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: Casa 1910 Cuchillo Parado
William Cooper Reviews No Comments 85-87, Casa 1910, Review, Try a Sample
Back at the 2021 Premium Cigar Association (PCA) Trade Show, a company based out of Mexico City named Casa 1910 debuted. The company was founded by Manolo Santiago, Jamie Baer, and Serge Bolling. The brand captures the history and pride surrounding the Mexican Revolution which occurred in 1910. At the 2021 show, Casa 1910 opted […]
Cigar Review: Tatuaje 7th Tuxtla
William Cooper Reviews No Comments 88-90, Buy One, Review, Tatuaje
Back in 2012, Tatuaje Cigars released a cigar called the Tatuaje Mexican Experiment. The cigar was at the time a limited and regional release that quickly developed a cult-following. The cigar was pretty much exactly as advertised – Pete Johnson’s experimenting with the Mexican wrapper. While Johnson has done other Mexican releases, including bringing back […]
Cigar Review: Crowned Heads Las Calaveras Edición Limitada 2022 LC52
William Cooper Reviews No Comments 88-90, Buy One, Crowned Heads, Review
When you look at annual limited edition series releases, one that has to certainly be on the list of iconic collections is Crowned Heads Las Calaveras line. Las Calaveras was launched in 2014, and it is the first release that Crowned Heads would do with the My Father Cigars factory. The name “Las Calaveras” translates […]
Cigar Review: Olmec Claro Toro by Foundation Cigar Company
William Cooper Reviews No Comments 88-90, Buy One, Foundation Cigar Company, Olmec, Review
At the 2022 Premium Cigar Association (PCA) Trade Show in Las Vegas, Nicholas Melillo’s Foundation Cigar Company introduced a two-blend cigar line known as Olmec. It pays tribute to the culture of the Olmecs, who were the earliest known major Mesoamerican civilization. They flourished in the period of 1600 and 400 BCE. According to Foundation […]
Cigar Review: Knuckle Sandwich Chef’s Special (2022)
William Cooper Reviews No Comments 88-90, Espinosa, Knuckle Sandwich, Review, Try a Sample
The story of celebrity restauranteur Guy Fieri has been well-documented. It was in January of 2022 when it was announced that Fieri would be teaming up with Erik Espinosa to launch Knuckle Sandwich cigars. Knuckle Sandwich Cigars are being done in partnership with Espinosa Premium Cigars, who are handling both the production and distribution of […]
Cigar Review: Gurkha Pure Evil Toro
William Cooper Reviews No Comments 88-90, Gurkha, Review, Try a Sample
When the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) put its Deeming Regulations into effect, the concept of predicate cigars was introduced. Predicate cigars are ones that were first introduced to the market prior to February 15th, 2007 and anything introduced after that would require the FDA pre-market approval. This gave companies with predicate cigars a […]
Cigar Review: Blackened M81 Toro by Drew Estate
William Cooper Reviews No Comments 88-90, Blackened, Buy One, Drew Estate, Review
In 2022, Drew Estate announced a three-way collaboration project that was done between Metallica’s James Hetfield, Distiller Rob Dietrich of Sweet Amber Distilling, and Jonathan Drew known as Blackened M81. Blackened is the name of a whiskey collaboration of Metallica and Dietrich and Dietrich and Drew have been friends for a while. It was Dietrich […]
Cigar Review: HVC Selección No. 1 Maduro Esenciales
William Cooper Reviews No Comments 88-90, Buy One, HVC, Review
In 2023, HVC Cigars made a bold move. After over a decade of producing some highly acclaimed cigars at the Aganorsa Leaf factory, HVC Cigars’ owner Reinier Lorenzo made the decision to open his own factory, Fabrica de Tabaco, and start shifting production to come from there. While Lorenzo still maintains some production at Aganorsa […]
Cigar Review: Macanudo Estate Reserve Flint Knoll Churchill (2022)
William Cooper Reviews No Comments 91-93, Box Worthy Consideration, General, Macanudo, Review, Scandinavian Tobacco Group, STG
Over the past few years, the several brands of Scandinavian Tobacco Group have been engaging in collaborations with various spirits companies, some involving utilizing barrel-aged tobacco. Such projects have come to the Diesel (Rabbit Hole Distilling), Cohiba (Weller), and even a Buffalo Trace branded line. In 2022, Macanudo became one of the STG brands which […]