As always, when I smoke a pre-release cigar, I feel it is premature to give it a firm assessment rating – therefore, I do a pre-review to provide some initial feedback. With some follow-on smokes completed, it’s time to assess some more cigars. With this installment of “Assessment Updates”, I look at Joya de Nicaragua’s […]
The month of October was probably one of the more exciting months in the cigar industry. This month marked not only the heart of the Fall release cycle for cigars, but some major releases. Overall, this was a great month to be a cigar enthusiast. Let’s take a look at some of the releases that […]
La Gloria Cubana Artesanos Retro Especiale The year 2010 was a great year for the La Gloria Cubana brand of General Cigars. During that year, La Gloria Cubana underwent a transition to a forward thinking brand while keeping to old school traditions of the brand founded by Ernesto Perez-Carillo Jr. This was evident in three […]
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 […]
Macanudo Cru Royale Poco Gordo At the 2010 IPCPR, Macanudo introduced two new blends to their line – Macanudo Vintage 1997 Maduro and the Macanudo Cru Royale. These cigars continued a trend started back in 2008 when Macanudo introduced the Macanudo 1968 – bring cigars in the medium and full range into their portfolio. The […]
Macanudo Vintage 1997 Maduro Remember back in March when I said those metal bands on the Macanudo Vintage 1997 Maduro were going away? In fact, I even posted a picture of this cigar sporting the new paper band. Well, not so fast…. At the 2011 IPCPR trade show an important announcement was made on this […]
La Gloria Cubana Artesanos Retro Especiale 2010 was a banner year for Team La Gloria Cubana of General Cigars. Not only did they release three cigars that made my 2010 Top 30 Cigar of the Year countdown, but they broke new ground in the world of cigar engineering. If you take a look at the […]
CAO OSA Sol Following the acquisition of CAO Cigars into the General Cigar Company family, there were many concerns about the future of this brand. Those concerns would be amplified with the departures of Tim Ozgener and Jon Huber – two of the most creative minds in the industry. However, late last year when it […]
When you hear the name El Credito, two things come into my mind: 1) The famous factory where many of the famous La Gloria Cubana cigars are made; 2) The El Credito cigar line – value priced cigars that are also produced out of this factory. Coming off what I considered a stellar year for […]
Lighting was very difficult to catch the band When it comes to limited edition cigars, there are two key facts: 1) Cigar Manufacturers have been making limited cigars for a long time; 2) When a limited cigar comes out, it is going capture the public’s attention. Such is the case with the Punch Rare […]
