Zino Platinum Z-Class Series by Davidoff Most cigar enthusiasts know the name Zino – it is a brand of cigars under Davidoff named after the man who founded the company – Zino Davidoff. What often gets forgotten is that the Zino Platinum line was established nearly eight years ago to go after the new, younger […]
Cigar Review: Ambos Mundos No. 1 by Tatuaje
Ambos Mundos No 1 Toro The Ambos Mundos (which means “both worlds”) line was introduced by Tatuaje Cigars in 2009. The intent of this line was to help Tatuaje Cigars capitalize on the “value cigar market”. Namely, cigars in the $5.00 – $7.00 range. Value-priced cigars are particularly sought after by retailers as with the […]
Cigar Review: Casa Toraño Maduro
Last year was a phenomenal year for Torano Family Cigars. There were three outstanding releases including the Brigade, Single Region, and the Master. With a lot of excitement around the new releases, it was also nice to see some attention made to the classic cigars in their line. In addition to the new cigars, last […]
Cigar Review: Viaje Exclusivo Short
The Viaje Exclusivo Short is the latest vitola released under the Viaje Exclusivo line from Viaje Cigars. Viaje has garnered a reputation for not only releasing small micro-batches of cigars (I coin this term for under 500 boxes), but releasing one or two vitolas at a time (such is the case with their popular “Skull […]
Cigar Review: Perdomo Reserve Champagne Noir
2011 is already been a great year for cigar releases. In each cycle of cigar releases there are always some more anticipated releases than others. This Spring, the cigar releases in the pipeline for Perdomo have been on the radar of many enthusiasts in the cigar industry. One of these new releases has just began […]
Cigar Review: Reinado
While it did take me a while, I am now convinced that Nicaraguan tobacco is the best in the world. In fact a lot of times people ask me “Do you like Cubans?”, I reply that I prefer Nicaraguan cigars. My reason is that I’ve seen the variety with what the tobaccos from this part […]
Cigar Review: La Flor Dominicana Cheroot
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
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
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
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 […]