Monday, July 26, 2010

Perdomo Patriarch Corojo Churchill Review


Perdomo Patriarch Corojo Churchill - 7 X 48. Wrapper - Nicaraguan Corojo, Binder - Nicaragua, Filler - Nicaragua (3 regions - Esteli, Jalapa & Condega). Full bodied.

Initial taste of pepper, cinnamon and oak wood.

First third - Strong flavor of spicy oak wood and cinnamon. Near the end of the first third, a tangy sweetness that I typically get from Corojo wrapped cigars emerges.

Second third - Spice, sweet citrus and leather now present. Hints of cinnamon and oak wood.

Last third - The cigar takes on more of a creamy sweet citrus leather taste, along with spice and a nice nutty flavor. I still am getting hints of cinnamon and oak. Very well balanced. Long finish of spice, sweet citrus and leather.

Construction, burn and draw was perfect. I really enjoyed this cigar and the complexity made this cigar interesting. Balance was very good as well. MSRP for this vitola is $7.99 which makes this a very good value. Highly recommended.

Monday, July 19, 2010

GENERAL CIGAR TO CELEBRATE ITS 50TH ANNIVERSARY!

For Immediate Release
July 19, 2010
Contact: Victoria McKee Jaworski
General Cigar Co. Inc.
732 721 0317 or 732 580 5215
vmckee@gcigar.com

GENERAL CIGAR TO CELEBRATE ITS 50TH ANNIVERSARY
National Cigar Event Series to Kick Off in July

Richmond, VA—General Cigar will commemorate its golden anniversary with a ten-city tour that will hit chic, cigar-friendly venues across the U.S. beginning on July 27 at Chicago’s swanky Vertigo Lounge in the Dana Hotel, and ending on November 11 at the legendary Foundation Room in Las Vegas. The complete

At each event, General Cigar will welcome tenured cigar enthusiasts and fellow connoisseurs drawn to the lure of handcrafted cigars to celebrate the company’s past 50 years of artistry in cultivating venerable brands such as Macanudo®, Punch®, Partagas®, Hoyo de Monterrey® and La Gloria Cubana®.

Benji Menendez , the legendary cigar master who recently celebrated his 58th year in the premium cigar business will be on hand to regale event attendees with glorious stories spanning five decades of tobacco cultivation across Latin America, South America, the Caribbean and the U.S. Emerging cigar masters Rick Rodriguez and other key General Cigar staff will also be present to pair a selection of the company’s new and critically-acclaimed cigars with fine wines, spirits and hors d’oeuvres.

Debo Mukherjee, vice president of marketing for General Cigar comments, “At General Cigar, we take great pride in our heritage and our unparalleled tobacco expertise. We developed this event series to celebrate the people whose passion and mastery have made General Cigar one of the world’s foremost producers of premium cigars. Invited guests will not only have a chance to experience the premium cigar lifestyle in a connoisseur’s setting, but will also have a rare opportunity to learn about tobacco cultivation and blending from Benji Menendez, our cigar sage, and from the emerging cigar masters who will take our company into the next half century.”

General Cigar Co. Inc. manufactures and markets handcrafted cigars for the premium market. Committed to delivering cigars of the finest quality, General Cigar also produces Macanudo, Cohiba®, Partagas, Hoyo de Monterrey, Excalibur®, La Gloria Cubana and several other leading premium brands. In addition, the company grows its own premium Connecticut Shade wrapper tobacco, as well as natural and candela wrapper in the Dominican Republic. General Cigar also operates Club Macanudo®, a cigar bar in New York City. Based in Richmond, VA, General Cigar sells through tobacconists nationwide. For more information, please visit

® Macanudo, Punch, Partagas, Hoyo de Monterrey, La Gloria Cubana, Cohiba, Excalibur and Club Macanudo are registered trademarks of General Cigar Co. Inc.

Thursday, July 15, 2010

Alec Bradley Family Blend VR1 Review

Alec Bradley Family Blend VR1 - 5.5 X 50. Wrapper - Honduras, Binder - Indonesia, Filler - Honduras & Nicaragua. Medium bodied.

Initial taste of cedar wood which quickly becomes very nicely balanced flavors of leather, wood and spice.

Second third of the cigar reveals more creamy leather, cedar wood and an increase in the spiciness.

The Last third continues with the creamy leather, spice and underlying woodiness. Hints of nuts as well. Nice long finish of creamy leather and spice.

Construction, burn and draw was perfect - very nice oily brown wrapper with a pigtail cap. Nice light gray ash that holds on.

This cigar was very good and I really enjoyed it. It is my flavor profile and although not overly complex, the flavors were more than enough to keep me interested and happy. MSRP on this vitola is $6.50 which makes this a good value. A definite recommend to try.

TORAÑO FAMILY, ARMED WITH A NEW LOOK, IS BACK IN CONTROL OF ITS OWN DISTRIBUTION

TORAÑO FAMILY, ARMED WITH A NEW LOOK, IS BACK IN CONTROL OF ITS OWN DISTRIBUTION

The Toraño Family, makers of some of the finest cigars in the world, is proud to announce that effective August 1st the family will distribute its own brands. To add to this exciting news, Toraño launches a new company name, a new logo and two retail exclusive cigar brands.

The company name is changing from Toraño Cigars to Toraño Family Cigar Company to truly capture the family legacy and emphasize that this is a family-owned company. The taking over of its distribution is the result of the family’s decision to enhance its personal relationships with the trade and consumers.

“We are energized and excited to be announcing these positive changes,” said Charlie Toraño, the company’s president.

The new logo, which combines a contemporary, yet classic look, is symbolic of the company’s new direction, one which will focus on the introduction of innovative cigar brands, unique blends and building a strong Toraño Family Cigar community.

“We recognize the value of building communication,” Charlie said. “There’s no better way to reach cigar smokers and the trade than through social media, the Internet, the use of viral campaigns and the personal touch and interactions at cigar events that only the family can provide.”

The IPCPR in New Orleans will be the platform for the unveiling of Master by Carlos Toraño and Single Region, two retail exclusive brands. The company is also offering a value priced bundle cigar named Brigade.

“I am looking forward to seeing everyone at our upcoming annual trade show and personally showing all of the changes which are taking place,” Charlie said.

A leader in the cigar industry, Toraño Family Cigar Company is a four-generation company currently based in Miami, Florida. It enjoys a rich heritage and history in tobacco growing and cigar manufacturing.

Sunday, July 11, 2010

Rocky Patel Fifteenth Anniversary Robusto Review


Rocky Patel Fifteenth Anniversary Robusto - 5 X 50. Wrapper - Habano Ecuador, Binder - Jalapa, Filler - Nicaraguan. Medium - Full bodied.

Initial taste of toasty bread which then became a toasty coffee flavor with cinnamon and an underlying spice.

Second third of the cigar had a very enjoyable vanilla sweetness emerging along with the coffee flavor, spice and hints of cinnamon. Very tasty.

The last third of the cigar had the coffee flavor but now it is more of a dark coffee taste, along with a toasty sweet vanilla. Spice picks up now and there are notes of cinnamon. Very well balanced. Very enjoyable long finish of sweet creamy coffee and spice.

Construction and burn were absolutely perfect - beautiful brown wrapper without any veins and a razor sharp burn that produced a nice light gray ash that held on for 2 inches before falling. Draw was excellent as well.

This is a very good cigar that I thoroughly enjoyed. It had excellent balance and very enjoyable flavors. MSRP for this vitola is $9.50. Rocky has another winner with this cigar - definite recommend to try.

Friday, July 9, 2010

La Aurora 107 Corona Review


La Aurora 107 Corona - 5.5 X 43. Wrapper - Ecuador, Binder - Dominican, Filler - Nicaragua & Dominican. Medium - Full bodied.

Initial taste of Rum and wood. Soon after, spice begins to pick up with flavors of rum, wood, leather nuts and a slight sweetness emerging.

The Second third of this cigar has the sweet leather and spice in the forefront followed closely by the rum, nuts and hints of wood. Very well balanced.

The last third was a continuation of the sweet leather and spice, rum and nutty wood flavors. Long tasty finish of sweet leather, spice and rum.

Construction was excellent - beautiful oily brown wrapper, draw was perfect and the burn was razor sharp and did not have to be corrected or relit.

A fantastic cigar that had tons of flavor, balanced perfectly. I really enjoyed this cigar. MSRP on this vitola is $6.30 which is a very good price for a cigar packed with this much flavor. I highly recommend trying.

Wednesday, July 7, 2010

Augusto Reyes Signature Robusto Review

Augusto Reyes Signature Robusto - 5 X 50. Wrapper - Dominican, Binder - Dominican, Filler - Dominican.

Initial draw is of dry wood and cinnamon spice which quickly becomes a nice balance of wood, cinnamon, spice with a slight tartness and a slight sweetness.

Near the halfway point, the wood, spice and cinnamon remain and now there is a sweet citrus taste.

The last third of the cigar was an increase in spice, cinnamon, wood and an emerging creamy sweet coffee flavor. Long finish of wood and a creamy sweetness.

Construction, burn and draw were perfect. Very well balanced and very enjoyable. MSRP on this vitola is $6.60 which is a good value. I recommend trying.