halfwheel

Review: La Escepción Selectos Finos (ER Italy 2011)

In 2011, Habanos brought back an old Cuban brand La Escepción. as an ER for Italy. The size is a 6 1/2 x 38 Panatela called Selectos Finos, a size that had never been offered by La Escepción prior. La Escepción is one of the oldest Cuban cigar brands with its introduction by owner José Gener sometime in the late [...]

Review: La Gloria Cubana Deliciosos (ER Cuba 2009)

In 2009, Habanos S.A. released a new La Gloria Cubana release made solely for Cuba. Launched under its Edición Regional banner, the La Gloria Cubana Deliciosos was the first, and is to this day the only, ER for Cuba. Known more for its packaging and pricing, like many ERs, the Deliciosos found its way out [...]

Review: Davidoff No.1

In August of 1989, one of the most expensive, yet least destructive fires in history took place. Zino Davidoff, founder of Davidoff, allegedly burned upwards of 130,000 Cuban Davidoffs in the infamous Davidoff bonfire that marked the end of white label in Havana. By 1991, after years of frustration over poor quality, Cuban Davidoffs were no [...]

Review: Trinidad Robusto T

For those of you that don’t know… In 2009, Habanos S.A. celebrated the 40th anniversary of the Trinidad brand by releasing a Robusto in the Trinidad line at the Havana Libre hotel during the XI Habano Festival in Cuba. The history of the Trinidad line is interesting to say the least, perhaps the most controversial [...]

Review: Cuaba Tradicionales

In late 2011, Habanos S.A. announced their annual list of deletions, which you can read here. It’s still somewhat unclear what exactly the method to the deletions is, but generally, it’s accepted that the cigars that are removed normally aren’t selling well. Amongst the list was a lone Cuaba vitola, the Cuaba Tradicionales. The Tradicionales, [...]

Review: Montecristo Gran Reserva No.2 Cosecha 2005

For those of you that don’t know… In 2009, Habanos S.A. released the Cohiba Gran Reserva, the first cigar in the new Gran Reserva line. The cigars in this line are to only be released when Habanos S.A. deems there is enough quality tobacco available and will use tobacco that has been aged at least [...]

Review: Partagas Serie E No.2

At the end of February 2011, the Partagas Series E No.2 was officially released at the XIII Habanos Festival in Cuba. The Serie E No.2 is the first in a new line of Partagas Serie that will likely be known for its larger ring gauge and unique packaging. The Partagas Serie E No.2 is available [...]

Review: Vegas Robaina Maestros (ER Spain 2007)

Last week I mentioned that there was a Vegas Robaina regional release that was identical in size to the El Rey del Mundo Vikingos that was also released in 2007, the Vegas Robaina Maestros. For those that are unfamiliar with the Edición Regional program, here’s the brief summary from last week: In 2005, Habanos S.A. introduced a new [...]

Review: El Rey del Mundo Vikingos (ER Baltic 2007)

In 2005, Habanos S.A. introduced a new series of limited production releases that would eventually become to be known as Edición Regional (Regional Edition). The program took regular Habanos S.A. brands and gave their regional distributors special sizes that aren’t part of respective brands regular production line-up. In some cases, like the Bolivar Gold Medals, Habanos [...]

Review: H. Upmann Crystales (1940s)

For those of you that don’t know… H. Upmann is a Cuban brand that has a long and interesting history, and the Crystales was a major part of that history until relatively recently. From cigars-review.org: The H. Upmann brand dates back to 1844, when Herman Upmann, a German banker, began using specially imprinted boxes of [...]