In 1926, Jose O. Padron was born in the country of Cuba. Fast forward to 1964 after immigrating to the US, he founded one of the worlds most successful brands of premium cigars in the city of Miami. Mr. Padron worked tirelessly over the years to build his brand, turning it into the icon it is today. After smoking the Padron 1964 Anniversary TAA Belicoso last week on TCA’s weekly podcast, I wanted to revisit one […]
I was rummaging through the humidor this morning looking for a cigar I haven’t had in a while. As soon as I saw a Via Havana peek out under some other sticks in my collection, I dug it out. These cigars come out of the country of Costa Rica and are made by a company called Cuba Rica Tabaclera, a brand which makes several different high quality blends. What am I Smoking? Cigar: Via Havana […]
This summer of 2015 saw the launch of Foundation Cigar Company by Nick Melillo who had his career start at the retail level while living in the state of Connecticut. From here he would go on to Drew Estate where he would oversee their factory operations and he was responsible for blending Liga Privada No. 9, T52, Dirty Rat, L40, Nica Rustica as well as others. Nick would eventually leave Drew Estate to start his […]
It’s starting to chill down up here in New Hampshire, so I was looking for something I could enjoy outside that wouldn’t take too much time. But I also wanted a cigar that was going to have the power I like. One of my favorites that fits both of those requirements is the CroMagnon Knuckle Dragger, a dark cigar that hails from Nicaragua made by Skip Martin and Michael Rosales of RoMa Craft. What am […]
Avo. A name synonymous with fine cigars and musical talent. Over three decades ago in the early 1980’s, Avo quietly entered into the premium cigar market only selling 120,000 cigars in his first year. Fast forward to 1995, Davidoff took over distribution for Avo Uvezian and sold over 2,000,000 cigars that very next year. In the past, Avo Uvezian primarily used tobaccos from the Dominican Republic for his blends. More specifically, he has not used […]
The first snowfall of the year, and everyone forgets how to drive. To steal from comedian Vic DiBitetto, the panic sets in and everyone has to run out to get the bread and milk. Then you get the losers who drive as if they were on dry pavement only to wipe out their car along with a few other cars and put traffic in a jam. This morning, my commute which is usually 35 mins […]
In 2014, Crowned Heads released the first edition of their limited edition Las Calaveras brand of cigars. They were so popular that brand owner Jon Huber decided to re-release that same blend under a different name for a regular production cigar. That brand is known as La Imperiosa. What am I Smoking? Cigar: La Imperiosa by Crowned Heads – Duke Wrapper: Ecuadorian Habano Oscuro Binder: Nicaragua Filler: Nicaragua Length: 5.5 inches Ring Gauge: 54 Power: […]
Today, November 30, 2016 marks what would have been the 142nd Birthday of Winston Churchill. What better way to celebrate than with a Winston Churchill. For me I first became aware of Winston Churchill was in 1985. I guess if I paid attention more in school I would have known sooner but it took a song from Iron Maiden to open my eyes. The intro to the song Aces High from the live CD […]
Vallejuelo cigars are made in a small factory down in Santiago, Dominican Republic. Originally created for the European market, the started making their way to the states several years ago and since then have taken off for their quality, taste and price. In the past, it has earned high ratings along with the title of “Best Bargain Cigar”. Lets see how it fares in todays review. What Am I Smoking? Cigar: Vallejuelo Gran Toro Wrapper: […]
In June of 2016, Davidoff Cigars announced a line extension for Escurio. The line would be getting a few new sizes including today’s review the Gran Perfecto. The cigar which is cut at the foot begins at a 50 ring gauge before opening up to a 61 ring, which is just short of 1″ in diameter. A ring gauge is based on 64/64 which would equal an inch, where a 50 ring gauge is 50/64 […]