Featured Cigars - August 2020

Alonso Menéndez purchased the Particulares factory in July 1935 in Havana, Cuba and also took over the brands that were created there. Shortly after, he introduced the Montecristo brand, named after Alexandre Dumas’ novel The Count of Monte Cristo, which was a popular choice amongst the Torcedores (cigar makers). Now the Montecristo brand is created in the Tabacalera de Garcia factory in the Dominican Republic under the watchful eye of cigar master José Seijas...

The REO Chairman is a beautifully crafted stick. The cigar's dark Costa Rican maduro wrapper is an evenly colored deep chocolate brown, smooth, with minimal veins and a somewhat oily feel. The cigar lights easily and burns evenly with a firm gray ash. The blend is a mixture of aged Honduran and Nicaraguan long-fillers with a Nicaraguan binder, delivering complex flavors ranging from sweet nuts to mild, mellow maduro flavors, to chocolate with hints of spice halfway...

Like all ACID cigars, the Deep Dish is produced in Estelí, Nicaragua and is like no other smoke out there. This handmade begins with Nicaraguan-grown Cuban-seed long fillers which are hugged by a Nicaraguan binder. A Sumatra wrapper completes the cigar, which is then topped off with a very dramatic box press for a very squared-off shape. The Deep Dish offers a velvety smoking experience with rich, toasty notes, a distinct botanical element, and noticable sweetness...

Buffalo TEN’s blend starts with a mix of tobaccos from the US, Colombia, and Nicaragua, along with an exclusive Dominican leaf known as T-13, which El Artista has aged in excess of seven years. A rare Dominican Negrito binder leaf holds it together, and then it is topped off by a rich and toothy Mexican San Andrés wrapper and given a soft box-press. The result is a well-constructed, medium-bodied smoke filled with notes of leather, cedar, cocoa, exotic spices, toastiness, and some...

Bugatti has been for known for decades for their craftsmanship, elegance, engineering, and cutting-edge style for their supercars, but for years now they have been racing into the cigar world using those exact same principles. Although this handmade won’t go 200 mph, its flavorful smoke will have your palate racing. Crafted at the famed Pinar Del Rio factory in the Dominican Republic, the Potere features Mexican and Cuban-seed Nicaraguan long fillers, a Nicaraguan binder...

One of La Barba’s lines, known as Ricochet, is inspired by their love of wine and Bellatto’s wide knowledge as a sommelier. He describes the line as influenced by “the components of wines from around the world that I have fallen in love with.” The original Ricochet was developed with Italian Primitivo in mind. The new Cru Mexi-Sol iteration we have for you this month is inspired by left bank Bordeaux wine, exhibiting a “definitive spicy minerality, and a touch of soft sweetness.” The blend...

Many Ave Maria blends land among the most brawny out there, and the Dark Knight is also another rich and powerful cigar. The attractive Nicaraguan broadleaf maduro wrapper cloaks a Nicaraguan binder and an array of Nicaraguan long fillers. Light it up and you’ll enjoy up-front notes of spice and leather transitioning into a smooth, rich, dark chocolate finishing note. Despite its potency, this gorgeous handmade still finishes smooth and balanced, as we’ve come to expect from A.J. Fernandez...

Within Lars Tetens’ Phat line of cigars there are several sizes representing different blends and smoking experiences from mellow to intense. All Phat cigars are rolled with a twisted head & untrimmed foot to add to the unique style of this great release. The Brief XTC is crafted with Nicaraguan long fillers, bound also by a Nicaraguan leaf, and topped off by a Nicaraguan EMS wrapper. Beyond that, details are withheld to prevent copycats. Look for this excellently constructed...

Diesel cigars have one of the best reputations in the business as does the mastermind behind the brand, Abel “A.J.” Fernandez. In addition to the Ave Maria brand we’re also featuring this month, he is known for Man O’ War, Rocky Patel’s Fusion, and ITC 10th Anniversary, among countless other stellar sticks. The Diesel Rage that you have in your shipment today is nothing short of steller and showcases a blend straight from A.J.’s farms in Nicaragua, consisting of Cuban-seed Nicaraguan...