Up for review today is the newest from Montecristo (Altadis)—the Montecristo Nicaragua Series. The cigar was originally released in 2018, and we had the luck of hosting the New York launch of that event at The Carnegie Club (more about that event here). If “Nicaragua Series” sounds familiar, there’s a reason for it. Many traditionally DR-focused […]
Up for review today is a discontinued line from Matt Booth and Room101 called “The Big Payback.” I actually wasn’t aware of the cigar in its hayday, but my friend (and FTNYC event regular) Kevin generously gave me one of his last singles to review. Thanks Kevin! Though currently unavailable, The Big Payback Connecticut was […]
What do you think of when you think about “Trinidad Cigars”? A Cuban cigar brand? The island? Until recently, the brand brought up almost nothing in my mind, save a few bad experiences with some Dominican versions in my early years of smoking. So when Eddy Guerra, Sr. Brand Manager at Altadis told me that […]
2018 was a fantastic year for new releases in the cigar industry. We saw some excellent portfolio additions at major companies like General Cigar and Altadis, as well as some very good boutique releases (see our Top 10 of 2018 here). But, it’s a new year, and that means there is an internet’s worth of […]
Up for review today is “The Thorn” from Southern Draw Cigars. It’s a member of the Rose of Sharon brand from Southern Draw, and Robert Holt told me via Instagram that this is his personal favorite size of the Rose of Sharon. As you’ll read below, this cigar is very good. It’s also a downright […]
A few weeks ago, I ran into a few photos of a cigar brand I hadn’t seen before: Campesino cigars. I got in touch with Luis Arguelles, the Sales Director for the brand and he was kind enough to send some samples for me to review. As a bit of background, Campesino cigars are produced […]
On Wednesday December 12th, the Fine Tobacco NYC team and tri-state cigar enthusiasts celebrated Frank Sinatra’s 102nd birthday. The event paired the Montecristo Nicaragua with Angel’s Envy Bourbon and Rye. Needless to say, the paring pleased the large eclectic crowd and the music propelled the evening. Matthias Clock and his team have really found the […]
From the oldest cigar company in the Dominican Republic comes the La Aurora Preferidos Sapphire Connecticut Robusto. This is a concept line of six different blends in which an expert roller is utilized allowing them to only roll a hundred cigars per day. I’ve smoked a lot of La Aurora cigars over the years with […]
Blue In Green is the latest offering from Gran Habano Cigars. For me, Gran Habano has been a bit hit or miss, though I did very much enjoying the Zulu Zulu White Label earlier this year. But I was a bit surprised when I saw initial announcements for Blue In Green, if only because the […]
Guillermo Leon, the owner of the oldest cigar factory in the Dominican Republic, has made his mark with his signature line. The Guillermo Leon is a blend of tobaccos from several countries in an effort to add complexity to the cigars. The quality of tobaccos the company has put forth are always impressive and the […]
Drew Estate is, in my mind, the cigar company that kicked off the trend of turning ‘classy cigar culture’ on its head with bizarre product names. With names like Velvet Rat, Dirty Rat, Feral Flying Pig, MUWAT (My Uzi Weighs A Ton), and more, the company established a reputation for producing great product with a […]
When the Liga Privada No.9 debuted from Drew Estate in 2007 featuring a “Stalk Cut” Connecticut Habano wrapper, it became an instant hit. Customers enjoyed the wrapper’s profile as well as the overall fuller blend. In a quest to outdo themselves with an even fuller-flavored smoke, the Liga Privada T52 was born. Utilizing the Stalk […]