Up for review today is the Montecristo Grupo de Maestros Private Batch IV, a limited edition cigar that represents the experience of the Grupo de Maestros. Together, the Maestros have a combined experience of more than 200 years. Like previous Grupo de Maestros releases, the Private Batch IV is shipped in large, 100 count crates, […]
For more than 10 years the AVO brand (led by Avo Uvezian himself until his death in 2017) celebrated each year with a limited edition blend. In 2018, the Davidoff-owned brand decided to re-release two previous limited edition blends: the AVO 22 (reviewed here), and the AVO LE05. I found the AVO 22 to be […]
Up for review today is the Tatuaje The Bride, the final release in the famous Tatuaje “Monster” series that began in 2008.The Monster Series has always been a fun product to see released every year, mainly because it combines two of my favorite product marketing ploys: limited edition release and seasonal release. According to Halfwheel, […]
Jaime Garcia son of the master blender Don “Pepin” Garcia has created a cigar that’s an homage to his father. “Crafted” By Jaime Garcia is a Nicaraguan Puro donning a Habano Rosado wrapper with Nicaraguan binders and filler grown on the Garcia’s farm. I have been a fan of the JG Especiale’s and have been […]
Up for review today is the Powstanie Broadleaf Perfecto, a cigar that hails from the RoMa Craft factory. I can’t say I knew much about these cigars before smoking them. Thankfully, Halfwheel has some good backstory: The cigar is called Powstanie—poh-shan-yah—which is the Polish word for “uprising.” That theme extends over to the logo which was […]
Pepin Garcia has been created legendary blends for others as well as himself for quite some time now. When the La Aroma de Cuba Mi Amor came on the scene sporting a Mexican San Andres wrapper that showed many what flavors quality Mexican wrapper can deliver, the cigar was met with praise and became a staple […]
What’s better than a cigar and a book? Answer: a Davidoff cigar, and a fantastic piece of religious writings (Wellsprings of Faith: The Imitation of Christ / The Dark Night of the Soul / The Interior Castle pictured above). Today we review a very special cigar: the Davidoff Florida Selection, a 2018 Davidoff release that features […]
The Warped Serie Gran Reserva 1988 is the newest release from Kyle Gellis and Warped Cigars. Like other Warped cigars, this blend has been positively received by many reviewers, and I honestly can’t think of a release from the company that hasn’t. Still, this is a unique release. For one, it has only been released in one size […]
Up for review today is the Diesel Whiskey Row, a collaboration between AJ Fernandez and Rabbit Hole Bourbon. The cigar continues a growing trend of aging tobaccos in ex-whiskey or beer barrels to add another layer of complexity. In my experience, most barrel aged cigars tend to fail for one of two reasons. I can’t […]
Editors Note: the following is the first in a series of articles focused on blenders, makers, and growers in the art and process of cigars. This article is about legendary cigar blender Rafael Nodal, owner of Boutique Blends Cigars and currentl Head of Product Capability at Tabacalera USA. The article is written from two points […]
Up for review today is the Daniel Marshall Black Label. I don’t have much backstory on this cigar as the internet is a bit sparse, but you may know the name Daniel Marshall from the brand’s humidors which enjoy a great reputation around the world, or from the gold leaf wrapped cigar that pops up […]
A few weeks back, my wife Catherine and I traveled out to my home state of Oregon to see my family and childhood friends. We spent the first day in Portland doing nothing but sampling coffee shops and interior design studios (I know, I know). The rest of our trip was spent with family down […]