This week on The Cigar Authority broadcasting live from the Toscano Sound Stage in Salem, New Hampshire… Every cigar brand has a story, but no story is as controversial as the Cohiba story. Lawsuits, Prices, and The Most Ripped-Off Brand in History. We discuss Cohiba as we are joined by the guy that took Dave on his first trip to Cuba; former Chief Editor of Cigar Journal, Cigar Researcher, Author, and Owner of Twin Engine […]
This week on The Cigar Authority LIVE from the Toscano Cigar Sound Stage… We ask what should you be smoking instead of Cuban cigars? In the first hour we smoke a cigar that some say is Cubanesque from the Care Package, the Bandolero Barbaros. In the second hour of the cigar we fire up a Cuban Cohiba Siglo VI and compare it to cigars available in the American market that we feel are better and […]
Day 3 of the trade show began without incident. The word on the trade show floor was the fire on day 2 started at the AJ Fernandez booth, but that has not been 100% confirmed. Over the course of the show the is one cigar that had a lot of buzz about it, but it was more about the price tag. We caught up with Sean Williams the brand ambassador for Cohiba where he told […]
As we celebrate Christopher Columbus on Columbus Day we looked for a cigar that has ties to the holiday, and that cigar is Atabey. On October 28th, 1492 Columbus discovered the island nation that at one time was the benchmark for cigars. How does the cigar tie into Cuba? The Tainos Indians would sit in a circle called the Cohiba where they would offer their prayers to the leader of the tribe, the Behike. The […]
The Changing “FACE” of the Cigar Industry! The Faces of the Brands and the ones that could be changing another Editorial by David Garofalo We know a small business owner, as is in the cigar industry, must be a jack of all trades and one of the tools they should possess is being the face of their brand. Today even some of the huge corporations and brands have attempted to put faces and personalities to […]
There is way too much debate over whether or not Cuban cigars are the best cigars on the global market. This essay will not be attempting to sway you one way or another. There is more bullshit in the cigar industry than in almost any other industry. Can anyone really argue that this $6 cigar they paid $80 for is better than that $30 cigar you paid $6 for? In the end if you are […]
Yesterday on The Cigar Authority podcast which is embedded just below we smoked the Byron Distinguido on our Christmas show. We paired the cigar with Ron Zaya rum which made for a phenomenal pairing and helped bring out some of the subtle vanilla notes in the cigar. Cigar Review: Byron Serie Siglo XXI Size: 6 x 55 (Distinguido) Wrapper: Unknown Binder: Unknown Filler: Unknown Strength: Medium-Full The Look: The Byron Distinguido features a simpler band then the regular Byron line. Instead of an […]
The Atabey Ritos was a cigar that was only available in a 5 pack assortment until a year ago. While the other Atabey cigars come packaged in a beautiful jar, the Ritos takes on a more traditional look with a box that also serves as a humidor. The 30 count box features 29 naked cigars (no cello) and 1 cigar in the famous Atabey tube. The brainchild of Nelson Alfonso, Atabey is the goddess that […]
The story of Byron cigars begins in the mid 19th century when immigrants of the Canary Islands made their way to Cuba and started their own cigar factory. The small factory was located on Macías Street in Santiago de Las Vegas, a province of Havana. It was at this factory that the original Lord Byron was made in honor of the world-renowned English Poet. The brand was resurrected by another Cuban; Nelson Alfonso who designs […]
This week on The Cigar Authority we smoke a few rare cigars… The first one was included in the now sold out Cigar Authority Care Package… Made in 2012; 500 boxes of 50 are long gone.. So what does David do? He sends out the ones he had stashed away in his personal collection… In the second hour we light up a Cohiba XV550 Extra Vigoroso that was rolled by Dave on January 11, 2004. […]