One of the most intriguing cigar releases in 2015 was Leaf by Oscar. It was a cigar that wasn’t on our radar when we visited the show, but as our own Mr. Jonathan walked the trade show floor he was intrigued when he met “Island” Jim Robinson by the cigar that looked like one of the ugliest creations ever made. The cigar which is wrapped in a tobacco leaf instead of cello continues to perform […]
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Tobacco
Back in 1950, a man named Benigno Arronte was born in Pinar Del Rio, Cuba. At the time, his grandfather owned a cigar factory named “Ceniza” in Vuelta Abajo, where Don Benigno would learn the processes of cigar making at a young age. Things took a turn for the worse following the Cuban Revolution when Fidel Castro eventually took over, ultimately causing the Ceniza factory to close it’s doors. After fleeing Cuba, Don Benigno settled down […]
At the 2015 IPCPR show down in Louisiana, Hammer & Sickle Cigars introduced a line extension of their Trademark Series. In place of the natural Connecticut shade wrapper the original is known for, the Hammer & Sickle Trademark Maduro features just that; a dark and toothy Mexican San Andreas maduro wrapper. This isn’t my first go around with this cigar, and I’m a fan for several reason, so let me tell you why. What am I […]
Some of the most expensive tobacco in the world comes from the African nation of Cameroon. While Kenya also produces tobacco, the nation of Zimbabwe as begun producing wrapper quality tobacco for the cigar market. According to AllAfrica.com farmers in the Burma Valley in Manicaland have signed a deal to clinch a market in Germany with plans to make their tobacco available to manufacturers in America and the United Kingdom. Tobacco growing isn’t new to the […]
Bundle cigars. What comes to mind when you hear those words? Maybe “gross” or “nasty”… I’ll admit I’ve thought for a long time that cigars under the $4.00 price point weren’t even worth my time, because how can something that cheap be good? Now that I work for Two Guys Smoke Shop, I had to find out for myself on how the Dos Hombre line of bundle cigars could be the #1 best seller in […]
Every now and then I look for tasty smokes that I can buy boxes of without emptying my bank account. I’ve smoked cigars that cost me twenty-five cents each, all the way to a single that cost me $300 (which was an absolutely terrible call on my part, but I won’t get into that). I’m all over the board with this passion of mine, but if I’m looking for a stick I can light up […]
Today the House Appropriations Committee held a full committee mark-up to move the Agriculture Appropriations bill to the next phase of the legislative process. This bill contains important language that would exempt premium cigars from FDA regulation. During the committee meeting, an amendment was offered by Rep. DeLauro (D-CT) to strip the language that defines premium cigars and exempts that category from FDA regulation. This amendment failed by a 14 to 34 vote. The challenge […]
For cigar smokers, this is not a San Francisco treat. The San Francisco Board of Supervisors voted unanimously to raise the purchase age for tobacco from 18 to 21. The ordinance applies to all tobacco products sold in the city limits and includes cigars, smokeless tobacco and e-cigarettes as well. The move comes with some controversy as California state law currently prohibits individual municipalities to raise the age for tobacco. It is believe that the […]
As the cigar industry waits for the FDA ruling on cigars, some new information has come out about some of the things that the FDA will be looking at when it comes to regulation. On February 22, 2016, the FDA announced that they were seeking to purchase a Cigar Smoking Machine with CO Analyzer. According to the document, they are seeking a smoking machine capable of smoking a 22.5mm cigar which would be between a 57 and […]
Fleur de la Reine is a brand I’m very familiar with, in particular, the Fleur de la Reine Quatre Maduro. It is a cigar that I keep in rotation with my other go-to’s. One of the main reasons I enjoy them is for the use of Connecticut Broadleaf, which is one of my favorite wrappers on a premium cigar. Not only that, but this hand-made has fillers and binders from three different countries that are […]