You can’t review cigars for any amount of time without encountering at least one cigar enthusiast who not only doesn’t read cigar reviews, but actively objects to anyone’s efforts to rate, evaluate or describe the experiences of smoking a particular cigar. I’m not talking about people who don’t trust reviews to be objective or accurate, […]
Zino Platinum Crown Series Emperor Edition 2009
Up for review this week is a cigar I’ve been interested in getting acquainted with for a while now, but didn’t think I’d ever be able to give a proper review. That changed recently when I came into possession of a few Zino Platinum Emperors by way of gift and trade. But I didn’t think […]
Xikar HC Series Connecticut Shade Robusto
The partnership between Xikar and Jesus Fuego in the creation of the HC Series seems to have been a successful one, both the Criollo and Habano Colorado have been well received by cigar enthusiasts. But I’ve heard considerably less talk of the Connecticut Shade line, which has been billed by Xikar as a “slightly stronger […]
The Box-Worthies: Brian’s Top 10 Cigars of 2009
I hope you’re not tired of top ten lists, because I’ve got one more for you: Mine. My criteria this year is a little different than Walt’s and Jerry’s. To qualify for my top ten all that was required for me to smoke and really enjoy them sometime in 2009. Last year, I tried limiting […]
Origen by Jesus Fuego Toro
It was probably sometime in the spring of this quickly fading year that I first heard someone mention a cigar named Origen. It was mentioned quickly, in a list of other cigars new to the market, and it sounded a little like the title of a suspenseful monster movie, “The Origen”. I took a quick […]
EP Carrillo Edicion Inaugural 2009 Encore
I’ve been waiting nearly half a year to do this review. Part of that wait was self-inflicted. I could have thrown together something based on the EP Carrillo Edicion Inaugural samples I picked up at the IPCPR trade show, but that just didn’t seem right. What I really wanted to do was smoke them as […]
Carlos Torano Casa Torano Maduro Robusto
This week’s review was an exercise in finding enough of the same cigar to actually do a review. I was starting to get a little worried when I found a forgotten five pack of Casa Torano Maduros I purchased quite a while ago. Long enough ago that the cellophane was starting to yellow a bit. […]
Punch Upper Cut Robusto
This week’s contender is a new addition to General Cigar’s popular Punch line, the Upper Cut. Or perhaps I should call it The Champ, as the Upper Cut made it to production by knocking out lesser cigars a special “Election” promotion that took place last year, according to General’s promotional information. Here’s the word from […]
Zino Embassy Selection Limited Edition Perfecto
I guess I haven’t been paying attention lately, because when the Zino Embassy Selection touched down at a local cigar shop I was surprised. Standing in front of an open burgundy box of 10 large perfectos, my thought process went a little like this: “A new Zino? Why I didn’t hear about… Whoah, wait. That […]
Murcielago Belicoso
If I had given it some thought, I would have lit up the Murcielago for review back at the tail end of October. The reason being, of course, is that “Murcielago” is Spanish for “bat”, a common Halloween fixture. But it wasn’t until saw the short video clip on EO/United Tobacco’s website that it occurred […]