Marcus Daniel Cigars: Naples, Little Havana, and the Entubado Roll
Marcus Daniel is an independent American cigar house that owns its own shop in Olde Naples, Florida, and has its Miami Collection rolled by Cuban torcedores on Calle Ocho using the entubado method. Small runs, house blends, no mass distribution. Here is every line we carry, wrapper by wrapper.
Shop Marcus Daniel cigars Ask what is in the humidorMost cigar brands are made by a factory and sold by someone else. Marcus Daniel works the other way around: a tobacconist who blends and commissions his own cigars, sells them mostly through his own store, and keeps the runs small enough that lines move in and out of availability. The company carries the tagline "Bringing The Romance Back To Tobacco Since 1994" and operates Marcus Daniel Tobacconist at 609 8th Street South in Olde Naples, Florida, a whole-store humidor just off Fifth Avenue.
The founder, Marcus Daniel, is a native of Northern California who entered the tobacco trade at twenty-three and has since put his name on more than two dozen proprietary blends. Production runs across the Dominican Republic, Honduras and Little Havana in Miami, with the Dominican work specifically in Santiago.
A tobacconist who blends his own
The business is registered as Marcus Daniel, Inc., with a trademark portfolio running back to 2003 covering the house marks: Mamino, Pichilingo, Coopera, Cuban Substitutes, Bidwell Blend, Club Alejo and the Marcus Daniel name itself. The Naples store rolls cigars on the premises and stocks a full multi-brand humidor alongside the house lines.
The founder splits his time between Naples and Calle Ocho in Little Havana, which is where the Miami-made blends are produced. He has also named one of his projects, Club Alejo, as a tribute to the late Cuban tobacco grower Alejandro Robaina.
Entubado: why the Miami cigars draw the way they do
The Miami Collection cigars are rolled by Cuban torcedores in Little Havana using the entubado method. Instead of folding or booking the filler leaves flat into the bunch, the roller rolls each individual filler leaf into a small tube, then gathers the tubes together. It is slower and takes a more experienced hand.
What it buys you is airflow. Each tube forms its own channel, so smoke moves through the whole cross-section of the cigar rather than favoring one path. In practice that means an even burn, a cooler smoke, and less of the tight-draw problem that plagues densely bunched cigars. The alternative methods you will see referenced elsewhere are booking (leaves stacked flat like pages) and accordion (leaves folded in a fan).
Every Marcus Daniel line we carry
| Line | Wrapper | Binder / Filler | Made in | Strength |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Habano · Miami Collection | Ecuadorian Sun Grown | Nicaragua / Nicaragua | Little Havana, Miami | Medium to full |
| Special Maduro · Miami Collection | San Andrés Maduro | Nicaragua / Nicaragua | Little Havana, Miami | Full |
| Sumatra · Dominican Collection | Ecuadorian Sumatra | Dominican / Dominican | Dominican Republic | Medium to full |
| Spanish Market Selection · Dominican Collection | Brazilian | Dominican / Dominican | Dominican Republic | Medium to full |
| Shade Grown · Classic | Connecticut | Dominican / Dominican | Dominican Republic | Mild |
| Kiev · Limited Reserve, European Selection | Ecuadorian Habano | Dominican / Dominican | Santiago, Dominican Republic | Mild to medium |
| Mamino Connecticut · Limited Edition | Connecticut natural | Dominican / Dominican | Dominican Republic | Mild to medium |
| Mamino Dark Ecuador · Limited Edition | Ecuadorian Habano, Colorado shade | Dominican / Dominican | Dominican Republic | Medium |
Other house marks that appear in the maker's wider catalog: Proprietor's Blend, Sun Grown Classic, We The People, Bartolomé Masó, Pichilingo, Coopera, Cuban Substitutes, Cameroon Secrets, Bidwell Blend, Tuco and Cuban Contraband. Availability moves. Everything currently listed online is below.
The Miami Collection
Two blends, both Nicaraguan inside, both rolled entubado in Little Havana. They are the strongest cigars in the range and the ones that most clearly show what the Cuban rolling tradition does for construction.
Habano, Miami Collection
Ecuadorian sun-grown wrapper over Nicaraguan binder and filler. Sun-grown Ecuadorian leaf is thicker and oilier than the shade-grown version of the same seed, because full exposure thickens the leaf and concentrates the oils. Medium to full, and the Nicaraguan core gives it real pepper.
The full line runs Coronabusto 4.5 x 44, Robusto 5 x 50, Toro 6 x 52, Lancero 6.75 x 38, Pyramid 6 x 54, No. 1 at 7 x 50, Super Torpedo 8 x 54 and an "A" at 9 x 50. The Toro is not listed online at the moment; call us and we will tell you what is in the box.
Special Maduro, Miami Collection
Mexican San Andrés maduro wrapper over Nicaraguan binder and filler. San Andrés is the valley in Veracruz that produces the maduro wrapper most blenders reach for when they want dark sweetness without the bitterness a badly fermented broadleaf can carry. This is the fullest cigar in the Marcus Daniel range. We stock it in the perfecto shape.
Line sizes include Corona 5.5 x 46, Corona Gorda 5.75 x 48, Robusto 5 x 50, Toro 6 x 52, Short Pyramid 4.5 x 54, Pyramid 6 x 54, No. 1 at 7.5 x 50 and Super Torpedo 8 x 54. This one is also a phone order rather than a web listing right now.
The Dominican Collection
Sumatra Toro
Ecuadorian Sumatra wrapper over Dominican binder and filler. Sumatra seed grown in Ecuador gives a medium-brown, slightly reddish leaf with a distinctive dry spice and a cedar edge that sets it apart from Habano seed. Medium to full.
Line sizes: Short Perfecto 4.625 x 54, Robusto Largo 5.5 x 54, Toro 6 x 52, Perfecto 6 x 51, Salomon 7 x 60. We have the Toro in the humidor; it is not on the site, so call for it.
Spanish Market Selection Toro
Brazilian wrapper over Dominican binder and filler. Brazilian leaf, usually Mata Fina or Arapiraca from Bahia, brings a dark sweetness and a slightly earthy, almost cocoa-like character that neither Connecticut nor Habano seed produces. Medium to full.
Spanish Market Selection Toro 6 x 52, in the same size run as the Sumatra.
Shade Grown Classic Gran Corona
Connecticut wrapper over Dominican binder and filler. The mildest thing the house makes and the one for a morning cigar. Shade-grown leaf is raised under cover so it stays thin, elastic and pale, with low oil content and a gentle profile.
Shade Grown Classic Gran Corona 6 x 54. The line runs ten sizes.
Mamino, the limited edition perfectos
Mamino is a registered house mark released as a limited edition in two wrapper expressions, both built as perfectos. A perfecto is closed at both ends and tapers at the head and the foot, which changes how the cigar smokes: it starts narrow and concentrated, opens out through the belly, then tightens again. It is a harder shape to roll well and a more interesting one to smoke.
| Mamino | Wrapper | Strength | Sizes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Connecticut | Connecticut natural | Mild to medium | Small Perfecto 4.75 x 54, Large Perfecto 6 x 62 |
| Dark Ecuador | Ecuadorian Habano, Colorado shade | Medium | Small Perfecto 4.75 x 54, Large Perfecto 6 x 62 |
Being a limited edition, Mamino comes and goes. Ask us what is on hand.
Kiev, the European Selection
Kiev is the Limited Reserve line, named for the city and blended for the European market. Ecuadorian Habano wrapper over Dominican binder and filler, handmade in Santiago, Dominican Republic, and produced in very limited quantities on a twelve to eighteen month import cycle. Mild to medium, which is unusual for a Habano-wrapped cigar and comes down to the Dominican core underneath.
We stock the Kiev Limited Reserve Toro Especial 6 x 54. The full line runs eleven sizes. There is also a Kiev Cloud Grown expression on an Ecuadorian Connecticut wrapper, milder again.
Cuba Toro Gordo
We also carry the Marcus Daniel Cuba Toro Gordo. We are not going to publish a blend specification for it that we cannot source, so we will say only what we know: it is a Marcus Daniel house cigar in the toro gordo format. Call us and we will tell you what is in the box in front of us.
Wrappers, binder, filler, and the words on the label
Every cigar on this page is a long-filler handmade. Three components.
Wrapper (capa)
The outer leaf. It drives most of the flavor and all of the appearance. Across the Marcus Daniel range: Connecticut shade, Ecuadorian Habano, Ecuadorian Sumatra, Ecuadorian sun-grown, Brazilian, Honduran and Mexican San Andrés maduro.
Wrapper shades, palest to darkest: Double Claro / Candela Claro Colorado Claro Colorado Colorado Maduro Maduro Oscuro
Binder (capote) and filler (tripa)
The binder holds the bunch. The filler is the core, and in a long-filler cigar those are whole leaves running the length of the stick, selected by where they grew on the plant.
| Leaf | Position | Role |
|---|---|---|
| Ligero | Top of the plant | Most sun, most oil, most nicotine. Strength and depth. Burns slowest, so it sits at the core. |
| Seco | Middle | Aroma and mid-palate flavor. The balance leaf. |
| Volado | Lower | Thin and mild. Combustion. |
| Medio Tiempo | The crown, above ligero | Two rare leaves per plant. Very concentrated, used sparingly. |
Written phonetically it comes out "lahero" or "lejero", but the word is ligero, lee-HEH-roh. Other parts of the plant you will see referenced: the corona or crown at the top, the midrib or stem that gets stripped from wrapper leaf, and the priming levels the leaves are picked in from the ground up.
Sizes and vitolas
Length in inches by ring gauge, ring gauge being diameter in 64ths of an inch.
| Vitola | Size | In the range |
|---|---|---|
| Small Perfecto | 4.75 x 54 | Mamino Connecticut, Mamino Dark Ecuador |
| Toro | 6 x 52 | Habano Miami, Sumatra, Spanish Market Selection |
| Toro Especial | 6 x 54 | Kiev Limited Reserve |
| Gran Corona | 6 x 54 | Shade Grown Classic |
| Toro Gordo | 6 x 60 range | Cuba Toro Gordo |
| Large Perfecto | 6 x 62 | Mamino, both wrappers |
| Salomon | 7 x 60 | Sumatra, Spanish Market Selection |
| Super Torpedo | 8 x 54 | Habano Miami, Special Maduro |
Elsewhere in our catalog you will meet Petit Corona, Corona, Corona Gorda, Robusto, Rothschild, Lonsdale, Lancero, Panetela, Belicoso, Torpedo, Piramide, Churchill, Double Corona, Presidente, Gordo, Super Gordo, Culebra and Diadema.
Small runs mean the shelf changes faster than the website. Ask what is actually in the humidor.
Shop Marcus Daniel Call 1 818-719-9885What we taste, from our own humidor
Habano Miami Collection Toro
The construction is the first thing you notice. Draw is open and even from the first puff, which is what entubado bunching is for. Flavor opens on black pepper and toasted bread, settles into leather and a dry cedar note, and the last third picks up sweetness. Ash is tight and pale. Around eighty minutes.
Special Maduro Perfecto
Dark and heavy. The San Andrés wrapper gives dried fig and cocoa up front, then espresso underneath. The perfecto shape means the first inch is concentrated before it opens out. Not a starter cigar and not one to smoke on an empty stomach.
Sumatra Toro
Dry spice, cedar and a clean nuttiness. The Sumatra wrapper reads distinctly different from a Habano: less sweetness, more of a woody backbone. Even burn, no touch-ups needed.
Spanish Market Selection Toro
The Brazilian wrapper shows immediately as a dark, slightly earthy sweetness. Cocoa, coffee, a raisin note at the halfway point. Fuller than the Sumatra and sweeter.
Mamino Dark Ecuador Small Perfecto
A short smoke with more going on than the size suggests. Toasted almond and light pepper opening, then a cocoa turn in the belly of the perfecto where the ring gauge peaks. Forty-five minutes. Worth reaching for when you do not have an hour.
Kiev Limited Reserve Toro Especial
Surprisingly gentle for a Habano wrapper. Cream, cedar, light white pepper on the retrohale. The Dominican filler keeps it mild to medium throughout. Good with morning coffee.
Shade Grown Classic Gran Corona
Hay, cream, blanched almond. The mildest cigar in the range and one we hand people who find Nicaraguan blends too aggressive.
Pairing, cutting, storage
The mild lines, Shade Grown and Kiev and Mamino Connecticut, want coffee or a light rum. Sumatra and Spanish Market take bourbon well. The Miami Collection blends can handle a peated scotch or a real espresso without vanishing.
Perfectos need a careful cut. Take just enough off the tapered head to open the draw and no more, because cutting past the shoulder on a perfecto will unravel it. A small guillotine or a punch works. See our cutters and lighters. Store at 65 to 70 percent relative humidity, 68 to 70 degrees, in a proper humidor with good humidification.
The bottom line
Marcus Daniel is a merchant's brand in the oldest sense: someone who sells cigars for a living deciding what he wants on his own shelf and having it made. The Miami Collection is the reason to pay attention, because entubado rolling by Cuban torcedores is a real construction advantage and you can feel it on the draw. The Dominican lines are more conventional and priced accordingly. Availability moves, so when a line you like is in, buy the box.
Keep exploring
If you like the Miami roll: El Septimo · Espinosa · La Aroma de Cuba
If you like the Dominican lines: Arturo Fuente · Ashton · Davidoff · La Aurora
Questions people actually ask
Who is Marcus Daniel?
The founder of Marcus Daniel, Inc., a tobacconist and blender based in Naples, Florida, who has created more than two dozen proprietary cigar blends. He runs Marcus Daniel Tobacconist in Olde Naples and splits his time between there and Little Havana in Miami.
Where are Marcus Daniel cigars made?
The company states production across the Dominican Republic, Honduras and Little Havana, Miami. The Dominican cigars are made in Santiago. The Miami Collection is rolled on Calle Ocho by Cuban torcedores.
What is the entubado method?
A Cuban bunching technique where each filler leaf is rolled into an individual tube before the bunch is assembled, rather than folded flat. It creates multiple airflow channels, which gives an even burn and a cooler, more consistent draw. It is slower to roll and requires an experienced torcedor.
Which Marcus Daniel cigar is the strongest?
The Special Maduro from the Miami Collection, on a San Andrés maduro wrapper over Nicaraguan binder and filler. The Habano Miami is next.
Which is best for a beginner?
The Shade Grown Classic on a Connecticut wrapper, or the Kiev Limited Reserve. Both are mild and forgiving.
Why are some lines not listed on the website?
The house works in small runs and the shelf changes faster than the catalog. Several blends sit in our humidor without a live listing. Call us on 1 818-719-9885 and we will tell you what is on hand.
What is Mamino?
A limited edition line released in two wrapper expressions, Connecticut natural and Ecuadorian Habano in a Colorado shade, both built as perfectos in a 4.75 x 54 small and a 6 x 62 large.
Why is the Kiev line called that?
The company says it was inspired by the city of Kiev and blended for the European market. It is produced in very limited quantities and imported on a twelve to eighteen month cycle.
What is a San Andrés wrapper?
Tobacco from the San Andrés valley in Veracruz, Mexico. It is the most widely used maduro wrapper in premium cigars because it ferments to a dark, sweet, cocoa-forward leaf without the harshness poorly fermented broadleaf can carry.
How do I cut a perfecto?
Take a small amount off the tapered head, just enough to open the draw. Cutting past the shoulder where the taper widens will cause the wrapper to unravel. A small guillotine or a punch cutter is safer than a wide cut.
What does ligero mean?
The leaf from the top of the tobacco plant. It gets the most sun, carries the most oil and nicotine, and burns slowest, which is why it sits at the center of the bunch. Seco is the middle leaf for aroma, volado the lower leaf for burn.
What is the difference between sun grown and shade grown?
Shade-grown leaf is raised under cloth or cloud cover, staying thin, pale and elastic with low oil. Sun-grown leaf gets full exposure, which thickens it and concentrates oils, producing a darker wrapper with more flavor and body.
What is Brazilian wrapper tobacco?
Usually Mata Fina or Arapiraca leaf from the Bahia region. It gives a dark, sweet, slightly earthy character with cocoa notes, distinct from both Connecticut and Habano seed.
How should I store these?
65 to 70 percent relative humidity at 68 to 70 degrees Fahrenheit. Perfectos in particular suffer in dry storage because the tapered ends dry first.
Do you ship Marcus Daniel cigars?
Yes, to states where we are permitted to ship. Adult signature required at delivery.
For adults 21+. Please enjoy responsibly.
Cigar Inc. · 21900 Burbank Blvd UNIT 265, Woodland Hills, CA 91367 · 1 818-719-9885 · Info@Cigarinc.com
