After he retired from La Aurora a little over two months ago, a lot of people wondered how long Jose Blanco would be a free agent in the cigar industry. Today Joya de Nicaragua is the big winner in the Jose Blanco sweepstakes. Blanco will report directly into Joya de Nicaragua’s owner Dr. Alejandro Martinez […]
Edgar M Cullman, Source: Culbro.com Edgar M Cullman, former chairman, chief executive, and president of the General Cigar Company passed away at his home in Stamford Connecticut on Sunday August 28th. He was 93 years old. While we talk a lot about cigar industries being family-owned small business operations, Cullman came from a different angle. […]
Over all of the micro-batch releases from Viaje, probably the most sought after has been Viaje Skull and Bones’ series. The initial release of the Skull and Bones Viaje Daisy Cutter set off a frenzy for cigar enthusiasts seeking to add this cigar to their collection. While the Viaje Oro Reserva VOR #5, got a […]
As you might have seen over the past few weeks, I’ve done some Pre-Reviews which allow me to document my experiences with a cigar and provide my thoughts. Some of these were pre-releases are now available generally – and others are simply cigars I’ve had more of a chance to try. In each of these […]
Viaje Platino Reserva VPR DT (Double Torpedo) When it comes to Viaje, the line of cigars that probably is the best known among the general consumer base is the Oro line. Most notably, the Viaje Oro Reserva VOR has become the best well-known because of its #2 rating by Cigar Aficionado magazine. The Oro has […]
Tatuaje La Verite 2009 Back in July, I put up a cigar assessment on the Tatuaje L’Esprit de Verite 2009. This was part of the second blend of Tatuaje’s La Verite Vintage series. The La Verite Vintage Series uses the concept of harvesting tobaccos from a single farm from a single year to produce a […]
La Flor Dominicana Colorado Oscuro No. 5 Vitola – My Sample In the world of cigars, all cigars are works of art to me. I love to look at a cigar’s appearance from wrapper, to foot, to cap. If these handmade gems are not works of art, then I don’t know what is. At the […]
Tatuaje Tattoo The Tatuaje Tattoo is another limited production cigar by Pete Johnson and Tatauje earlier in 2011. This cigar was only limited to a select few “top-tier” Tatuaje retailers. The cigar is a part of the “Exclusive Series” by Tatuaje that typically are earmarked as retailer exclusives. The word is that a vitola in […]
San Cristobal Elegancia 2011 will long be remembered as the year of Ecuadorian/Connecticut Shade wrapper cigars. Many of the big name blenders have been working with these tobaccos in the cigars they have made. The challenge this is creating is that it is creating a lot of competition in retail humidors for cigars in […]
CAO OSA Sol The CAO OSA Sol marks the first new blend released under the CAO brand since it was integrated under the General Cigars portfolio last year. When I previewed the CAO OSA Sol, I was on the record saying I think the brand is in good hands. Late last year, it was announced […]
Lou Rodriguez Edicion Reserva Connecticut One thing I’ve said that is important for retailers when considering indie/boutique cigars is to find something special. Most importantly, a cigar that is capable of knocking something else out of the humidor. In a time with many new launches and many new brands, this is an important rule of […]
Note: The IPCPR Series is not over yet, but I believe based on my notes I have from IPCPR this is the last of the “Cigar Previews”. There are still plenty of cigars to be evaluated as a part of the 2011 IPCPR Series that will be forthcoming and included in the series. As I […]
