Rocky Patel’s Valedor was a cigar that was introduced last year. Last year, Rocky’s big release was his 15th Anniversary – an excellent cigar that ended up placing in at #23 in my 2010 Cigar of the Year list. While the 15th Anniversary got a lot of fanfare, this cigar did not get as much. […]
The Hoffman House is a house cigar available from Iwan Ries and Company in Chicago, Illinois. Iwan Ries has become one of my favorite stops when I visit the Windy City. They have a terrific cigar lounge and a great humidor. I’ve always been treated very well by proprietor Kevin Levi. About a year ago, […]
When the name Savinelli comes to mind, the first thing that will usually pop into a Tobacco Enthusiast’s head is pipes. Savinelli has been making pipes since 1876 and today they are still considered some of the best pipes on the marketplace. In 1994, Savinelli entered the cigar arena. A few months ago, I sampled […]
This past Friday, Outland Cigars had a pretty big Oliva Cigars’ event, so I managed to pick up a few different Oliva cigars. One of these cigars included a staple of the Oliva family, the Nub Cameroon – which I reviewed recently. I figured it was time to take another look at another Oliva cigar […]
In my previous review, I mentioned that a group of us got together for a Smoker’s Roundtable and smoked the Illusione 2 and Crowned of Thorns. This was a cigar I had not had before. Well for the second smoke of the roundtable, I was treated to another cigar I had not had – the […]
Over the past few years, Dion Giolito’s Illusione line has built a core following very similar to what Pete Johnson has done at Tatuaje. Much of the Illusione line is released in small batches, but not to the point where it is very difficult to find most of the blends. I must admit, I have […]
Sorry for the poor picture – Oliva Nub Cameroon When it comes to a short vitola with a big ring gauge, the Nub line is pretty much the industry leader. Originated by Sam Leccia (formerly with Oliva), he Nub line is a brand under Oliva Cigars. In fact this type of vitola has garnered […]
For a while I’ve been intrigued with sampling the Paul Garmirian line. Paul Garmirian is a Indie cigar line that tends to fall into the more expensive category when it comes to cigars. At the same time, I have not had a lot of success locating this line of cigars in Charlotte, North Carolina. Upon […]
The Macanudo brand has been well-known among cigar enthusiasts and cigar novices for some time. Macanudo’s reputation has basically been built on cigars known to be on the milder side. About two years ago, Macanudo sought to change that image by introducing the full-bodied Macanudo 1968. – a very good cigar. This year, Macanudo […]
Lately I’ve been exploring Ernesto Padilla’s line and I have made some very good discoveries. The Padilla Cazadores is the latest in the Padilla brand that I managed to try. What I discovered was a pretty good stick at a real good price. I consider a “value priced” stick in the $5.00-$7.00 range. Pretty much, […]
