In 2022, Rick Rodriguez, known for his long tenure at General Cigar Company and over a decade as the blender/ambassador for the CAO brand, would launch West Tampa Tobacco Company. This is a venture that Rodriguez is working on with another former General Cigar alumni, Gus Martinez. The name West Tampa Tobacco Co. pays homage […]
Cigar Review: Protocol Hard Coal Detective (Toro)
In 2022, Protocol Cigars would do a single-store exclusive release for Breaker Cigars known as the Protocol Hard Coal Detective. Breaker Cigars is located in Shamokin, Pennsylvania and the Hard Coal Detective ties in with the shop itself and the history of the region. Breaker Cigars is named after a coal breaker, which is a […]
Cigar Review: Illusione TAA Exclusive 2021
In 2021, Illusione Cigars would release its first cigar to the Tobacconists Association of America (TAA)’s Exclusive Series. There were 13 different manufacturers that produced 15 different cigars for the 2021 TAA Exclusive Series, but the only manufacturer that participated for the first time in the series would be Illusione Cigars. Today we take […]
Cigar Review: Raumzeit Robusto by German Engineered Cigars
At the 2022 Tobacco Plus Expo, German Engineered Cigars would introduce its second regular production line in its portfolio known as Raumzeit. German Engineered Cigars was founded by Oliver Nickels, Jan-Klaas Mahler, and Joachim “Joe” Sadowski. It’s a brand that incorporates a theme of German Engineered technology into its products. The name “Raumzeit” is German […]
Cigar Review: Asylum PCA Exclusive 2021 11/18
For several years, many companies have been offering exclusive cigars to those retailers that attend the annual IPCPR/PCA Trade Show and place an order. In 2021, the Premium Cigar Association (PCA) made an attempt to somewhat formalize these trade show releases into an exclusive series. The model was similar to what had been done for […]
Cigar Review: Toscano Master Aged 2
Today we take a look at another cigar in Toscano Cigars’ Master Aged Series, the Toscano Master Aged 2. The Master Aged Series is a line of three cigars that was introduced in 2022. The differentiating factor is that the Master Aged Series involves using an extended aging and maturation process for each of the […]
Agile Cigar Review: Southern Draw Kudzu Lustrum Lonsdale
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 rescoring or giving a score for the first time. It also might be a blend […]
Cigar Review: Perla Del Mar Maduro Double Toro (2020) by J.C. Newman Cigar Company
In 2020, J.C. Newman announced it would be revamping its Perla Del Mar line. Perla Del Mar was a brand that was reintroduced by J.C. Newman in 2012. It would first be released in a Connecticut Shade with the Perla del Mar Maduro coming in 2016. 2020 would bring several changes to the line. First, the […]
Agile Cigar Review: Powstanie Wojtek 2021 (Box Pressed Toro)
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 […]
Cigar Review: Rocky Patel White Label Robusto
At the 2021 Premium Cigar Association (PCA) Trade Show, Rocky Patel Premium Cigars unveiled a new offering known as the Rocky Patel White Label. It a nutshell, this would be one of the most premium regular production offerings that the company would unveil. This cigar would be priced in the $20.00 range. The Rocky Patel […]