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Redux: 262 Manifesto

Introduced as a call to action in protest of governmental regulation of tobacco and smoking bans, the 262 Manifesto was released on February 7, 2012, the 50-year anniversary of the start of the U.S. embargo on Cuba. Only 262 boxes of 10 cigars each were released with 10 stores getting only 26 boxes each to [...]

Redux: Viaje Friends and Family

In February of 2012, Viaje released one of their most secretive blends with almost no fanfare or foreknowledge. Said to be produced select retailers started getting single boxes of the box-pressed Churchill out of the blue. At over $15.00 per cigar, the Friends and Family was the most expensive Viaje up to that point and [...]

Review: La Aroma de Cuba Mi Amor Reserva Romantico (Prerelease)

Back in July, we heard murmurs that Ashton was preparing a new La Aroma de Cuba as a follow-up to the Mi Amor. The La Aroma de Cuba Mi Amor Reserva was announced shortly before the IPCPR trade show when Ashton informed a handful of top accounts via a letter. Here’s a copy of that [...]

Review: Litto Gomez Diez Small Batch No. 4 Oscuro

As the tidal wave of buzz about new releases for the IPCPR 2012 trade show was steadily building, La Flor Dominicana released, somewhat quietly, a new take on the Litto Gomez Diez Small Batch No. 4, an oscuro version. Oscuro, which simply means dark, is a word in the cigar industry that doesn’t have the [...]

Review: Diamond Crown Gridiron Greats

J.C. Newman Cigar Co. has a history of participating in charitable causes by making special, limited edition cigars to raise money for those causes. They have an even longer history however of making cigars. As their site states they are “America’s oldest family-owned premium cigar makers” dating back to 1895 when Julius Caeser Newman started [...]

Review: Arturo Fuente King T Rosado

With Arturo Fuente celebrating their 100th anniversary this year, a number of new releases have been both rumored and announced — from regular production cigars to limited edition high dollar collectors items. One cigar that falls into the former category is the Arturo Fuente King T Rosado, a cigar currently in limited release scheduled to see a [...]

Review: Viaje Summerfest 2011 Churchill

Along with the Holiday Blend, the Summerfest is part of Viaje’s Holiday Series and is an annual limited release of 6,000 cigars that will see its third installment come out in the coming weeks. The Summerfest made its debut in 2010 to a mixed chorus with a bit of fuss made about the shaggy foot, [...]

Review: Oliva Master Blends 1 Churchill

In 2003, the Oliva Family of Cigars introduced perhaps their most legendary cigar, the Master Blends 1. It was the first it what has become a trilogy of Oliva’s most storied releases. The Master Blends 1 was a cigar that shed the idea of simple and practical and embraced the idea of extravagance, ornateness and [...]

Review: Viaje Friends and Family

Last week, Viaje began shipping the long-awaited WLP Winter Classic and Super Shot 10. In addition, numerous retailers indicated that they were being sent a single box of Viaje Friends and Family. Even now, nearly a week after we broke the story and retailers began receiving boxes, there is almost nothing known about the latest [...]

Review: 262 Manifesto

On February 7, 2012, 262 Cigars (formally Revolution Cigars) released a limited edition cigar that had been announced back in 2011. Dubbed the “Manifesto”, the cigar is being produced as a call to action to protest smoking bans and governmental regulation of tobacco. In fact, not only is the name of the company (262) a [...]