This weekly podcast explores the world of premium hand made cigars. From cigar reviews and interviews with the stars, to libations, smoking tips, and much more.
BACKGROUND: It started 10 years, 2 months and a day ago as I wanted to add a different feature set to my already popular Stogie Fresh website. I was already reviewing cigars, publishing feature-length article on a variety of cigar … Continue reading →
BACKGROUND: The RoMa Craft lineup consists of three core lines: The CroMagnon, the CroMagnon Aquitaine and the Intemperance. The CroMagnon possesses a dark and oily USA/Connecticut Broadleaf wrapper, and sports a Cameroon binder with three Nicaraguan varietals in the filler. … Continue reading →
BACKGROUND: Tony Gomez, son of owner Litto Gomez, led this project for the company as part of his expanding role in the family business. For the limited edition Chapter One, Tony opted to use his the company’s trademark chisel shape, … Continue reading →
BACKGROUND: After a two-year hiatus from the industry, Michael Argenti announced the collaboration between himself and master blender and premium cigar manufacturer, AJ Fernandez of AJ Fernandez Cigars. Their first collaborative effort yielded the creation of a new cigar line … Continue reading →
BACKGROUND: “El Güegüense,” or “The Wise Man,” is a Nicaraguan puro using a Corojo 99 wrapper from Jalapa and a Corojo 99 binder from a different farm also in Jalapa. In the filler, there’s a mixture of Corojo and Criollo … Continue reading →
BACKGROUND: It started 10 years ago and now it is a part of history. Last week, on a hot Central Coast weekend, the Doc’s 10th annual Central Coast Herf launched its final hurrah. The 10th annual and final bash drew … Continue reading →
BACKGROUND: Cornelius & Anthony Premium Cigars is the new cigar division of the Bailey family’s 150-year-old tobacco company: S&M Brands Inc. Under the Cornelius & Anthony Premium Cigars banner, the company enters fully into the premium cigar market with the … Continue reading →
BACKGROUND: The Ratzilla first made its debut at the 2011 annual Trade Show & Convention before being offered for sale in a soft launch during the summer of 2012. Ratzilla has been often referred to as a longer version of … Continue reading →
BACKGROUND: Late last year, Davidoff announced big plans for the Avo brand, which include rebranding and repackaging as well as slimming down of the overall portfolio. At the same time, there was a change in the focus of the brand … Continue reading →
BACKGROUND: Padilla Vintage Reserve begins with a natural reddish-brown Pennsylvania broadleaf wrapper, a leaf that imparts a unique flavor to the cigar. According to Padilla, this particular wrapper wasn’t heated to the same level as other maduros. “It’s not fully … Continue reading →
BACKGROUND: Since 2011, Quesada Cigars has released its own Oktoberfest line of cigars, which are blended to be paired with beer. The line was introduced in two sizes initially, but since then the Oktoberfest line has become an annual release … Continue reading →
BACKGROUND: The 2015 project cigar for Tony Gomez of La Flor Dominicana is, “La Nox,” which is Latin for “The Night.” This night theme is evident in the dark-as-night wrapper leaf. La Nox features a coal black Brazilian Cubra Maduro … Continue reading →
BACKGROUND: The 20th Anniversary cigar was released just prior to the 2015 Trade Show and is purported to be a medium to full-bodied offering. The blend includes a Honduran wrapper covering a Honduran binder and Honduran and Nicaraguan filler. The … Continue reading →
BACKGROUND: Eric McAnallen, owner of Black Patch Cigar Company, recently announced the unveiling of two new cigars, which are produced in the Dominican Republic at the farms and factories of Jorge F. Carbonell. By blending his proprietary Kentucky-grown tobacco, Kenbano, with … Continue reading →
BACKGROUND: The Surrogates Tramp Stamp is one of four cigars making up the Surrogates line for L’Atelier Imports. L’Atelier Imports is a spinoff company to Tatuaje Cigars that made its debut in the summer of 2012. Surrogates Tramp Stamp is … Continue reading →
BACKGROUND: The Enclave by A.J. Fernandez made its debut in the summer of 2015 and is another in the continuing series of masterpieces from the famed Tabacalera Fernandez factory in Esteli, Nicaragua. Company founder, A.J. Fernandez, blended the Enclave along … Continue reading →
BACKGROUND: La Antiguedad by My Father Cigars is the second project to be developed by My Father Cigars after the mega success of Flor de las Antillas. The filler tobacco is cultivated entirely in Nicaragua on the farms of San … Continue reading →
BACKGROUND: There are currently seven cigars in the Surrogates lineup. The Surrogates Satin Glove was launched during the summer of 2014. Satin Glove was the first of the line to feature a Mexican San Andres wrapper. It is also the … Continue reading →
BACKGROUND: During the summer of 2014, Warped Cigars announced its next release called, La Colmena. Colmena, which translated from Spanish means “beehive,” is made in just two sizes and is rolled at the El Titan de Bronze factory in Miami, … Continue reading →
BACKGROUND: James “Raz” Agopian and his partners announced the launch of Sinistro Cigars in early 2015 and started with three lines: Mr. Red (Maduro), Mr. White (HVA) and Mr. Black (Nicaragua). After 2-years of researching, sourcing the proper tobacco and … Continue reading →
BACKGROUND: In mid-2015, Steve Saka publicly announced his plans to return to the cigar industry, a decision that was much anticipated and enthusiastically received. The first cigar under this new company is called: Sobremesa. This cigar is currently limited in … Continue reading →
BACKGROUND: After being introduced to a Pennsylvania Double Ligero known as Green River Valley Sucker One (GR-S1), RoMa Craft co-founder Skip Martin decided to use this tobacco as a catalyst for a full-bodied blend. This broadleaf from Pennsylvania possesses naturally … Continue reading →
BACKGROUND: Just three short weeks ago, myself and 9 other sojourners followed Colin Ganley to Pinar del Rio and Vuelta Abajo to see firsthand the famed Robaina farm and the prized tobacco growing therein. From there, we made our way … Continue reading →
BACKGROUND: Suriel Cigars is a partnership between longtime friends Uriel Suriel and Emilio Rodriguez. Suriel teamed with Hendrick Kelner Jr. of Kelner Boutique Factory to create the Robusto Day & Night and the Toro Majestuoso, which represent the inaugural blends … Continue reading →
BACKGROUND: At the heart of the Davidoff Escurio blend are two Brazilian varietals: Mata Fina and Cubra. The Cubra leaf is an original Cuban Criollo tobacco grown in Brazil, which adds a spicy pinch to the flavor, while the Mata … Continue reading →