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 2016, Foundation Cigar Company owner Nick Melillo created an event only cigar that could only be obtained from him at select events. The cigar quickly developed a cult following leading the man known as Nick R. Agua to create a limited production, limited edition cigar that would become their most exclusive cigar. In 2020, the cigar would be released as a Short Robusto. Today the cigar is back in a Toro format. The Menelik […]
Red Anchor was the start of the boutique cigar industry when the line originally released in 1772 in Holland. Next month the line will once again line the shelves of retailers as the Red Anchor Admiral begins shipping to United Cigars retail partners. Red Anchor cigar was the first boutique cigar brand to adorn a cigar band and at this year’s Premium Cigar Association Trade Show in Las Vegas, United Cigars sold out the 250-box […]
The new YAYA premium cigar line from CigarZona will not only have its US launch at this year’s PCA (Premium Cigar Association) trade show in Las Vegas, NV but it will also release a show exclusive: YAYA Short Robusto. This year’s PCA will be a special one for United Cigars as this will be their first-time back exhibiting since 2019 with an even greater presence. YAYA landed in the United portfolio after its hometown launch […]
For an outsider looking in, Michael Herklots was becoming the face of the TAA. He would serve as Emcee for numerous years during the Dream Machine event which was the TAA Trade Show aspect of the convention. In 2022, he returned to the TAA as a brand owner that saw his company Ferio Tego release Timeless TAA 2022. Made at the Plasencia factory in Nicaragua the limited edition smoke utilizes all Nicaraguan tobacco. The 10 […]
More than a decade ago, I made the move from NYC to Miami where I began working at Miami Cigar & Company. One of my greatest memories was heading down to Esteli, Nicaragua with Jason Wood VP of Miami Cigars and Eddie Ortega who was in the process of launching his own lines. During this trip Jason and I were tasked on creating a cigar for the Nestor Miranda Special Selection line to bring back […]
German based Arnold André began US distribution with United Cigars in 2022, however the company was founded in 1817. Arnold André is the largest machine-made cigar manufacturer in Germany and began its premium cigar production after purchasing a facility in the Dominican Republic in 2011. Though their premium cigar production has been well received all over Europe, this is Arnold André’s first release in the US. According to the United Cigars website, “The protective embrace […]
When you see a cigar on the shelf at a cigar at this price you wonder, how good can this be and how can they make any money. According to the folks at El Artista, “They say money isn’t everything and they are right; this blend is priced so low you will question how we even make any money. The answer is: we make cigars, not money.” If the name El Artista sounds familiar it […]
Turning 85 is a big deal, and Tabacalera Palma wanted to do something just as exciting to commemorate this incredible feat. When they sat down to think of ways to accurately convey what this occasion meant to them, they decided to consult their fathers. Jochy Blanco revisited dozens of scribbles and stand-alone paragraphs in his father’s notebooks and reexamined the tobacco growing and processing wisdom of two generations, along with the cigar manufacturing wisdom of one generation. […]
Turning 85 is a big deal, and Tabacalera Palma wanted to do something just as exciting to commemorate this incredible feat. When they sat down to think of ways to accurately convey what this occasion meant to them, they decided to consult their fathers. Jochy Blanco revisited dozens of scribbles and stand-alone paragraphs in his father’s notebooks and reexamined the tobacco growing and processing wisdom of two generations, along with the cigar manufacturing wisdom of one generation. […]