Atabey Cigars

Brand History

Developed by Nelson Alfonso—the creative mind behind some of the most famous Cuban packaging designs in history—the brand draws its name from the Taino goddess of the earth. Hand-rolled in Costa Rica, Atabey commands massive respect in the industry due to its obsessive, ultra-premium production standards. By strictly limiting their annual output, Selected Tobacco S.A. ensures that every single wrapper, binder, and filler leaf, sourced from a highly guarded terroir, meets their exacting criteria..

The general flavor profile of the brand is overwhelmingly smooth, offering a highly approachable medium-bodied strength for the core line, and pushing into a richer medium-full territory with the Black edition. While the exact binder and filler recipes remain a closely guarded secret, the verified inclusion of Peruvian ligero provides a balanced, flavorful kick without overwhelming the palate. Smokers will find creamy tasting notes of cedar, toasted almond, and subtle white pepper. Each elite cigar roller on the factory floor is highly trained to bunch the delicate seco and potent ligero leaves perfectly, creating an optimal smoking session from foot to cap.

A fascinating fun fact about this factory is their unparalleled resting protocol in the aging room. While most premium cigars rest for just a few months, Atabey cigars are aged for at least five full years after being rolled. During this time, the humidity is carefully reduced in rooms lined with five different types of wood: Cuban, Spanish, Lebanese, Brazilian, and Mexican cedar. This complex method allows the cigars to breathe and properly marry their heavy oils, resulting in an incredibly refined smoke that entirely justifies the premium atabey cigars price tag.

Featured Blends & Ratings

Atabey: The core of the brand offering is a medium-bodied triumph wrapped in a pristine Ecuadorian Shade leaf. Handcrafted in Costa Rica, the closely guarded binder and filler combination utilizes Peruvian ligero to deliver a highly complex profile. Expect an incredibly smooth draw with rich tasting notes of vanilla, toasted cedar, and creamy caramel. Available in heavily sought-after vitolas like Ídolos, Benditos, Delirios and Dioses, this elegant smoke maintains a perfect burn line. This blend continues to receive ratings above 87 points from halfwheel. This cigars are available in Double Corona, Robusto, Robusto Gordo, Giant, Torpedo, Toro, Short Panatela, and Lancero.

Atabey Black: For those wanting a deeper profile, this ultra-premium blend steps up to a medium-full bodied strength. It utilizes a darker, heavier Ecuadorian wrapper over the brand’s secretive Costa Rican-rolled binder and filler core. This robust recipe amplifies the earthiness, delivering potent tasting notes of dark roasted coffee, leather, and black pepper. Aged under the exact same rigorous five-year, multi-cedar protocol, it maintains the brand’s signature smooth finish while offering a noticeable increase in strength. This blend includes cigars rated above 89 points by Halfwheel. Available in Robusto Size.