Back in February 2018, Mombacho Cigars President and Master Blender Claudio Sgroi was a guest on Prime Time Special Edition 24. On that show, he announced there were plans to launch a cigar called Casa Favilli that would feature a Nicaraguan Broadleaf wrapper. A few months later, a formal announcement was released to the press […]
Cigar Review: JFR Lunatic Torch Visionaries by Aganorsa Leaf
William Cooper Reviews No Comments 88-90, AGANORSA Leaf, Buy Multiples, Review
In 2018, the company known as Casa Fernandez Cigars underwent a major rebranding. The company renamed itself to Aganorsa Leaf and then proceeded to streamline and refresh the packaging in its portfolio. This process is not something that has been done overnight as Aganorsa Leaf has slowly been implementing this. In 2020, there was a […]
Cigar Review: Room101 – The Big Payback Maduro Gordo
William Cooper Reviews No Comments 88-90, Buy Multiples, Review, Room 101
Since Matt Booth departed Davidoff and came back from a brief “retirement,” he has been focused on building up his product portfolio. When he returned in 2017, Booth primarily focused on introducing new blends and lines, but that would all change in 2019 with the announcement of The Big Payback Maduro. The Big Payback is […]
Cigar Review: Yagua by J.C. Newman Cigar Company
William Cooper Reviews No Comments 88-90, Buy One, JC Newman, Review
At the 2019 IPCPR Trade Show, J.C. Newman Cigar Company showcased a project known as Yagua which coincides with the 125th anniversary of J.C. Newman Cigar Company. What makes this cigar unique is that it is rolled without a cigar mold, but rather with the frond of a Yagua tree. The project was spearheaded by […]
Cigar Review: Cohiba Royale Toro
William Cooper Reviews No Comments 88-90, Cohiba, General, Review, Try a Sample
The Cohiba brand has been a staple of the General Cigar Company portfolio for many years. For the most part, Cohiba has been positioned as the luxury brand in General’s portfolio. The past two years has seen General give the Cohiba brand some considerable attention. This included a major packaging refresh for the brand in […]
Cigar Review: Pichardo Reserva Familiar Habano Toro by ACE Prime
William Cooper Reviews No Comments 91-93, ACE Prime, Buy Multiples, Review
In 2019, ACE Prime made one of the more impressive debuts in recent years at the annual IPCPR Trade Show. ACE Prime came on the scene launching three brands and a total of seven blends. ACE Prime is a company where the principal owners are Luciano Meirelles, Master Blender Don Eradio Pichardo, and former NBA […]
Cigar Review: Rocky Patel Number 6 Robusto
William Cooper Reviews No Comments 88-90, Buy One, Review, Rocky Patel
Over the years, Rocky Patel Premium Cigars has been known to introduce a wide variety of brands into the market. I remember once asking company founder Rocky Patel why he introduced so many brands and he told me there are so many great blends and blend derivations that they have come up with and that […]
Cigar Review: H. Upmann Hispaniola Toro by José Méndez
William Cooper Reviews No Comments 88-90, Altadis, Buy Multiples, H. Upmann, Review, Tabacalera USA
The past couple of years, the H. Upmann brand has been one of the busier ones in the Altadis U.S.A. portfolio. 2019 marked a very significant milestone as the brand celebrated its 175th anniversary. While the H. Upmann 175th Anniversary limited release was one of the more significant ones, there have been several other regular production […]
Cigar Review: Diamond Crown Maximus Toro No. 4 by J.C. Newman Cigar Company
William Cooper Reviews No Comments 88-90, Diamond Crown, JC Newman, Review, Try a Sample
In 2020, J.C. Newman Cigar Company is celebrating its 125th anniversary in business, but today we look at a cigar from a brand that was created for the company’s 110th anniversary, the Diamond Crown Maximus. It was back in 1996 when J.C. Newman launched the Diamond Crown brand for its 100th anniversary. Ten years later, […]
Cigar Review: 601 La Bomba Warhead V by Espinosa Cigars
William Cooper Reviews No Comments 601, 91-93, Box Worthy Consideration, Espinosa, Review
In 2013, Espinosa Cigars launched an extension of its 601 La Bomba line known as the Warhead. The Warhead took the 601 La Bomba concept and was a blend based on the original 601 La Bomba, replacing the Nicaraguan wrapper with a Connecticut Broadleaf wrapper and box pressing the cigar. The 601 La Bomba Warhead […]