Featured Cigars - Sept 2022

The Excalibur Epicure Natural, made by Hoyo de Monterrey in Honduras, contains tobacco from only the top ten percent of the premium long leaf tobacco leaves grown in Honduras, Nicaragua and the Dominican Republic, and is topped off with a beautiful light brown Connecticut shade wrapper overtop a Connecticut Broadleaf binder. The term “natural” means that the wrapper is lighter in color and has undergone minimal fermentation. Clip the end and...

Romeo y Julieta was founded in Cuba in 1875 and was named after one of Shakespeare’s literary masterpieces, Romeo and Juliet. During the mid-20th century, Romeo y Julieta was becoming increasingly popular, but due to the Cuban Embargo they decided to set up shop in the Dominican Republic. Today, Romeo y Julieta cigars are produced and distributed by Altadis USA, which started a revamp of the brand by introducing the Romeo line that focuses...

Someone said, "Arganese is not a household name, probably not even in the Arganese household", and it's apt. But this toothy cigar is so good and sells at such a reasonable price, "Arganese" may just become a well-known name in your household. It could also become your go-to everyday stick. The blend is an all-Nicaraguan blend of aged Cuban-seed tobaccos secured by a three year old Habano binder from Nicaragua and cloaked in a dark and oily...

El Mejor Espresso is a distinctively dark Nicaraguan that melds the smooth subtleties of delicate aging with the kick of hearty Nicaraguan and Mexican tobaccos. The Mexican maduro wrapper is velvety smooth to the touch, with ample oil. Our panel is always torn between smoking these types and eating them up like candy bars (hey—it’s easy to confuse the two—it’s dark, you have to unwrap it, and it’s box-pressed to boot!). The term Espresso...

Meaning “where fertile land is abundant” Cubanacan is a small boutique brand based in Nicaragua where they not only embrace tradition, they strive to tell their story in each and every cigar. In 2006, Cubanacan made the move from their deeply rooted traditions in Cuba to planting their tobacco in the fertile grounds of Estelí and Jalapa, Nicaragua. Shortly thereafter, the Cubanacan factory was up and started producing premium handmade smokes...

Founded by Graycliff Resort owner, Enrico Garzaroli, the Graycliff Cigar Company has achieved fame worldwide for high-end, handcrafted cigars produced in the lush tropical setting of the prestigious Bahamian resort by the same name. The site of the Graycliff Resort was originally a church built in 1666, one of Nassau's first structures and certainly most prominent. Known as the “Pride of the Bahamas,” this historic site later served as a fort...

Introduced in 1993, the Vintage series from Romeo y Julieta is a small-batch luxury cigar, mild with a very round flavor. It's made with a Connecticut wrapper that is hand-picked for its natural, oily sheen and light silky appearance. The binder is aged Mexican leaf and the filler is exquisitely blended Cuban-seed, long-leaf Dominican tobaccos aged two to three years prior to production. With its classic red Romeo y Julieta band and flawless...

The Ave Maria brand is known for its elegance in not only its smokes but in the packaging as well. Like the others in the Ave Maria portfolio, the Immaculata features a stunning band and has the quality that people have come to expect from them, although this smoke is mellower than some others from the brand. Ave Maria is said to be one of the best brands in the business and the Immaculata is further proof of that statement. Blended by the...

Eagle Rare Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey isn’t your average bourbon, its masterfully crafted and aged for no less than ten years. This complex bourbon is rich, smooth, and full of flavor and has won awards such as a Double Gold Medal at the North American Bourbon & Whiskey Competition in 2018, and Best Bourbon Whiskey at the International Whiskey Competition in 2020, to name only two of dozens. So what can make a glass of bourbon even...