging was reserved for factory seconds, cigars not good enough to justify a proper box. Stanford Newman challenged his friend Carlos Fuente Sr. to break that assumption, building a genuinely premium cigar and putting it in an inexpensive cellophane bundle rather than the usual costly trimmings. Carlos picked the sizes, Stanford approved the blend, and within six months La Unica was the best selling premium bundle cigar in America. The line has since moved into cedar cabinet boxes, but the blend and the value proposition haven't changed. The wrapper is Connecticut Shade over a Dominican binder, with aged Cuban seed Dominican long filler. Rated 90 by Cigar Aficionado. Six sizes. Mild to medium in body. Made at Tabacalera A. Fuente in the Dominican Republic.