Te Amo is a very popular cigar brand and is referred to as The King of Mexican Cigars.

This brand is one of the top-10 best selling premium cigars brands in the United States according to a 1998 survey. Part of Te Amo's success is that its cigars are generally more affordable than premium brands produced in the Dominican Republic and elsewhere.

For many years, this cigar was made exclusively from tobaccos grown in the San Andres region of Mexico. Recently, due to changes in Mexican law, Te Amo has begun making cigars using wrapper and filler tobaccos from a number of sources, including the new Habana 2000™ wrapper (from Nicaragua), and filler tobaccos from the Dominican Republic, Nicaragua and Mexico.


Te Amo Churchill
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This is a 7½-inch by 50 ring gauge Churchill. This is long-filler cigar that is handmade in San Andres Tuxtla, Mexico. The wrapper is a medium brown / natural  color ("English Market Selection").

The wrapper, binder, and filler tobaccos are all grown in Mexico's famous San Andres Valley, where soil and weather conditions are similar to those found in Cuba. This area is well known for its production of a sun-grown variety of a Sumatra seed tobacco that has a light texture and a slightly sweet and peppery flavor.

This is a medium-bodied cigar, with some earth and wood tones. It burns slowly and evenly, and is very well constructed. I found no defects in head, barrel, or foot of the cigar. In flavor, this cigar was bland and lacked the flavor I expected from a Churchill-sized cigar. During the second half of the smoke, this cigar burned hot and turned unpleasant.


Price and Availability
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I purchased two of these cigars at a retailer in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico (at the Super del Puerto located in the Malecon district).

I paid DDL $42.50 (Pesos) for a each cigar. At exchange rates in effect at the time, this equates to about $5 US. This cigar is available in fairly wide distribution from a number of cigar retailers throughout Mexico and the USA.

If purchased online at J.R. Cigars (www.jrcigars.com), you should be able to buy a box of 25 cigars for about $64.75 U.S. (plus about $5 for shipping). The manufacturer's suggested retail price is $106.25, or $4.25 per cigar.

Te Amo cigars are manufactured for Altadis U.S.A. Inc. under contract by Nueva Matacapan Tabacos in San Andres Tuxtla, Mexico. Nueva Matacapan Tabacos also produces the Matacan line of cigars, a more sweet and flavorful line of cigars that are very reasonably priced.


Recommendations
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I smoked this cigar with a couple of pints of Bass Pale Ale. It's a fine cigar to pair with most any kind of beer, and also goes well with fortified wines, brandies, and tequilas.

I like Te Amo cigars, however, there was nothing exceptional about the Te Amo Churchills I tried.

Before buying this particular cigar again, I would investigate the new Te Amo Anniversario series. This new cigar line is made from tobaccos grown in Mexico, Nicargua, and the Dominican Republic, and promise to deliver more spicy and rich flavors.

Consider, also, the Matacan No. 1 Churchill (also manufactured by Te Amo). A box of 20 Matacan Churchill cigars -- 7½" x 50 gauge with natural or maduro wrappers -- can be purchased for under $30 at J.R. Cigars (normal retail is $45).


Recommended: No

Cigar Name: Te Amo Churchill
Cigar Rating: Smokeable
Price per cigar ($US): 3 - 5.00