Featured Cigars - January 2021

Robert Caldwell is known for his award winning portfolio as well as for using the best leaves he can find, while Matt Booth, founder of Room 101, also is known for his 90+ rated cigars. The duo teamed up to create the Caldwell Hit & Run, which was an instant success. Robert Caldwell and Matt Booth decided follow up their success with another limited release, aptly named Hit & Run Part Deux. Produced by the Dominican Republic’s Tabacalera William Ventura, which produced...

You may not have heard of Carrington cigars, but you will soon find a spot in your humidor for this one. This mellow smoke hails from the Dominican Republic and features a stunning, near perfect Connecticut wrapper, a zesty Indonesian binder, and a bevy of top-quality Dominican long-fillers. Grab a cappuccino and light it up and find mild notes of cedar, roasted nuts, cream, and hints of sweetness. Our panel loved this smoke and we bet you will too!...

This hardcore smoke hails from Nicaragua and features a perfectly blended mix of Nicaraguan and Dominican fillers, a zesty Nicaraguan binder, and a beautiful Connecticut Broadleaf wrapper. Once lit, you’ll notice medium to full bodied notes of rich earth, chocolate, pepper, and wood. This smoke is just bursting with flavor and pairs wonderfully with a Malbec...

Born and raised in Cuba, Hamlet Paredes for years was arguably one of Cuba’s best cigar rollers. In fact, he was so good that the company he worked for, Habanos, used to dispatch him to various tobacconists worldwide to create custom shapes and sizes. In fact, he was known for rolling “free hand” cigars where there were no molds or presses; trust us when we say that is no easy feat. In 2015, Hamlet and his family emigrated from Cuba to the U.S. when restrictions were finally eased...

Back in the 1850s, Admiral Victor Sinclair, after finding what he thought to be the perfect cigar, was sailing home aboard the frigate Oglethorpe just off the coast of the Dominican Republic when the ship was met by a vicious storm. The storm claimed his life, but some 140 years later, his great-great nephew, Victor Long, resumed his ancestor’s quest for the perfect cigar. As the story goes, Victor was able to locate a defunct warehouse on the island of Dominicana and there he found varied...

Man O' War is carefully blended and hand crafted by Abdel “AJ” Fernandez in Esteli, Nicaragua. If you haven’t heard of him then you may have heard of his list of clients which includes Ernie Padilla, Rocky Patel, and Kaizad Hansotia, among others. Born in Cuba, AJ began working with tobacco at a very young age under the watchful eye of cigar legend Alejandro Robaina, considered the Godfather of Cuban cigars. Over 40 years ago, in the country's famed Pinar del Rio region, Don Alejandro...

Macanudo cigars are produced by the General Cigar Company. Since 1848, General has been producing fine cigars such as Bolivar, Cifuentas, Cohiba, Partagas, and Punch, among others. Their Macanudo line is known for its smoothness and consistency. "Macanudo" in Spanish means "best of the best," or "first-rate." The Vintage Maduro 1997 is the first cigar from their highly regarded Vintage series that hails from the Dominican Republic. Starting from the inside, you’ll find a mix...

Even though these days cigars made by professional athletes isn’t something new, there are some that manage to catch our eye. The Big Papi is one of those cigars. Originally created by David Ortiz in 2013 for personal use and charity events, it was so well received that it went public in 2016 at the IPCPR Convention & Trade Show. Handmade at the Tabacalera El Artista in the Dominican Republic, his home nation, this stunner features an oily Ecuador Habano Claro wrapper which securely...

Debuting at the 2014 IPCPR Trade Show, La Boheme was also the first cigar to come out of the Boutique Blends portfolio. The name comes from Giacomo Puccini’s illustrious 1895 opera, which also happens to be owner Rafael Nodal’s favorite work. The 91-rated La Boheme was excellent, and some people say “Don’t fix what isn’t broken!” We disagree, and thankfully so does Rafael, as he has released the La Boheme Encantador, which is fuller and bolder than the original. Inside is a Dominican...