Ashton crafted the Virgin Sun Grown in 1999 as a bold statement, and it still holds court at the top of the full-bodied category. The star of the blend is a dark, oily Sumatra-seed wrapper grown on a private estate in Ecuador, where natural cloud cover filters the sun and slows the leaf's development. From there, the Fuente family ferments it extensively before it wraps four-to-five-year-aged Dominican binder and filler into one of the most highly rated sticks the island has produced.
Espresso, cedar, black pepper, earth, and leather come at you in a wave, building steadily from the first third all the way through. This is a full-strength smoke with real depth and balance, not brute force. If your humidor is missing a go-to full-body cigar, the VSG earns that spot every time.
