Blimey, Havana House aren’t messing about. After months of anticipation, first sparked by a brief reveal last August — last month they finally released their first custom-blended cigar at a really reasonable price point… and it tastes great!

In recent years, several UK retailers have launched their own house blends. JJ Fox introduced the Fox House Blend, C.Gars Ltd created Puffin Cigars, and Sautter Cigars released the London Tatuaje Series. With the debut of Cortesano, Havana House joins this growing trend, producing a proprietary cigar.

Creating Cortesano was a meticulous process. It took nearly two years for Paresh Patel (the owner), Josh, and the Havana House team to find the right factory partner, eventually collaborating with Eladio Diaz, who has crafted some of Davidoff’s most celebrated blends, including Limited Editions.

Once the blend was finalised, production continued for over a year. The cigars were rolled, aged, and shipped from the Dominican Republic, while the team carefully developed the visual identity — from the bands to the packaging — culminating in the UK launch.

The name Cortesano is inspired by history: a cortesano was a nobleman in service to the royal court, tasked with travelling far and wide to secure the finest treasures. Havana House uses this metaphor to describe its own journey to the Dominican Republic in search of exceptional tobacco, resulting in a cigar designed for discerning smokers.

The details

So let’s get down to the nitty-gritty – the first release, the Cortesano Origen Toro, is a hand-rolled Dominican cigar featuring a Corojo 99 wrapper over a Mexican Negro San Andrés binder. The filler blend combines Corojo 99, Habano 20/20, Piloto Cubano, Corojo Original, and Habano 92 tobaccos.

Ring gauge: 52
Length: 6in
Vitola: Origen Toro
Origin: Dominican Republic
Strength: Medium
Wrapper: Corojo 99

Havana House describes the Origen Toro as “a medium-strength cigar designed to deliver consistency throughout the smoke,” with tasting notes highlighting smooth, creamy flavors of salted caramel and toasted nuts, evolving into cedar and soft leather as the cigar progresses.

On the website, Paresh Patel says “I am incredibly proud to see our very first blend, the Cortesano Origen Toro, officially enter the market. This cigar has truly been a labour of love over the past few years, and I couldn’t be prouder of what my team and I have achieved together in bringing our vision to life.

From the very beginning, our goal was simple, to create a cigar we would genuinely want to smoke every single day, and I’m delighted that we have accomplished exactly that. The response from both our customers and the UK cigar industry has been nothing short of phenomenal.

With this milestone reached, I’m already back to the drawing board, focused on developing the next blend in the Cortesano series.”

My review

On a cold February evening, I smoked a Toro on my balcony before flying to the Dominican Republic for the ProCigar Festival.

The construction was excellent — well-packed with a fresh feel thanks to the included Boveda pack. The burn started slightly uneven, though that may have been my own lighting technique.

The first third offered a pleasant, sweet, and mild opening, with floral notes reminiscent of Cuban custom rolls. There was a creamy aroma that reminded me strongly of marzipan. The second third developed into a medium-bodied profile while retaining the floral character, and the final third introduced a subtle touch of spice without overpowering the balance.

The cigar band and packaging deserve a mention — thoughtful, elegant design that complements the quality inside. If anything, a nod to Windsor might have been a nice touch, given Havana House’s strong local roots, but guessing the rights to that would cost a pretty penny!

My rating: 8.5 out of 10 – A great smoke!

A really enjoyable smoke — a real corker. If I’m being totally honest, I’d place it a close second to the JJ Fox House Blend ahead of the other brands, which is no small feat.

It’s definitely one I’m looking forward to smoking again — I’ve still got one left.

Next time I’d love to see it with a fatter ring gauge, something like a Gordo. I know that’s not the most popular option though, so they’ll probably go Robusto next or maybe even a Lancero after that (that definitely felt like a bit of a trend last year).

For the price, this is terrific. Now we just need boxes of 10! The team at Havana House have absolutely smashed it with this one.