West Tampa Black Toro is a cigar that carries the legacy of Master Blender Rick Rodriguez, whose roots in cigar craftsmanship trace back to his grandparents, master rollers from Havana. This cigar exemplifies a deep respect for tradition while delivering a modern and flavorful smoking experience. With a dark Habano wrapper, an Ometepe Habano binder, and Condega Viso and Esteli Ligero fillers, it promises a complex and rewarding profile. The cigar’s appearance is striking, with […]
Introduced at the 2022 PCA Trade show was Alfonso Anejo from Nelson Alfonso’s Selected Tobacco. The Alfonso Añejos line ages in a separate room. This was an experiment Nelson was testing after learning the complexity French Oak could offer. Some of the most famous wines in the world use French Oak barrels and this became an obsession to incorporate a new wood into the aging rooms for Nelson. The results after five(5) years of post-roll […]
In 2013, Litto Gomez released the La Flor Dominicana L-Granu which is part of the Ligero portfolio. Looking at the box of La Flor Dominicana L-Granu it might be the largest in the cigar industry considering its a 100 count box. It amazes me that big ring gauge cigars weren’t just a novelty and that they continue to sell like crazy while my personal favorites of coronas, corona gorda and lanceros barely move the needle at […]
Supply and Demand, two import words in business. Unfortunately, La Flor Dominicana has had supply issues with the Oscuro and Maduro wrappers, but thankfully demand remains strong. For months, retailers across the country have had back order issues and customers have been waiting for their favorite cigars to arrive. Now the wait is over and to celebrate we light up the La Flor Dominicana L300 Oscuro as La Flor Dominicana is once again flowing to […]
Back in 2009, Davidoff released a limited batch of cigars known as the “Davidoff Selección 702” that many considered the company’s best blend to date. It was unique because Davidoff used an exclusive wrapper from Ecuador that was a hybrid of three different seeds and used 80% Dominican ligero filler tobaccos for strength and taste. A combination that Master Blender Henke Keller worked extensively on. Since then, you’d be lucky to get your hands on […]
With IPCPR just days away there are a lot of brands that will be introduced that might not remain on the market in two years as the FDA regulations inch closer to enforcement. In fact, in three years there might not be any brands on the shelf that were introduced after 2007. The La Flor Dominicana Double Ligero is a brand that will meet the requisite date and will continue to exist after the FDA […]
The Camacho Liberty has been in production since 2002 and it will be interesting to see if this line can survive the FDA regulations that are almost upon us. While the cigar has been marketed continuously since the 2007 date; then the blend has changed from year to year. According to a press release, “This year’s Camacho Liberty cigar is a rich and powerful blend featuring tobaccos from five different origins, skillfully rolled in a […]
Last year, our very own Barry Stein released Kilo; cigar that he had been working on for quite some time. He was looking for something that would fit his palate, a cigar with strength and balance. So while Barry originally worked with La Aurora on the blend he turned to Noel Rojas to complete the project, which was ultimately rolled at the Aromas de Jalapa factory in Esteli, Nicaragua and distributed by United Cigar. And […]
The back story of the Neya and Neya F8 brand is perhaps one of the most interesting and funny stories I have heard to date in the cigar industry. The story goes that one of the blenders at Duran Cigars wanted to name a cigar after his mother to honor her. The wish was granted, and the Neya was created. When it came time to create the artwork the blender was asked if he had […]
An interesting topic of conversation led to the cigar we picked for review today. That conversation was based on the recent sale of Drew Estate to Swisher International. We discussed how over the history of time, not many brands have faired well after a merger. These brands tend to go down hill as new ownership tries to tinker with the old brand. Very rarely does a brand get better. Camacho is one of these rare […]