Brand guide
Ashton cigars
Ashton is a cigar brand created in Philadelphia by Robert Levin in 1985, and its cigars are handmade by the Fuente family at Tabacalera A. Fuente in the Dominican Republic.
Ashton grew out of a Philadelphia tobacco shop
Robert Levin created the Ashton brand in the early 1980s and debuted it in 1985, after decades in his father's Philadelphia cigar shop, Holt's Cigar Company.
He grew up behind that counter in the 1950s and 1960s. In the 1970s he took over Holt's and built out its retail and mail-order trade. Then he wanted a cigar of his own.
Ashton is still a Levin family business. Robert's son, Sathya Levin, now co-heads the company with him.
Who makes Ashton cigars?
Ashton cigars are rolled by hand at the Tabacalera A. Fuente factory in the Dominican Republic.
Shortly after the 1985 debut, Levin partnered with Carlos Fuente Sr. and his son Carlito. Ashton describes it as a partnership, not a sale. The brand belongs to the Levins. The rolling happens inside the Fuente operation. That's the same factory that makes Arturo Fuente's own cigars; see our Arturo Fuente guide for its history.
Ashton tobacco is mostly Dominican
Ashton lists Dominican tobacco inside nearly every line, with the wrapper changing from line to line.
The Classic uses Dominican binder and filler aged three to four years. VSG uses Dominican tobacco aged four to five years. Symmetry is the exception inside: Dominican and Nicaraguan filler.
One wrapper comes from the Fuente farm itself. Cigar Aficionado reports that leaf from Chateau de la Fuente, the Fuente family's wrapper farm in the Dominican Republic, wraps the Ashton Estate Sun Grown as well as Fuente's OpusX.
That makes the ESG a rare case: a cigar sold under one family's name, wrapped in leaf the other family grows and refuses to sell. Carlito Fuente told Cigar Aficionado that Chateau leaf nobody uses gets destroyed rather than sold.
Ashton lines and their stated wrappers
Ashton prints a wrapper and a strength label on each line page.
| Line | Wrapper (maker) | Maker's strength | Notable sizes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ashton (Classic) | Connecticut Shade | Mild | Magnum (5 x 50), Churchill (7 1/2 x 52), Cordial (5 x 30) |
| Cabinet Selection | Connecticut Shade | Mild-Medium | No. 6 (5 1/2 x 50), No. 2 (7 x 48), No. 1 (9 x 52) |
| Aged Maduro | Connecticut Broadleaf | Mild-Medium | No. 10 (5 x 50), No. 50 (7 x 48), No. 56 (6 x 56) |
| VSG (Virgin Sun Grown) | Ecuador Sumatra | Full | Robusto (5 1/2 x 50), Sorcerer (7 x 49), Enchantment (4 3/8 x 60) |
| Symmetry | Ecuador Habano Rosado | Full | Robusto (5 x 50), Prism (5 5/8 x 46), Prestige (6 3/4 x 49) |
The range also includes Estate Sun Grown (ESG), Heritage Puro Sol and Esquire, plus small cigars in Cameroon and Connecticut wrappers.
Ashton milestones
Ashton's timeline is short on public dates, and these are the ones the company and trade press publish.
- 1950s to 1960s: Robert Levin works in Holt's, his father's Philadelphia shop.
- 1970s: Levin takes over Holt's.
- 1985: Ashton debuts.
- Shortly after 1985: Levin partners with the Fuente family to make the brand.
- 1999: VSG launched.
What to know before you buy an Ashton
Ashton's strength labels run from Mild to Full, and the maker prints the label on each line, so the line name tells you where it sits.
Two Connecticut-wrapped lines sit at the mild end, the Classic and Cabinet. Two at the full end, VSG and Symmetry, use Ecuadorian wrappers. For how those labels compare, see the strength and body scale.
Wrapper and strength move together across the range. The Connecticut Shade lines carry the Mild and Mild-Medium labels. The Broadleaf-wrapped Aged Maduro is also listed Mild-Medium, so a dark wrapper here doesn't mean a Full label. The two Ecuadorian-wrapped lines are the ones marked Full.
Sizes run from a 5 x 30 Cordial to a 9 x 52 Cabinet No. 1. The Cabinet No. 10 is listed as a perfecto. Compare shapes on the size chart, and compare Connecticut Shade to Broadleaf on the wrapper color chart.
Ashton questions
Who makes Ashton cigars?
Ashton cigars are handmade at the Tabacalera A. Fuente factory in the Dominican Republic, under a partnership between the Levin and Fuente families.
Who owns Ashton cigars?
Robert Levin created Ashton, and today he co-heads the company with his son, Sathya Levin. Production is a partnership with the Fuente family, not a sale.
What does VSG stand for in Ashton VSG?
VSG stands for Virgin Sun Grown. Ashton lists an Ecuador Sumatra wrapper over Dominican tobaccos and rates the line full in strength.
What wrapper is on the Ashton Classic?
The core Ashton line uses a Connecticut Shade wrapper over Dominican binder and filler aged three to four years, and Ashton labels it mild.
Where the Ashton facts come from
- History of Ashton, Ashton Cigars
- Ashton, Ashton Cigars
- Ashton Virgin Sun Grown (VSG), Ashton Cigars
- Ashton Symmetry, Ashton Cigars
- 20 Years of OpusX, Cigar Aficionado