Illusione is a cigar brand that stands out as a frontrunner in the high end boutique cigar market. The brand produces some of my earliest boutique favorites, including Rothchildes, Epernay Serie 2009, Ultra, and the 88. Illusione cigars have also won more than their share of awards, including five Top 10 placements in Cigar Aficionado’s Top […]
On Thursday, September 27th, 80+ NYC cigar and whiskey enthusiasts converged on The Carnegie Club for the New York launch of the Aging Room Quattro Nicaragua, the newest extension in Aging Room’s expanding lineup. The Aging Room Quattro Nicaragua is all Nicaraguan and produced at A.J. Fernandez’s factory in Nicaragua. Our spirits pairing for the […]
Today we review the highly anticipated Vega Magna from Quesada Cigars. Announced at IPCPR 2018, Vega Magna is Quesada’s follow up to its award winning Casa Magna series. The cigar is offered in robusto, toro, and belicoso sizes. It utilizes an Ecuadorian Sun Grown wrapper, as well as “traditionally aged tobaccos.” In a press release, […]
The Black Works Studios S&R is a 2018 release from Black Label Trading Co., the company behind blends like NBK, Killer Bee, and Rorschack. I’ll admit upfront I don’t know much about this company, nor have I experienced any of their products. So when BWS S&R hit my radar, I was intrigued. Some brief background on this […]
2018 has been a big year for Rafael Nodal and Aging Room Cigars. First, 2018 was Nodal’s first full year as Head of Product Capability for Tabacalera USA, which owns Altadis, JR Cigar, and Casa de Montecristo cigars. Second, Aging Room has rebranded their famous Quattro line, introduced the Quattro Nicaragua (which we’re debuting for […]
Besides being a downright gorgeously branded cigar, the Caldwell Hit & Run is special because it’s a collaboration between two titans in the cigar industry: Matt Booth and Robert Caldwell. That this is a collaboration project is in fact evident on the branding itself. If you look at the band, you’ll notice the Room 101 […]
As is often the case cigar enthusiasts who seek quality in their smokes this often lends itself to the pursuit of other accoutrements of equal caliber. Appreciating the hands-on craft along with the time and care placed in it becomes almost an obsession seeking out the best and most unique items. These aficionados indulge in […]
When I first got into single malts years ago, sherry-influenced whiskies were mostly off my radar. As my palate developed and I realized I enjoyed them, Aberlour became a quick go-to. It is, after all, a distillery known for its sherry cask matured single malts (and at a great price point too). Of course, price […]
It’s weird to say it, but this cigar blog has been around for over 10 years (yikes, I feel old). In all of that time, no cigar company has come seemingly out of nowhere and surprised me with incredible craftsmanship the way Moore & Bode Cigars has. I’m sure the consistent readers of this site are […]
We continue our 2018 reviews today with the Room 101 Farce Lonsdale. Room 101 is a brand known for producing flavorful, deeply complex cigars. One of my favorites is the Room 101 Uncle Lee, a perfecto-shaped cigar which is sadly out of production. In any case, the Room 101 Farce is a 2018 release which […]
Today, we continue our investigation of cigars from Moore & Bode, a small boutique company out of Florida that has produced some stellar smokes. Adelante, for example, scored a rare 93 rating. Candela scored a 91. The American Fire is the next in our lineup. It’s a cigar which uses fire cured tobacco, a tobacco process […]
Joya de Nicaragua is on a bit of a tear this year with new releases. The company released a new size of the Antaño Gran Reserva, Clasico, Cinco Decadas, and Joya Silver. The Cinco Decadas Diadema received an enviable score of 93 from us for it’s stellar complexity, balance, and flavor. The Joya Silver is one […]