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El Credito Cigars

El Creditos are handmade cigars, created in the Dominican Republic and the U.S. and packed into bundles. The Nicaraguan and Dominican filler leaves and Connecticut Ecuadorian seed wrappers are the same as those used by La Gloria Cubana, its sister label. These everyday smokes consistently receive excellent reviews from consumers, causing them to be one of the best-selling brands for many retailers.

Whether you visit a cigar store or buy cigars online, you cannot miss the bright yellow bundles of El Creditos. The cigars feature a medium strength and come in multiple sizes, ranging from the 4.5-inch, 40 ring Small Corona to the very impressive nine-inch, 49 ring Gigante. Some sizes feature both natural and Maduro wrappers, providing smokers with additional variety.

A single El Credito costs about $2.50 to $3.30, depending on size. The 25-cigar bundles are very popular, perhaps because they cost just $55 to $70, based on size. El Perrito, which is 5.5 inches long and features a 38 ring, comes in boxes of 50 that sell for about $80. Cigars carrying this brand name generally receive ratings in the high 70s to 80.

Ernesto Carillo left Cuba in 1959 to begin his new life in the U.S. He developed the El Credito factory in Miami, Florida, a series of small stores staffed with workers who hand wrap these smokes. The shop reminds one of Havana at the turn of the century and even caters to customers walking in off the street.

Mr. Carillo says his cigars are made as if the factory was in Cuba, with each person handling a cigar from beginning to end. These few dozen employees manage to create approximately one million cigars each year. Mr. Carillo is modest, saying that the cigar prices are nothing he will get rich from but they allow his company to do well.