halfwheel

News: A.J. Fernandez Teases Raca Taca

A.J. Fernandez announced a new addition to their portfolio via a Facebook post late Monday night, as they posted an image of the band for a new cigar called the Raca Taca. Information about the new cigar has been limited, though several comments posted by the company provide a bit of insight. The name refers [...]

News: A.J. Fernandez Expanding San Lotano Line Through Meier & Dutch

In the same interview where he announced plans for El Mayimbe, Abdel Fernandez told Cigar.com’s Alex Svenson that San Lotano brand would be expanding with a Meier & Dutch exclusive, San Lotano The Bull. It’s expect to be available shortly through the distribution company that is associated with Cigars International.   San Lotano The Bull [...]

News: A.J. Fernandez Hints at Limited El Mayimbe

Abdel Fernandez’s biggest release of 2013 will be the formal opening of his brand-new factory in Estelí, which is also physically quite large, but the company also has a limited release planned, El Mayimbe. In a recent interview with Cigar.com’s Alex Svenson, Fernandez hinted at the release: I will say that this year I’m releasing [...]

Tobacco Plus Expo 2013

While the premium cigar industry tends to focus their attention on the International Premium Cigar & Pipe Retailers (IPCPR) Convention and Trade Show, there are a few other trade shows that have been getting the attention of the industry as of late. One of those is the Tobacco Plus Expo (TPE), whose 2013 show was [...]

Press Release: Cuenca Cigars Introduces “Cuenca 5 Anniversary”

December 28th, 2012 (Hollywood, FL) — Today, Miguel Cuenca has officially announced the upcoming release of Cuenca Cigar’s latest creation: the “Cuenca 5 Anniversary” cigar. The cigar is available for sale since December 2012. “Cuenca 5 Anniversary”, is a medium to full body cigar with a full flavor profile accented with spicy notes. This blend has been specially [...]

Review: XIKAR HC Series Habano² Robusto (Prerelease)

The XIKAR HC Series has an interesting history, dating all the way back to 2007 and XIKAR’s entry into the cigar market with the Defiance, which debuted at the 2007 RTDA trade show in Houston. Despite the fact that the cigar received some critical acclaim, the name didn’t resonate with consumers and in May 2009 [...]

IPCPR 2012: A.J. Fernandez

Winner of the award for best booth placement at IPCPR goes to A.J. Fernandez, which was literally right behind the entrance. This year the booth was bigger, a lot bigger than Las Vegas, a good representation of the company who introduced San Lotano only two years ago. PinoleroThis year was the year of Pinolero. Six [...]

Weekly News (July 16, 2012)

Editor’s Note: A year ago Friday, July 20 to be more precise, Brooks and I sat down for dinner after the third day of IPCPR and we discussed the idea of halfwheel–or what was to become halfwheel. Like so many great ideas for the site, Brooks thought of it first and it took me a [...]

News: A.J. Fernandez Details Pinolero’s Release at IPCPR 2012

For the third year in a row, A.J. Fernandez will introduce a new line at IPCPR—this year in the form of Pinolero, the colloquial term for Nicaraguans. The cigar is being described as a medium-full to line, which places it in between San Lotano and the San Lotano Oval and Oval Maduro. Clay Roberts of [...]

News: Emilio Nears Release of AF Suave

Gary Griffith tweeted he expects the AF Suave to land at the Emilio warehouse early next week, followed by a release of the newest A.J. Fernandez/Griffith release shortly thereafter. The five sizes of Suave are expected to be Emilio’s mildest release, the latest in an obvious trend of traditionally stronger manufacturers venturing into the larger [...]