In 2022, Illusione Cigars would quietly unveil its version of the Allegria brand. It was back in 2017 when Dion Giolito acquired two cigar brands, OneOff and Allegria. These are brands created by Andrea Molinar – and achieved a cult status in the marketplace. However, the brand fell dormant and pretty much disappeared from retail […]
Cigar Review: E.P. Carrillo Platinum Bash (Toro)
William Cooper Reviews No Comments 88-90, E.P. Carrillo, EPC, Review, Try a Sample
On November 16, 2021, legendary blender Ernesto Perez-Carrillo Jr. turned 70 years young. The company celebrated this milestone birthday by releasing a special limited edition cigar. The idea was to go into the blend archives of Ernesto Perez-Carrillo and find an unreleased blend that was not released for various reasons (such as limited tobacco). Ernesto […]
Cigar Review: Crux Epicure Habano Corona Gorda
William Cooper Reviews No Comments 88-90, Crux, Crux Cigar Company, Review, Try a Sample
Just before the 2023 PCA Trade Show, Crux Cigars released the third installment in its Epicure Series, the Crux Epicure Habano. As the name indicates, the Crux Epicure Habano introduces a Habano-wrapped offering into the Epicure Series. Crux Epicure Habano has been long anticipated among Crux cigar enthusiasts. It was a cigar talked about in […]
Cigar Review: Tatuaje Cohete Reserva (2022)
William Cooper Reviews No Comments 88-90, Review, Tatuaje, Try a Sample
The Tatuaje Cohete Reserva is an offshoot of a cigar that has obtained cult status over the years, the Tatuaje Cohete. The Tatuaje Cohete was a 4 x 50 petite robusto released as an exclusive offering to Tower Pipes and Cigars in Sacramento, California. In 2022, Tatuaje announced it was bringing back the Tatuaje Cohete […]
Cigar Review: HVC Selección No. 1 Natural Poderosos
William Cooper Reviews No Comments 88-90, Buy Multiples, HVC, Review
Back in 2022, HVC Cigars released a San Andres wrapper offering known as the HVC Selección No. 1. While HVC Cigars has been a company in business for over a decade, the No. 1 is significant. This is because, in 2022, HVC Cigars moved into its own factory, Fabrica de Tabacos HVC S.A. Before that, […]
Cigar Review: West Tampa Tobacco Co. Attic Series Attic
William Cooper Reviews No Comments 85-87, Review, Try a Sample, West Tampa Tobacco Co
In 2022, the launch of West Tampa Tobacco Co. caught the attention of many people. The company was started by Rick Rodriguez and Gus Martinez, both formerly of General Cigar Company. Rodriguez had spent the better part of the last decade as the blender and brand ambassador for CAO Cigars. Shortly after a (very) brief […]
Cigar Review: Meerapfel Meir Robusto
William Cooper Reviews No Comments 88-90, Meerapfel, Review, Try a Sample
Today, we take a look at the second cigar in the Meerapfel Master Series, the Meerapfel Meir. The Meerapfel family has over 150 years of experience in various aspects of the tobacco business. The family is best known for being tobacco brokers, particularly for brokering tobacco out of Cameroon, Africa. In addition, the Meerapfels work […]
Cigar Review: La Gloria Cubana Society Cigar (2022)
William Cooper Reviews No Comments 82-84, Forged Cigar Company, La Gloria Cubana, Not Recommended, Scandinavian Tobacco Group, STG
Over the years, La Gloria Cubana has been known for innovative limited-edition cigars. In 2022, La Gloria Cubana announced a limited edition cigar called the La Gloria Cubana Society Cigar. The La Gloria Cubana Society Cigar gets its name from the La Gloria Cubana Society, a social community started by Scandinavian Tobacco Group (STG) for […]
Agile Cigar Review: Byron Selección 1850 No. 3
William Cooper Agile Cigar Reviews, Reviews No Comments 88-90, Agile Cigar Review, Assessment Update, Buy One, Byron, Selected Tobacco, United Cigar
Agile Cigar Reviews are cigar assessments where we use a lightweight, shorter format. These will never take the place of our comprehensive reviews. They are only used on blends we have previously assessed. This might be a blend we are re-scoring or giving a score for the first time. It might be a blend we […]
Agile Cigar Review: Fratello Oro Fuoco
William Cooper Agile Cigar Reviews, Reviews No Comments 88-90, Agile Cigar Review, Assessment Update, Fratello Cigars, Try a Sample
Agile Cigar Reviews are cigar assessments where we use a lightweight, shorter format. These will never take the place of our comprehensive reviews. They are only used on blends we have previously assessed. This might be a blend we are re-scoring or giving a score for the first time. It might be a blend we […]