Celebrating the tradition that began in 1992 by Two Guys Smoke Shop, The Cigar Authority is delighted to announce the prestigious title of “The Cigar of the Year” for 2023, awarded to the Micallef Black Toro. Measuring 6 inches in length with a 52-ring gauge, the Micallef Black Toro captivates with its understated elegance. Crafted by the skilled master blenders, Joel and Edel Gomez-Sanchez of Micallef Cigars, this exceptional cigar boasts a rich blend of […]
Atabey Black Ritos started off as the idea of Oliver Nivaud from United Cigar, later turned into a discussion with Nelson Alfonso, and pushed over the line by Nelson Alfonso, Jr., the very first NFT cigar was born. On April 1, 2021, what some believed to be an April Fools joke was real, or kind of. OpenSea, a digital NFT trading platform, still unknown to most of the cigar community, Atabey Black Ritos came […]
I rarely do formal cigar reviews for The Cigar Authority, I have people for that (Hi Barry), but coming back from the PCA Cigar Trade Show 12 days ago with Covid and smoking no cigars in a week, I found my palate ultra-sensitive. I hear that some people lose their sense of taste and smell as a symptom from the Covid virus, but I think the opposite happened to me, so why waste it. I […]
United Cigars has begun shipping Garofalo La Famiglia following the press release of the new Garofalo La Famiglia in December of 2020. The new Garofalo La Famiglia is a special collaboration between New England retailer David Garofalo and Nick Perdomo, Jr., president, and CEO of Perdomo Cigars. “Making a special line of cigars for my close friend, David Garofalo, is an honor for the Perdomo family,” states Nick Perdomo, Jr. “The original Garofalo Legacy Series has been a […]
Two Guys Smoke Shop celebrates their time in the premium cigar business each year with a gala event they call their Anniversary Party. Two Guys Smoke Shop has been doing this since they began their business in 1985 and with cigar lovers around the world. This is the premier event, the must see show, and there are lots of reasons for that. Two Guys Smoke Shop, the world’s largest volume, independently owned and operated cigar […]
(Oct 23, 2019) – I can’t say that I was surprised or unhappy for the overall good of the entire cigar industry, but as predicted and expected, Altria Group, after just 1,000 days since purchasing Nat Sherman will sell off the Premium cigar segment of the operation. Altria is the parent company of Philip Morris. In January of 2017 Altria purchased Nat Sherman, a luxury cigarette company who also owned and operated a premium cigar division […]
BANNED IN BOSTON… THE WAR ON TOBACCO CONTINUES Another Editorial by David Garofalo It’s Columbus Day, a day to celebrate the discovery of Tobacco and Cigars, and a day to discover why there is a war against tobacco. A few weeks ago, the Governor of Massachusetts, Charlie Baker placed a four-month ban on all vaping products in response to the popularity of e-cigarettes and after nine people died in the United States from a mysterious […]
Sometimes I hate to be right! Another Editorial by David Garofalo Seeing a big tobacco giant like Altria, parent company of Philip Morris getting into the Premium Cigar business with their acquisition of Nat Sherman in January or 2017 was like an alarm going off to me. Oh no… they are going to screw this up for all the premium cigar makers, retailers and consumers… I just know it. Some estimated they paid as much […]
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 […]
PLEASE… stop asking that question… The Cuban Embargo is NOT Over, but there has been yet another kick in the cojones for American businesses and the creation of an unfair playing field, if you ask me. Americans traveling abroad can now return with all the Cuban cigars and Cuban rum they want and they don’t go through any of the same pesky regulations and taxation that all other cigars have to go through. This “free […]