Posts
All Comments
(Cigar Dojo) ... Right away, this smoke will hit you with a heavy body and flavor. Pepper is the first thing I noticed, with a sharp zest in the nostrils. The palate is somewhat dry in texture, feeling (and tasting) like cocoa powder on the tongue. It’s a decadent profile, I almost felt like I should be pairing it with a cold glass of milk! Continued
(Cigar Aficionado) The U.S. government has eased rules that govern business and travel regulations with Cuba, another step in normalizing relations with the island just 90 miles from Key West. The amendments to existing regulations were issued by the Department of Treasury's Office of Foreign Asset Control (OFAC) and the Department of Commerce's Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS). The rules are another step toward resumption of ties between the two countries, a goal that President Barack Obama announced December 2014 after more than 50 years of hostilities. Continued
(Halfwheel) Last month, New York-based distributor Alliance Cigar began shipping its Foyle Meritage Collection, which is composed of three box-pressed versions of its Meteor Hammer cigar, a 6 1/2 x 52 double perfecto. Each 27-count box contains nine cigars covered in three different wrappers: Ecuadorian Connecticut, Mexican San Andrés and a barberpole, which combines Ecuadorian Connecticut and a habano wrapper. Continued
(Cigar Aficionado) Vatted whiskey, a term that seemed to have breathed its last in Scotland some eight years ago, has been revived on these shores. But this time it comes as a rye, not a Scotch. Hochstadter's Vatted Straight Rye Whiskey, from the Cooper Spirits Co., joins five types of North American straight rye whiskeys and applies the nomenclature "vatted" to that category for the first time. Continued
(allAfrica.com) Tobacco plantings for 2016 indicate a 3 860 hectare decline from last season's hectarage of 93 419, raising fears of a potential slump in export earnings from the crop this year.
Statistics from the Tobacco Industry and Marketing Board (TIMB) show that irrigated tobacco, has 14 987 hectares planted compared to 15 349 hectares planted during the 2014/2015 growing season. Producers for the dryland crop planted 74 216 hectares, a decline from last year's crop of 78 068 hectares. Continued
(Cigar Coop) At the 2012 IPCPR Trade Show in Orlando, Florida, PDR Cigars launched a new line of cigars known as the A. Flores 1975 Serie Privada. The line gets its name from PDR Cigars owner Abraham Flores with 1975 representing the year he was born. The A. Flores 1975 Serie Privada is an all-box-pressed offered that was launched in two blends – Capa Habano (Habano Ecuador wrapper blend) and Capa Maduro (Habano Ecuador Maduro blend). Recently, I’ve had an opporunity to smoke the A. Flores 1975 Serie Privada Capa Maduro in the SP52 (Robusto) size. Overall I found this to be an excellent cigar and one of the more underrated blends in the PDR Cigars portfolio. Continued
(Cigars Direct) If you love a great maduro, you might be interested to know a bit more about the wrappers. Here’s a look at how they are fermented differently than natural wrappers. Continued
(Reuters) Highly unusual weather has damaged Cuba's tobacco crop, raising concerns among farmers and cigar-lovers that the island's supply of its famous cigars might suffer at a time of increased demand resulting from detente with the United States.
The weather phenomena El Niño led to Cuba's worst drought in a century in 2015, followed by heavy rain during the northern winter, which is normally a dry period in Cuba. Continued
(Toasted Foot) In 2014, Ashton Cigars released the limited edition La Aroma de Cuba Noblesse (our Cigar of the Year that year). At the 2015 IPCPR Trade Show they announced that the San Cristobal brand would be getting the same special treatment with a limited edition cigar named the San Cristobal Ovation. Finally hitting stores late in 2015 and early 2016, the San Cristobal Ovation is made at My Father Cigars S.A., and is a full bodied cigar certainly worthy of the ovation that its name implies. Continued
(Country Squire Radio) JD and Beau talk about the Blowfish pipe and the various benefits to this unique style. Continued
(Smoking Jacket) ... The flavor-factor backs up the condimental-use of the Latakia; at times it is almost unnoticed. This blend really does let the orientals shine through. With the smokiness being far from prominent, to my palate, the Virginias and Izmir are clean and tasty, un-muddled by the other components. Continued
(Tobacco Farmer Newsletter) The Southern Farm Show will take place at the North Carolina State Fairgrounds in Raleigh, N.C., from Wednesday, February 3, through Friday, February 5. It will be held at the North Carolina State Fairgrounds in Raleigh, N.C. There is no charge for admission or parking. The annual meeting of the Tobacco Growers Association of N.C. will take place Friday from 10 to 1. A list of exhibitors with displays of particular interest to tobacco growers appears below. Continued
(Cigar Inspector) If you are a dyed-in-the-wool Montecristo lover, you might want to stop reading right now. Yes, I am a huge fan of Montecristo, but this review will not be flattering, not in the least. You might want the children to leave the room ... Continued
(Smoking Jacket) ... the trade teaches its own, from the shop owners to the suppliers and their reps, but also the customers. Everyone is willing to share information and advice, we are now a small shell of what the English tobacco trade used to be and without this sharing attitude it would fade away into history. I have been involved in the industry now for over 10 years and I still learn new things, but mainly I love sharing what others shared with me. Continued
(Cigar Aficionado) The Partagás Corona Gorda and the Hoyo de Monterrey Hermosos No. 4 are the two new Cuban cigars scheduled for release this year under the Añejados program started by Habanos S.A. The new smokes join the Añejados cigars released in 2015—the Romeo y Julieta Pirámides and the Montecristo Churchill.
The Añejados series are cigars that have been aged between five to eight years in their original packaging. Continued
(Toasted Foot) There seems to be a growing segment of women cigar smokers, so it seemed only night to feature a women running a cigar shop in our What’s in Your Humidor? series. For the first woman to feature I turned to my friend Jara (@htowncigarbabe) from Houston’s Briar Shoppe. Like many women in the cigar industry, Jara is more that just a pretty face, having worked for both manufactures and retailers, and is a Certified Retail Tobacconist from Tobacconist University.
So without further ado… Continued
(CSN) Armor Facet, Zippo’s Collectible of the Year, is an innovative, windproof lighter that debuts a 360-degree multicut engraving process, as well as a new Armor Satin Chrome finish. By using this new method of engraving, the lighter can be engraved to the edge, over the edge and around the entire lighter, according to the company Continued
(Fat-Ash) The Oliva Serie O started out nicely with subtle a spice and creaminess, finishing with an earthy/cedar taste. The Oliva also has a great draw, which helps add to the taste. Continued
(Halfwheel) ... Outside of the size, the other noticeable change this year is that getting a box to yourself will be much easier. It’s not that Quesada will make more cigars, they are still only slated to release 1,200 cigars like last year, but this year the cigars are coming in 10-count boxes instead of 50- or 100-count boxes of year’s past. Continued
(Rebornpipes) This is a sad tale for all involved: the eBay seller from whom I purchased the GBD straight apple sitter this blog concerns, for $39.99 in April of last year, which the good lady in England refunded five days later; me, as the buyer who requested the refund after receiving the pipe and finding that the photos posted by the seller did not reveal the hidden nomenclature from a previous silver banding to fix an apparent crack in the shank, and at last, in a very real way, the person or persons unknown responsible for the banding itself that, nine months later, I have only just discovered was unnecessary. At least the last of the concerned parties is/are blithely unaware. Continued
(Toasted Foot) In 2015, Camacho released the Shellback, the first of what it has termed its “Brotherhood Series”, which will likely be a whole series of Limited Edition cigars honoring the military. The Shellback takes its name from a term used to refer to a sailor or Marine who crosses the equator for the first time. From the sea green band color to the compass on the cigar’s box, the Shellback is a well themed cigar, but on top of that it is a very flavorful cigar. Continued
(Smokingpipes.com) I've long been a fan of both Vladimir Grechukhin and Jeff Gracik of J. Alan pipes. The two makers have worked together several times over the last few years as part of Grechukhin's International Project, an open collaboration in which the Russian Master invites other master carvers to his shop to make pipes together. Continued
(Cigar Coop) Back at the 2015 IPCPR Trade Show, a new brand called La Rosa de Sandiego made its debut. La Rosa de Sandiego is produced by American Caribbean Cigars, the factory best known for producing cigars for brands such as Gurkha, Toraño and Leccia Tobacco. La Rosa de Sandiego is a different project for American Caribbean Cigars in that it gives the factory its very own brand to market. Continued
(Cigar Dojo) ... I’ll tell you straight out—this is not an everyday smoke. But, not every cigar should be. We need those oddball selections in our humidors and Matt Booth is just the guy to give us that selection. Continued
(Huffington Post) ... What Havana will look like in five years is anyone's guess. If you go now, you will experience Havana as the change is just beginning. Now is a good time to travel to Cuba. Continued
(Pipes Revival via Rebornpipes) ... The Captain was in was in decent shape when I received it, rim build up, tight tennon fit, a little chatter, worn stain and the start of an uneven cake. Continued
