The Arturo Fuente Don Carlos Eye of the Bull is a limited production release released earlier this year. If you were at Arturo Fuente’s booth at the 2022 Premium Cigar Association (PCA) Trade Show, you might have seen the Don Carlos Eye of the Bull tucked away (in fairness, our team did miss it). Fast […]
Cigar Review: E.P. Carrillo Pledge of Allegiance (2023)
The E.P. Carrillo Pledge of Allegiance is the fifth installment of the Perez-Carrillo series. It is also the first limited-edition installment of the series. The name is derived from the third and fourth installments of the Perez-Carrilo line, the Pledge and Allegiance, respectively. The idea for the name is credited to former E.P. Carrillo Chief […]
Cigar Review: Allegria Corona by Illusione Cigars
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: HVC Selección No. 1 Natural Poderosos
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: Nica Rustica Adobe Toro by Drew Estate
In 2022, Drew Estate introduced a second offering under its Nica Rustica brand, the Nica Rustica Adobe. The Nica Rustica brand originally started out as a project by Drew Estate in which they were experimenting with a locally grown strain of tobacco known as rustica. The rustica (or Nicotaina Rustica) is considered one of the […]
Cigar Review: E.P. Carrillo Allegiance Sidekick
Just before the 2022 Premium Cigar Association (PCA) Trade Show, E.P. Carrillo announced the fourth installment to its Perez-Carrillo line, the Allegiance. The Allegiance is a cigar that Ernesto Perez-Carrillo blended, but it is being produced from Oliva’s TABOLISA factory in Estelí, Nicaragua. It was the second project by E.P. Carrillo being produced outside its […]
Cigar Review: Tatuaje Havana VI Verocú Blue No. 1
At the 2022 Premium Cigar Association Trade Show, Tatuaje Cigars showcased a new regular production line, the Tatuaje Havana VI Verocú Blue. While Tatuaje Cigars is well-known for some very high-profile limited edition releases, the company has a strong portfolio of regular production core offerings. Personally, I became quite excited when the Tatuaje Havana VI […]
Agile Cigar Review: Alfonso Extra Añejo No. 1 by Selected Tobacco
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: E.P. Carrillo INCH Nicaragua No. 60
In 2012, E.P. Carrillo would launch a line focused on large ring gauge cigars known as the INCH Series. Large ring gauge cigars are nothing new to Ernesto Perez-Carrillo as he was considered somewhat of a pioneer in this area while he was with La Gloria Cubana.It was back in 2012, the INCH was originally […]
Cigar Review: Ultimate Cigars Club by Carlos Nodal Liga 223
Over the past few years, subscription clubs have gained a lot of popularity in the cigar market. Each has offered different value propositions along the way. There are subscription clubs that give cigar enthusiasts an opportunity to try different cigars that exist in the market, and there are also subscription clubs that provide the opportunity […]