The cigar industry sees little innovation when it comes to the actual cigar. It is, after all, nothing more than the rolling of dead leaves. Yes, that is a very simplistic way of looking at what cigars are, but it is essentially the truth. However, the accoutrement that cigar enthusiasts and aficionados use while enjoying…
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The Cigar Culture’s Hawk by Blackbird Cigar Co. is, I believe, the first collaborative cigar put out by Blackbird Cigar Co. Released in November of 2021, the Hawk is a box pressed toro that features a Brazilian cubra wrapper over a Mexican San Andrés binder and Nicaraguan and Dominican fillers. It’s a very limited run…
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Though I became a pipe smoker in 2014, it wasn’t until two years later I found myself in a real pipe store, Iwan Ries in the midst of Downtown Chicago. It’s a beautiful store, full of warm wood and delightful aromas. I was served by a dapper gentleman who was a devoted smoker himself. He…
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Previous Next Cigar Notes Construction Good Flavor Chocolate, Wood, Baking Spices Strength Medium/Full Enjoyment Good Wrapper: Nicaraguan Corojo 99 (Jalapa) Binder: Nicaragua Corojo 99 Filler: Nicaragua (Corojo 99, Criollo 98) Length: 6″ Ring Guage: 44 Vitola: Lonsdale MSRP: $8.00 The Guardian of the Farm Apollo is a collaborative effort from Kyle Gellis . . ….
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If you’ve read my review of the Freakshow from Nomad by Ezra Zion, then you know that Nomad releases can sometimes speak to my inner geek. In this instance, Sweep the Leg scratches that nostalgia itch that Hollywood has figured out we all have. Beyond that, myself and our former content director (Mike Breig) have…
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Previous Next Cigar Notes Construction Great Flavor Chocolate and Pepper Strength Medium/Full Enjoyment Good + Wrapper: Brazil Criollo Binder: Indonesia Filler: Dominican Length:Â 5 Ring Guage:Â 50 Vitola:Â Robusto MSRP:Â $7.75 Since being introduced to Blackbird Cigar Company at the 2021 PCA tradeshow I have been a fan of brand and their core . . . This content and…
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The Chinchalle is a first for Warped Cigars, as it’s the first time they’ve produced a cigar in the Dominican Republic. The Chinchalle also happens to be one of the first cigars produced at Tabacalera La Isla, a factory owned by Hostos Fernandez Quesda. Theses “firsts,” coupled with my love of Dominican grown tobacco, demanded…
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When McClelland closed its doors in 2017, there were numerous blends that became objects of veneration, from their annual Christmas Cheer release to the Frog Morton line, to their incomparable oriental blends. What was lost with little fanfare was their bulk blend #2015, Virginia-Perqiue, aka VaPer Flake. This humble offering combined the illustrious McClelland Virginias…
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Hidden away in a corner of the Galleria West Shopping Center in Brookfield, Wisconsin, a suburb of Milwaukee, sits Prime Cigar Company. It is owned by the one and only Johnny Piette of Isabela Cigars. Prime Cigar Company has been in business for over 14 years, but there are changes coming. Johnny told me that…
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Kyle Gellis has become well known in the cigar world, namely through Warped Cigars. In 2018 Kyle created a side project called DROP. DROP is a cigar club for cigar enthusiasts who want access to Hyper Limited and exclusive blends from Kyle Gellis. These projects “serve as a tribute to Kyle’s early days at El…
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