In 2020, Nicholas Melillo’s Foundation Cigar Company would celebrate five years in business. As is typically the case with many cigar companies, a commemorative cigar was released to mark the occasion. That cigar would be the El Güegüense 5 Year Aniversario. It’s an offshoot of the original El Güegüense brand, which also happened to be […]
Cigar Review: VegaFina Fortaleza 2 Capa 20
William Cooper Reviews No Comments 85-87, Review, Tabacalera SLU, Try a Sample, VegaFina
Earlier this year, Tabacalera S.L.U. unveiled a new limited edition cigar under its VegaFina brand known as the VegaFina Fortaleza 2 Capa 20. Tabacalera S.L.U. group is a European distribution arm that can best be described as a sister organization to Altadis USA. Over the years there have been several VegaFina releases in the U.S. […]
Agile Cigar Review: RoMa Craft Tobac Neanderthal Gran Perfecto
William Cooper Agile Cigar Reviews, Reviews No Comments 88-90, Agile Cigar Review, Assessment Update, RoMa Craft Tobac, Try a Sample
Agile Cigar Reviews are cigar assessments where we use a lightweight, shorter format. These will never take the place of our comprehensive reviews. They are only used on blends we have previously assessed. This might be a blend we are re-scoring or giving a score for the first time. It might be a blend we […]
Cigar Review: Asylum Eight 70 x 7
William Cooper Reviews No Comments 85-87, Asylum Cigars, CLE, Review, Try a Sample
The Asylum Eight is a cigar line that celebrated the 8th anniversary of Asylum Cigars. It was back in 2012 when Christian Eiroa launched CLE Cigar Company after selling Camacho Cigars to Davidoff in 2008. CLE would be an umbrella for several brands, some directly run by Christian himself, and others where he would partner with […]
Cigar Review: Epic Ten
William Cooper Reviews No Comments 88-90, Epic Cigars, Review, Try a Sample
In 2020, Dean Parsons celebrated the tenth anniversary of his brand, Epic Cigars. As is the case with many when it comes to celebrating a milestone in the cigar business, Parsons wanted to release a commemorative cigar to mark the occasion. For most of his tenure in the cigar industry, Parsons had been handling his […]
Cigar Review: La Aurora TAA Exclusivo (2020)
William Cooper Reviews No Comments 2020 TAA Exclusive Series, 85-87, La Aurora, Review, TAA, Try a Sample
In 2020, La Aurora Cigars would release its first exclusive cigar for the Tobacconist Association of America (TAA) and it would be simply titled “La Aurora TAA Exclusivo.” La Aurora was one of two cigar manufacturers contributing a cigar for the first time to the TAA Exclusive Series (the other was Villiger Cigars). With La […]
Cigar Review: Toscano Duecento
William Cooper Reviews 2 Comments 85-87, Review, Toscano, Try a Sample
We have seen many cigar companies and brands celebrate 25th, 50th, 100th, and even more recently 180th anniversaries. However, when it comes to a company celebrating a 200-year milestone, the only one that has come to mind is Toscano. Based in Italy, Toscano cigars are known for their rustic, fire-cured blends. In 2018, the Toscano […]
Cigar Review: Highclere Castle Victorian Robusto
William Cooper Reviews 1 Comment 88-90, Foundation Cigar Company, Highclere Castle, Review, Try a Sample
Highclere Cigar Company is a project done between George Herbert, who is the 8th Earl of Carnarvon and the owner of the famed Highclere Castle Estate located in Hampshire, England; and Foundation Cigar Company’s Nicholas Melillo. In 2017, the first Highclere Castle cigar was released, an Ecuadorian Connecticut Shade wrapped cigar meant to be reminiscent […]
Agile Cigar Review: Southern Draw Cedrus Lancero
William Cooper Agile Cigar Reviews, Reviews No Comments 88-90, Agile Cigar Review, Assessment Update, Southern Draw, Try a Sample
Agile Cigar Reviews are cigar assessments where we use a lightweight, shorter format. These will never take the place of our comprehensive reviews. They are only used on blends we have previously assessed. This might be a blend we are rescoring or giving a score for the first time. It might be a blend we […]
Cigar Review: Partagas Limited Reserve Decadas 2020
William Cooper Reviews No Comments 85-87, Forged Cigar Company, General, Partagas, Review, Try a Sample
The Partagas Limited Reserve Decadas line is a story that goes back to 2005. It was at that time that General Cigar decided to release a cigar containing ten year old Cameroon wrapper. The series would run in a limited production until 2009 and garnered a strong following among cigar enthusiasts. In 2009, General Cigar […]