Initial Thoughts The Southern Draw Rose of Sharon Desert Rose Lonsdale is a great-looking cigar. The pink and black on the paper label provide a nice contrast, and the wrapper leaf is as smooth as silk. Visually, the Desert Rose Lonsdale has both a pigtail tip and a closed foot. Both features are somewhat common, Read more…
Category: Cigar Reviews
Cigar Review: Drew Estate Factory Smokes Sun Grown Robusto
Initial Thoughts In some situations, you might say someone spared no expense to create something. Well, in the case of the Factory Smokes Sun Grown Robusto, Drew Estate spared every expense to create one of the cheapest, most budget-friendly, moderately premium cigars possible. Other than being about as plain-looking as you can get, the first Read more…
Cigar Review: Camacho Ecuador Robusto
Initial Thoughts Some cigars are new and fresh; some are timeless classics. I’m not sure where the Camacho Ecuador Robusto falls on that spectrum, but I’ve had it for almost three years, and it’s just begging to be smoked. The Camacho Ecuador Robusto I reviewed was a good-looking cigar with a couple of oddities. There Read more…
Cigar Review: Founders Roosevelt Maduro Robusto
Initial Thoughts In the business world, there’s a saying that goes like this, “It’s better to be different than it is to be better.” In other words, different is better than better. And today we’re smoking a cigar that’s definitely different, the Founders Roosevelt Maduro Robusto. Hopefully, it’s also better. The Founders Roosevelt Maduro Robusto Read more…
Cigar Review: CAO Orellana 2019
Initial Thoughts Today we’re going to take a look at a rare cigar from my collection, the CAO Orellana, a predecessor to the “Amazon Basin”, that I’ve had for almost four years. According to the myth (ie CAO’s marketing team), the CAO Orellana comes from deep inside the Amazon jungle. The tobacco inside is so Read more…
Cigar Review: La Gloria Cubana Serie R No. 5 Natural
Initial Thoughts When it comes to classic cigar brands, La Gloria Cubana is right up there with the oldest of the old. Started in 1885, LGC began in Cuba, but split off during all of the Castro nastiness and started again in Miami in the 1970s. With such a storied history and over a century Read more…
Cigar Review: Dunbarton T&T Stillwell Star Navy No. 1056 Toro
Initial Thoughts If you’re looking to try something new in the cigar world, take a look at the Dunbarton Tobacco & Trust Stillwell Star line of cigars. Instead of normal cigar leaves, the Stillwell Stars all have pipe tobacco inside. The Dunbarton T&T Stillwell Star Navy No. 1056 Toro is a very aromatic cigar. Like Read more…
Cigar Review: Hooten Young 2020 Selection
Initial Thoughts Back in 2019, the first thing that attracted me to Hooten Young Cigars was just how beautiful they were. Fast forward four years and the Hooten Young 2020 Selection Toro is another beautiful cigar. The HY 2020 Selection is a slightly box-pressed toro that’s medium brown in color and that has a lot Read more…
Cigar Review: Diesel Rage Toro
Initial Thoughts The Diesel Rage Toro is a pretty basic-looking cigar. But, looks can be deceiving. The only way you’ll know who makes this cigar and what blend it is is by the small band around the foot. Other than its discrete branding, the Diesel Rage Toro was a good-looking cigar. It appeared to have Read more…
Cigar Review: Plasencia Alma Fuerte Robustus 1
Initial Thoughts Plasencia makes some really wonderful cigars, and the Alma Fuerte blend is my absolute favorite. So, when my buddy David Skelton from the Texas Cigar Roadshow bought me two Plasencia Alma Fuerte Robustus 1 for my birthday, I immediately smoked one and set the other aside for today’s review. The Plasencia Alma Fuerte Read more…
Cigar Review: Weller by Cohiba
Initial Thoughts Sometimes we smoke value-priced cigars. Sometimes, we swing to the other end of the spectrum and smoke high-dollar sticks like this Cohiba Weller by Cohiba. The Weller by Cohiba is a collaboration between two premium companies: Cohiba for the cigar, and Weller for the bourbon. If you age some of the Cohiba tobacco Read more…
Cigar Review: Ponce Robusto
Initial Thoughts When I first got the Ponce Robusto (yes, that’s the full name) for review, I was immediately impressed by the aroma of the wrapper leaf and the simple but beautiful label. The Ponce Robusto was a good-looking cigar. It was short and dark and the veins on the wrapper leaf were well dehydrated Read more…
Cigar Review: AJ Fernandez New World Dorado Robusto
Initial Thoughts I’m really excited about reviewing the brand new New World Dorado from AJ Fernandez for two reasons. First, as a brand AJ Fernandez has never been hotter than they are right now. Second, I’ve enjoyed the other cigars in the “New World” line, and AJ claims this is the best one yet. So, Read more…
Cigar Review: Dunbarton T&T Mi Querida Black Sakakhan LE
Initial Thoughts Right off the bat, I must tell you that the Dunbarton Tobacco & Trust Mi Querida Black Sakakhan LE is a big cigar. Before going into this review, I told my wife I was about to light up a “baby arm,” and that she wouldn’t see me for a while. Let’s dive in. Read more…
Cigar Review: Caldwell Long Live the King Mad MF
Initial Thoughts It’s not every day that you read the blend of a cigar and think, “wow, that sounds amazing!” But today is such a day, and the Caldwell Long Live the King Mad MOFO is such a cigar. The Caldwell Long Live the King Mad MF (aka MOFO, aka go look it up), is Read more…
Cigar Review: Pospiech Powstanie Wojtek War Bear 2021
Initial Thoughts It’s a good thing we don’t have to know how to pronounce Pospiech Powstanie Wojtek War Bear 2021 before we can smoke it. This barber-pole cigar has a complicated name, and we’re going to see if it’s worth trying. The Powstanie Wojtek War Bear is an interesting cigar. It has two intertwined wrappers Read more…
