It’s been a minute since we last talked to Dion of Illusione. This year we intercepted him during the early afternoon lull in the crowds to catch up. Dion’s not known for releasing new cigars every year, and this year was a light one. That’s intentional, he likes to give new lines and new brands […]
IPCPR 2017: Crux
As someone who has gone and Crux’d myself in the past (as directed by their motto, and usually with Crux Passport), I welcomed the opportunity to talk Casey Haugen about the latest Crux cigar developments at IPCPR 2017. This is the first time we’ve included them in our trade show coverage, so we quickly cover […]
IPCPR 2017: Veritas
As we were walking the aisles of the trade show trying to figure out where our next appointment was, Pizza Mike grabbed us and said we needed to have a chat with Chris Weber of Veritas Cigars. I don’t know about you, but I have a hard time arguing with a guy dressed head-to-toe in […]
IPCPR 2017: J. Fuego
We always try to make a point to stop by and talk with Jesus Fuego for a while. This year he got started by telling us that everything they produce is now made at the factory they opened up last year. Which includes the reintroduced Gran Reserva, which is the first cigar they ever released, […]
IPCPR 2017: Warped
Up next on our interview marathon through IPCPR 2017 was Kyle Gellis of Warped Cigars. I was quick to note that while his beard was still very full bodied, the man-bun of last year had been replaced with a more medium to medium-full haircut. From there we talk a little bit about how long Kyle […]
IPCPR 2017: Padilla and Cuervo y Sobrinos
This year we got started with our long time friend Ernesto Padilla. In recent years, Ernesto has had a fairly modest booth at the IPCPR trade show, with his latest cigars the main focus of the booth. This year he did a 540 with his booth design, a flashy overhead sign replacing the familiar backdrop, […]
Casa Fernandez Aganorsa Leaf Maduro Ilustre
I can’t believe it’s been about six and a half years since I reviewed the original Casa Fernandez Aganorsa Leaf with the sun grown corojo wrapper. I declared it box-worthy back then (also in 2016), and still stand by that verdict. I also stand by my liberal use of the tribal textile in my pictures […]
Brian’s The Week In Smoke, Issue 111
It’s once time again for another issue of Brian’s The Week In Smoke. In case this is your first Week in Smoke, be advised that it covers many (though not necessarily all) of the cigars I’ve smoked in the past week (or the past month, or however long it has been since the last issue), […]
MBombay Gaaja Toro
As you may have already heard, the MBombay Gaaja takes its name from a Sanskrit word meaning Elephant. For fun I googled the name, and found it also has other meanings in Hindi, like lightning, bombshell and thunderclap. It kind of makes you wonder what you’re in for before lighting up the cigar. But the […]
Brian’s The Week In Smoke, Issue 110
It’s once time again for another issue of Brian’s The Week In Smoke. In case this is your first Week in Smoke, be advised that it covers many (though not necessarily all) of the cigars I’ve smoked in the past week (or the past month, or however long it has been since the last issue), […]