Simply Stogies

Quick Review: Guardian of the Farm Apollo

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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Cigar Review: Sweep the Leg from Nomad by Ezra Zion is a Solid Hit

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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Quick Review: Blackbird Cigar Company: COCU

Previous Next Cigar Notes Construction Great Flavor Chocolate and Pepper Strength Medium/Full Enjoyment Good + Wrapper: Brazil Criollo Binder: Indonesia Filler: Dominican Length: 5 Ring Guage: 50 Vitola: Robusto MSRP: $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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Cigar Review: The Warped Chinchalle is a Wonderful First for Warped Cigars

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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Pipe Tobacco Review: Erik Stokkebye 4th Generation Evening Flake is Great “Factory Fresh”

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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Lounge Review: Prime Cigar Company in Brookfield, WI

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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Cigar Review: The Absurd from DROP Rings in the Holidays

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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Lounge Review: The Outlaw Cigar Company in Overland Park, KS is a Bucket List Cigar Destination…with a Caveat

I have said before that the Midwest seems to be largely overlooked by the cigar industry. There are a few exceptions, like Up Down Cigar in Chicago or Safari Cigars in Omaha, NE. There are a few in St. Louis that seems to get some love, too. But by-in-large, most cigar shops throughout the Midwest…

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Cigar Review: AVO Syncro Caribe Toro Delivers a Taste of the Caribbean

The AVO brand was created by musician and composer Avo Uvezian in the late 1980’s. Uvezian travelled to the Dominican Republic and struck a deal with Hendrik Kelner to blend and eventually distribute the AVO brand. While the brand took off and has done well over the years, it hasn’t been one that I typically…

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Cigar Review: The Bella Doma Ace Makes for a Perfect Hand

Welcome to the first of many Simply Stogies/E3C5 project partnerships! We are honored to be invited to be apart of this awesome endeavor. We love helping small batch boutique cigar brands get their name out to the community. A brand being ran by one of the nicest people on the planet seemed like a great…

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