H.Upmann 1844 Reserve – 2011 re-blend At first glance, when you look at the title of this review, you might be thinking I’m going about to review an older cigar – after all there has been an H.Upmann 1844 Reserve for some time now. However, this is not the case. In one of my 2011 […]
Prior to the 2011 IPCPR, Torano Family Cigars announced two new blends that would be released – the Torano Loyal and Torano Vault. At the IPCPR, while both cigars were on display, for the most part a decision had been made on holding off on providing samples of the Torano Vault to the retailers. One […]
Gurkha Seduction – Toro Gurkha has released three new cigars in 2011. These new cigars are the first releases since Gary Hyams (formerly of CAO) has been named President and CEO of Beach Cigar Group (Gurkha’s parent company). There are several things I like about what Gurkha has done with this release cycle. First up, […]
Viaje Skull and Bones Mystery Box-press A few days ago, I previewed the fifth release cycle of Viaje’s popular Skull and Bones series. In that preview, I didn’t have a heck of a lot of information because Viaje in general keeps things under a tight lid. With the fifth release cycle of the Skull and […]
Tatuaje Wolfman (2011 Monster Series) The Tatuaje Monster series is the cigar industry’s closest equivalent to when Apple Computers announces a new iPhone. It sets off a frenzy of cigar enthusiasts to pre-order or track down where to get a box. The Tatuaje Wolfman is the fourth installment of the Monster series (joining 2008’s Frank; […]
Casa Fernandez Miami – Petit Robusto As this web-site has evolved, there are some brands that still have not gotten any assessments. One such brand is Casa Fernandez. There has been a little confusion about the cigar I will assess here – Casa Fernandez’s Miami cigar. This is not a new cigar, but a re-branding […]
Lou Rodriguez Edicion Premier One of the indie/boutique cigars that impressed me from the 2011 IPCPR was a Connecticut Shade cigar called the Lou Rodriguez Edicion Reserva Connecticut. In a year that has seen the cigar market flooded with Connecticut Shade cigars, the Lou Rodriguez entry did a nice job standing out on its own. […]
Camacho Liberty 2011 At the 2011 IPCPR, it was a very quiet year for Camacho Cigars. Outside of the Room 101 releases there was not a lot on display in the Camacho section for the Davidoff booth. The one cigar bearing the Camacho name that was still proudly on display was the latest in Camacho’s […]
Illusione 88 Maduro Shortly after the 2011 IPCPR, I had the opportunity to sample the Illusione cg4 Maduro. This was a maduro wrapper version of Illusione’s popular cg4 vitola. In the past year, Illusione founder Dion Giolito has expanded his core line of his popular Illusione Cigar line to include both candela and maduro wrapper […]
Padron Family Reserve 85th In 2008, Padron Cigars launched their Family Reserve line with an initial release called the Padron Family Reserve No. 44. The significance of the 44 was to represent the 44th anniversary of Padron cigars. The plan was for each year, a new blend to be released commemorating the company’s anniversary (up […]
