Criollo 98 by Alec Bradley is a new premium cigar that introduces the latest wrapper to come out of Cuba. Says Alan Rubin, company president, “We see a continuing parade of new tobaccos coming from Cuba – lately, it was Havana 2000, followed by Corojo – and now, Criollo, which is one of the most exciting. Its rich, reddish-brown wrapper leaf is thick, like most Cuban tobacco, with an unusually opulent oily sheen. Wrapper tobacco contributes much to a cigar's overall taste, and this Criollo leaf has a flavor to match its rich appearance,”

The Criollo wrapper's first-generation seeds were imported directly to Nicaragua from Cuba in 1999, and grown in the Jalapa Valley. Three years were required for it to reach its fullest potential, and “It is spectacular,” states Alan Rubin.