In 1994, Kevin Doyle and Caribbean Cigar opened his first retail cigar store in Miami. To stimulate business, Doyle hired two Cuban immigrants to roll cigars in the store's front window. As word of mouth spread, Doyle couldn't keep up with demand and considered manufacturing his own cigar. He named this new cigar, Signature Collection, and took samples to the RTDA. With orders for 7,000 boxes, Caribbean Cigar was in business. The Signature Collection filler is blended primarily with Piloto Cubano Ligero from the Dominican Republic and a mixture of Honduran and Nicaraguan tobacco. The binder is from Nicaragua. The natural wrapper is from Ecuador and the Maduro wrapper is from Pennsylvania. The Signature Collection is made in Caribbean's factory in Santiago, Dominican Republic.

The Signature Collection cigars come in five sizes: Robusto (5 x 50); Corona (6.5 x 42); Churchill (7.25 x 50); Torpedo (6.5 x 52) and; Coronito (5 x 38). All sizes except the Coronito are also available with a Pennsylvania Maduro wrapper. The suggested retail prices ranges from $1.70 through $3.75. The packaging for the Signature Collection was redesigned in the spring of 1998 and the full size cigars (all but the Coronito) got a new box and label and now are packaged in glass tubes

Cigar Weekly reviews are blind taste tests conducted by our readers. Reviewers are sent three samples with all identifying marks removed. Reviewers are chosen randomly from the list of everyone that has signed the Cigar Weekly Guest Book. Their comments are below.

Pre-Smoke Comments

Christopher Jones: Cigar #48 was about a 50 ring in a churchill length. It had a medium brown wrapper with green stains. The ends of all three samples were coming apart, but the cap was well constructed. #48 was veiny, and appropriately firm.

Fred Iaccino: A mild aroma was present, with an pleasing lighter shade wrapper, but too many veins present. Although it appeared to be even textured once examined closely.

Ira Jacobson: Very appealing, colorado claro wrappers.(1 was a genuine rosado color). Minimal veins. Even and firm roll. No bouquet to speak of.

J.D. Koloc: This is a nice looking cigar. Smooth wrapper, good color (EMS), and nice (but mild) pre-lit aroma. Well constructed, but the tips are not the best I've seen. Draws surprisingly easy. The ash is a clean light gray but a little on the flaky side. No running, but slightly uneven.

Ken Urlakis: The three samples arrived in good condition. In the package, they looked well made other than one wrapper was distinctly darker than the other two. The cigars were light brown wrapped with medium veining, good cap and just a few spots. The feel was disappointing. All had significant soft spots and very uneven bunch. The wrapper seemed brittle despite 2-3 weeks in the humidor. The unlit smoke had no distinct aroma but it did draw well.

Mike Hilliard: Very smooth wrap tight yet yielding to the squeeze. Cap is tight and well formed but seemed to be a bit crisp - by crisp I mean it was brittle and cracked a bit when handled. (not all three were this bad)

Richard Zakas: This DC sized cigar was visually appealing and very well constructed. It had a fairly easy draw and burned well. Nice ash & aroma. Someone took a lot of care rolling these cigars.

Steve Reiner: A pretty cigar with a very 'Connecticut' looking wrapper, slightly veiny. Mild, slightly sweet pre-burn aroma.

Smoke Comments

Christopher Jones: Cigar #48 had an overall uneven burn, strong flavor, too harsh for my taste, in fact it burned my throat. It also had a bad after taste. Perhaps this cigar is too robust for me, though it may be suited for others.

Fred Iaccino: My first cigar's draw was unpleasant, it had very easy draw making the cigar harsh... My second & third cigars draw & burn was right on the money the burn being even, probably because it was in my humidor for a longer time period, so the cigar had a more uniform taste. The ash grew to about a half an inch but was not firm.

Ira Jacobson: Even burn in 2 of the 3 samples. Somewhat flaky ash structure. Draw was close to perfect. Nice fragrant aroma. Medium bodied smoke with some sharpness on palate. "Tangy" and "herbal" flavors of Ecuador grown tobacco, with a metallic finish.

J.D. Koloc: The flavor is good though a little thin. Definitely no after bite. Consistently smooth throughout. A slight vegetal quality. This cigar is a good light accompaniment to a Guinness or other dark beverage. The amount of richness is...underwhelming, but the lack of bite makes this a pleasant smoke.

Ken Urlakis: These were fairly unpleasant smokes. They did draw well however the taste missed the mark. This was a medium bodied cigar with a moderate amount of unremarkable smoke. The only flavor that came through was pepper. After about the first third, uniformly, a sharp, biting taste came through. If not obligated to review, I would have pitched these half smoked. They burned uneven but did hold an ash, albeit irregular colored and flaky. There was a hot, metallic aftertaste. By the last third, the stub got very soft and spongy, but never fell apart.

Mike Hilliard: This cigar was so open on the draw I thought it must have a split in the wrapper. It was too easy to draw and before you realized it you had pulled in a huge amount of smoke. This to me was a minus. I prefer a tighter roll and I like to at lease feel some resistance when I pull. The ash "flaked" off and split into many little flakes that fell off while the binder seemed to hold the core together quite well. This cigar had brief moments when a delightful aroma would catch my attention but for the most it was as tasteless as it was easy to draw. Really mild almost as if there were no flavor at all. It didn't burn wasn't bitter, sharp, or anything. I believe this was Dominican with an unknown binder and I haven't a clue as to where the wrapper came from. No veins to speak of and smooth as paper. Very attractive and made me want it to be great but - disappointment.

Richard Zakas: Smoked like a typical DC sized cigar. Had to get about half way into the cigar before it started to shine. I did have a great taste & spiciness from the start. Woody/roasted nut tastes and vegetal notes were competing for attention. Spicy finish with a light saltiness. Only negative was a lack of an abundance of smoke.

Steve Reiner: Very aromatic smoke with sweet wood quality. Very weak on flavor with an un-redeeming aftertaste.

Summary Comments

Christopher Jones: Strongly do not recommend this cigar. Can't recommend a cigar that consistently burned my throat. Perhaps a thicker layer of tar would help.

Fred Iaccino: Furthermore, the cigar had a mild to medium flavor that was pleasant to smoke on any occasion.

Ira Jacobson: While certainly not outstanding, cigar #48 did provide a fair amount of flavor and complexity in a nicely rolled package. The tobacco was well fermented, and the smoke never turned bitter. Was similar to a Casa de Klafter or Don Rene.

J.D. Koloc: I liked this cigar, but could only give it a seven in good conscience. It's just a little too thin to rate any higher. It smoked well and is built like a brick. One of the nicer wrappers I've experienced. Maybe it just needs some more aging to round it out. Well made...Well wrapped...Long fill that's probably young. If you like Dunhills, you'll love this. Not knowing the brand, it's hard to say if this one's a bargain. But if I can get a box of 25 for a Ullysses...I'm there.

Ken Urlakis: This was a hot, biting poorly bunched smoke whose only asset was its draw and it stayed lit. I would not buy this regardless of price with so many good reasonably priced smokes available. If given to me, I would only smoke it as a courtesy to the giver.

Mike Hilliard: I can't imagine this cigar in my humidor. Perhaps I'm spoiled by the Signature's complex little flavors but this cigar didn't give me what I expected. It was well made, almost with a machine like quality it was so even, and I feel it was a high quality filler tobacco it just was not blended with some down and dirty flavors. I smoke two and will smoke the third tonight. I expect the same. I smoked the first Wed. 12th and the second one Sunday the 15th and after the second one I felt I had to smoke a Signature to make sure I wasn't just being too critical. I wasn't.

Richard Zakas: Hope this cigar is not too expensive because I plan to buy some when I find out what it is. It was a smooth smoke with a nice balance & a complexity of tastes. The mild to medium body developed well. Tasty from the start, and consistent throughout. This cigar tasted & smoked like a Macanudo with "attitude".

Steve Reiner: This cigar had a promising appearance and an enjoyable smoke aroma but disappointing actual flavor. Overall a mediocre smoke for me. It was work to smoke the second two samples, didn't really want to finish them. The second one had too tight of a draw to enjoy. (not plugged but too tight to get a good thick smoke)

Scores

Review Results
Final Score: 30.7 out of 50

3 1/2 Stars - Above Average

The Signature Collection Churchill received high scores for appearance but fell short on flavor and taste. In fact, some of the reviewers had trouble finishing the samples. I've smoked other Signature Collection Churchill's before they were packaged in glass tubes that were very good. I'm wondering if storing the cigars in glass tubes for extended periods of time has an effect of the flavor. The reviewers that did enjoy this cigar found it to be mild with some wood flavors.

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