Aging Room Cigars M356 There is no doubt the limited edition cigars have created excitement in the cigar industry. Recently I had a discussion with a manufacturer about taking a limited edition cigar and moving it into the core line (similar to what E.P. Carrillo did with the Limitada 2010 moving it to Elencos). When […]
Cigar Review: Emilio AF2
Emilio AF2 A rule of thumb I have is if you are looking to build a brand to carry in a retailer humidor, the key thing is there must be three blends that are solid from that brand. Over the past couple of months, I have sampled two amazing cigars from Emilio Cigars – the […]
Cigar Review: La Sirena Series A
The La Sirena Series A A few days ago, I was listening to the Dino Costa Radio show on Sirius XM Mad-Dog radio. While Dino is primarily known a sports host, he has been talking cigars. On this show, Dino had Rocky Patel as a guest (and gave Rocky a full hour!). Rocky made a […]
Cigar Review: Padron 1964 Anniversary Maduro Torpedo
Padron 1964 Anniversary Torpedo Last month (June 2011), I put up on my monthly “battle of the cigars” (formerly “battle of the stogies). In that matchup, I pitted two Padron cigars that are considered classics in the industry – the Padron 1926 Maduro and the Padron 1964 Maduro. I admit, when the poll came back, […]
Cigar Review: J&D Temptation Maduro
J&D Temptation Maduro Last month, I had the opportunity to sample a cigar that I consider to be one of the revelations of 2011 – J&D Cigars’ Temptation Habano Claro. This mild to medium bodied cigar brought something special to the table with its unique flavors and smooth smoke. This time around, I sample the […]
Cigar Review: Illusione HL Maduro
Illusione HL Maduro I’ll make a confession – I am not a lancero vitola fan. I know many serious cigar enthusiasts will say this is the best vitola to smoke, but I just cannot adjust to the small ring gauge. Plus to be honest, I’ve only found a handful of lanceros that I have found […]
Cigar Review: Monte Pascoal
Monte Pascoal – Robusto (All Brazilian Puro) I admit, when it comes to cigar blends, I tend to stick to what I am most familiar with – namely my Nicaraguan, Dominican, and Honduran blends (with some Ecuadorian wrappers thrown in as well). However, recently I heard a discussion about how some soils of the Cuban […]
Cigar Review: E.P. Carrillo Short Run 2011
E.P. Carrillo Short Run 2011 (on a Short Run 2010 box) If you have been either following this web-site or the cigar industry in general, you will know that 2011 is intended to be a huge year for the E.P. Carrillo. Plans are for five cigar releases during the calendar year. Earlier in the year, […]
Cigar Review: Alec Bradley American Classic Blend
Alec Bradley American Classic Blend – Gordo I have to admit, when I got word of the new Alec Bradley Cigar – the American Classic Blend, I did not know what to make of it. Part of me wondering if this was going to be an all-American puro. It turns out that this was not […]
Cigar Review: Casa Magna Domus Magnus – Pre-Release Review
Casa Magna Domus Magnus – Optimus Vitola In 2008, Cigar Aficionado awarded its Cigar of the Year award to Manuel Quesada’s Casa Magna Colorado cigar. While we can all be critical of Cigar Aficionado, the award does carry a lot of weight – and its always good to be a retailer with a cigar with […]