When it comes to the Indie Cigar market, the line I feel is the strongest is the Esteban Carreras line. Esteban Carreras was created by Craig Cunningham, a cigar retailer in Southern California. I’ve found an incredible amount of depth in the cigars in the Esteban Carreras portfolio. The cigar that I feel stands at […]
If you have been following this web-site, you know that I am a big fan of E.P. Carrillo cigars. E.P. Carrillo was founded by legendary cigar maker, Ernesto Perez-Carrillo Jr. Perez-Carrillo is famous for being the founder of the legendary La Gloria Cubana line. In 2000, the La Gloria Cubana line was sold to General […]
I’ve been talking about some changes in the direction of this web-site and the big change is I want to make this more of a hard-core web-site. In my opinion, part of accomplishing this goal is to provide a good balance of new cigar reviews as well as classic cigar reviews. Today is one of […]
One thing that really excites me about doing cigar reviews is when I can share a great experience with a cigar that might not be on the radar screen. This is the case with my review of Emilio Cigars’ AF1. Whenever I review indie/boutique cigars, I look for something different and special. Namely, if I […]
An interesting topic for debate around the cigar industry is how many companies are focusing way too much time around their “limited run” cigars at the expense of their core line. In some cases, it has become an “Apple iPhone frenzy” of being the first to get one of these cigars. Last year, E.P. Carrillo […]
The E.P. Carrillo New Wave Connecticut marks the beginning of the expansion of the E.P. Carrillo line. This introduces a Connecticut Shade wrapper cigar into the E.P. Carrillo portfolio. One of the challenges of any Connecticut Shade cigar is finding a good balance of flavor against what typically is a mild strength smoke. The E.P. […]
Earlier this month, when I reviewed the lIlusione 88 Candela, I made the comment that I had not paid enough attention to Dion Giolito’s Illusione line. I have another confession to make – while I feel Illusione has some the highest quality cigars out there, they just have not fit in with my taste profile. […]
Last month, I got my introduction to Savinelli Cigars and when I sampled the Savinelli Nicaragua Reserve, I really enjoyed it. Therefore, I was pretty excited to sample more from the Savinelli line. This time I was fortunate enough to try the Savinelli Special Selection 2005. After enjoying this blend, I raised the question – […]
The time has come. If you have followed my ramblings, you know I was a huge fan of the Avo LE10. In fact, I named it my 2010 Cigar of the Year. When talk of the Avo LE11 began hitting the internet, I was excited. There was no question – I had to try this […]
Because Connecticut Shade wrapper cigars tend to be milder in nature, I often have to look for a special one. Back in 2010, when I tried the San Lotano Connecticut, I thought it broke the mold for Connecticut Shade wrapper cigars because it brought spice and robust flavors for it. However, the San Lotano was […]
