La Flor Dominicana Cheroot Over the past month, I have reviewed two cigars that I’ve now referred to as “ice pick” styles. The first was the powerhouse “El Perrito War of Flavors” by La Gloria Cubana. The second was covered in my previous assessment – a retail exclusive by My Father Cigars to Empire Cigars […]
Cigar Review: My Father El Picador
William Cooper Reviews, Uncategorized No Comments Don Pepin, My Father, Nice to Have, Review
My Father Cigars’ El Picador The My Father El Picador was not a cigar I had heard of. It turns out this is a retail exclusive cigar to Empire Cigars in Raleigh, North Carolina. Retail exclusive cigars are not new to Don Pepin Garcia as he has released many with his collaborator Pete Johnson of […]
Cigar Review: Esteban Carreras Habano Maduro
William Cooper Reviews, Uncategorized No Comments Esteban Carreras, Indie, Memorable, Review
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 […]
Cigar Review: E.P. Carrillo Edición Inaugural 2009
William Cooper Reviews, Uncategorized No Comments E.P. Carrillo, EPC, Memorable, Review
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 […]
Cigar Review: Liga Privada No 9
William Cooper Reviews, Uncategorized No Comments Drew Estate, Liga Privada, Memorable, Review
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 […]
Cigar Review: Bad Dog Special Blend
William Cooper Reviews, Uncategorized No Comments Bad Dog, Indie, Review, See What You Think
One thing I always look for with an Indie cigar is something unique that comes to the table. When I came across the Bad Dog Special Blend, this was a cigar that intrigued me. The distinguishing factor on this cigar is the unique wrapper that it brings to the table – the Rhodesian (Zimbabwe) wrapper. […]
Cigar Review: Savinelli Liga Especial
William Cooper Reviews, Uncategorized No Comments Nice to Have, Review, Savinelli
Over the past couple of months, I have gotten the opportunity to sample cigars made my Savinelli. The Savinelli Nicaragua Reserve and the Savinelli Special Selection 2005 were both very positive cigar experiences. Usually the third time is important for me when I look at a brand – namely if a company has three solid […]
Cigar Review: Illusione Nosotros
William Cooper Reviews No Comments Drew Estate, Illusione, Nice to Have, Review
The story of the Illusione Nosotros is one that does not have a happy ending. This project started out as a cigar “dream team” collaboration by Illusione’s Dion Giolito and Drew Estate’s Jonathan Drew. The Nosotros would be launched under the Illusione brand and began to surface in early 2010. With these two cigar titans […]
Cigar Review: My Father Limited Edition 2011
William Cooper Reviews, Uncategorized No Comments My Father, Nice to Have, Review
The My Father Limited Edition 2011 is the second in what now seems to be an annual release of a limited run My Father cigar. Last year, the Limited Edition 2010 made a big splash and has to be considered a commercial and critical success. This year’s edition brings some changes in terms of the […]
Cigar Review: La Palina 1896
William Cooper Reviews, Uncategorized No Comments La Palina, Nice to Have, Review
Last year, there was no question that one of the revelations in terms of a new cigar line that was launched was Bill Paley’s La Palina line. These cigars might cost a little more, but they consistently deliver in flavor and quality. Last year, I focused around the Family Series and rated two cigars in […]