Ashton ESG 23 Year Salute Cigar Review
Some cigars are made to be everyday smokes. Others are built around an occasion. The Ashton ESG 23 Year Salute definitely falls into the second category.
Part of the highly regarded Ashton Estate Sun Grown (ESG) line, the 23 Year Salute is a premium Dominican cigar made for smokers looking for something a little more refined and memorable. It combines aged Dominican tobaccos with a distinctive Dominican sun-grown wrapper, creating a cigar that delivers richness without simply relying on strength.
At The Cigar Store, we consider the Ashton ESG 23 Year Salute the type of cigar that deserves some extra time. Pour your favorite drink, find a comfortable chair, and don’t rush it.
Ashton ESG 23 Year Salute Cigar Details
Size: 6 1/4 x 52
Shape: Toro
Wrapper: Dominican Sun Grown
Binder: Dominican
Filler: Dominican
Country of Origin: Dominican Republic
Factory: Tabacalera A. Fuente y Cia.
Strength: Medium to Full
Body: Medium to Full
The ESG line is produced for Ashton by the Fuente family, one of the most respected names in premium cigars. One of the things that separates ESG from Ashton’s regular production is its rare Dominican sun-grown wrapper.
First Impressions
The Ashton ESG 23 Year Salute immediately looks like a premium cigar.
The wrapper has a rich brown color with a slight natural sheen. It’s smooth overall, with enough texture and visible veins to remind you that you’re looking at a natural tobacco leaf rather than something manufactured to look perfect.
Construction feels firm and substantial in the hand without being overly packed. The cap is neatly applied, and the cigar has the polished appearance you’d expect at this price level.
Before lighting, the aroma offers hints of cedar, earth, leather, and natural tobacco sweetness. The cold draw is similarly inviting, with cedar and a little spice beginning to show.
The First Third
Once lit, the 23 Year Salute doesn’t waste much time introducing itself.
The opening brings a noticeable combination of cedar, pepper, earth, and toasted tobacco. There’s some spice, particularly through the retrohale, but it doesn’t overwhelm the cigar.
As the first inch develops, the initial pepper begins to settle and a subtle sweetness starts working its way into the profile. You may pick up hints of caramel, roasted nuts, and coffee behind the stronger cedar and tobacco flavors.
There’s plenty happening, but the flavors don’t seem to fight with one another. That’s one of the things we like about the ESG. It’s complex without feeling like it’s trying too hard to prove it.
The Second Third
The middle portion is where the Ashton ESG 23 Year Salute really begins to show its character.
The cedar remains, but the cigar becomes creamier and more rounded. Leather, espresso, toasted nuts, earth, and baking spice move in and out of the profile. There’s also an underlying natural sweetness that helps balance the darker flavors.
At times, you may notice a cocoa or dark chocolate note, particularly when smoking slowly.
The strength gradually increases, but the ESG isn’t a cigar that needs to knock you over to get your attention. The focus is much more on balance, aroma, and flavor.
This is also where the quality of the tobacco becomes especially noticeable. The smoke is thick and aromatic, and the finish tends to linger pleasantly between draws.
The Final Third
By the final third, the 23 Year Salute becomes richer and a little more powerful.
The earthy and roasted tobacco flavors become more prominent, while espresso, dark chocolate, leather, cedar, and pepper return with greater intensity. The sweetness is still there, although it becomes more subtle as the cigar approaches the finish.
There’s enough strength in the last portion to satisfy experienced cigar smokers, but assuming you smoke it at a relaxed pace, it generally avoids becoming harsh or excessively hot.
Take your time here. Puffing too quickly can bury some of the more subtle flavors and increase the heat.
The Burn and Draw
Construction is an important part of the experience when you’re buying a cigar at the premium end of the market, and the Ashton ESG 23 Year Salute generally delivers what you’d expect.
The draw should provide just enough resistance while still producing plenty of smoke. The burn is typically steady, and the ash tends to hold together nicely.
As with any handmade premium cigar, an occasional touch-up is always possible, but good examples of the 23 Year Salute tend to require very little attention.
More importantly, the cigar’s construction allows you to concentrate on the flavor rather than constantly worrying about keeping it burning.
Flavor Profile
Expect a combination of:
Cedar
Leather
Earth
Espresso
Toasted nuts
Cocoa and dark chocolate
Baking spices
Black pepper
Natural tobacco sweetness
Subtle caramel
Not every smoker will identify every one of these flavors, of course. That’s part of the fun of smoking premium cigars. Your palate, what you’ve eaten or had to drink, and even how quickly you smoke can change what you notice.
Strength and Body
We’d put the Ashton ESG 23 Year Salute in the medium-to-full-bodied range.
Experienced cigar smokers should find it satisfying without being overpowering. Someone accustomed primarily to mild cigars may find the final third considerably stronger than the opening.
If you’re new to stronger premium cigars, we’d recommend enjoying the ESG after a meal rather than on an empty stomach.
What to Drink With an Ashton ESG 23 Year Salute
This cigar pairs especially well with drinks that complement its cedar, espresso, spice, and natural sweetness.
Bourbon is an excellent choice. The vanilla, oak, and caramel character found in many bourbons works beautifully with the ESG’s sweeter and woodier notes.
Aged rum is another good pairing, especially if you enjoy bringing out the cigar’s caramel and baking-spice flavors.
For Scotch drinkers, we’d lean toward a Speyside or Highland Scotch rather than an extremely smoky Islay. You don’t want the drink completely covering up the cigar.
And don’t overlook coffee. A good espresso or dark roast makes an excellent non-alcoholic pairing and brings out the roasted coffee and cocoa characteristics in the cigar.
Who Is the Ashton ESG 23 Year Salute For?
This isn’t necessarily the cigar we’d hand to someone smoking their very first premium cigar.
It’s better suited to a smoker who has developed enough of a palate to appreciate the transitions and subtleties that make the ESG special.
It’s an excellent choice for:
Experienced premium cigar smokers
Ashton and Arturo Fuente fans
Smokers who enjoy Dominican tobacco
Anyone who appreciates medium-to-full-bodied cigars
Birthdays and anniversaries
Weddings and celebrations
Holiday gifts
A relaxing after-dinner cigar
And sometimes you don’t need a special occasion. Having an hour or two to yourself can be reason enough.
Is the Ashton ESG 23 Year Salute Worth the Price?
That’s probably the biggest question surrounding a cigar like this.
The Ashton ESG 23 Year Salute isn’t an inexpensive cigar, and there are plenty of good cigars available for considerably less money. But you’re not buying the ESG because you’re searching for the cheapest way to smoke a cigar.
You’re paying for premium tobacco, Fuente craftsmanship, a distinctive Dominican sun-grown wrapper, complexity, and consistency.
For an everyday cigar, the price may be difficult for some smokers to justify. For a special occasion—or for someone who simply enjoys premium cigars and doesn’t mind spending more for them—the 23 Year Salute makes much more sense.
It’s the cigar equivalent of opening a better bottle from the cabinet.
Our Overall Impression
The Ashton ESG 23 Year Salute is a cigar that earns its premium reputation through balance rather than brute strength.
The combination of cedar, leather, coffee, cocoa, earth, spice, and natural sweetness keeps the cigar interesting from beginning to end. The profile changes enough along the way to hold your attention, but the transitions are smooth rather than dramatic.
What we particularly like about this cigar is that it doesn’t need to overpower your palate to feel substantial. There’s strength, especially toward the finish, but the real attraction is the quality and depth of the tobacco.
If you already enjoy Ashton cigars but want something richer than the company’s classic offerings, the ESG line is a logical place to go.
The Cigar Store Rating
Flavor: 9.3/10
Construction: 9.4/10
Burn: 9.2/10
Complexity: 9.4/10
Overall Experience: 9.4/10
Overall Rating: 94/100
Final Thoughts
The Ashton ESG 23 Year Salute cigar is an impressive Dominican premium that combines craftsmanship, complexity, and a rich flavor profile without becoming unnecessarily aggressive.
From the opening cedar and pepper to the coffee, leather, nuts, cocoa, and deeper earthy flavors toward the finish, there’s enough progression to keep experienced smokers interested all the way down.
Is it an everyday cigar? Probably not for most people.
But if you’re celebrating something, looking for a premium gift, or simply want to spend an evening with a cigar that’s a few steps above the ordinary, the Ashton ESG 23 Year Salute deserves a spot on your list.