Staff Reviews

A few people have already asked me my thoughts on Fonseca Arana. But up until now, the thought of burning one hasn't even crossed my mind.  I’m not knocking it, but I like fuller-bodied cigars....and the mellow, Dominican Fonseca brand doesn’t even make its way onto my radar. And to boot, it’s a cheap, bundled cigar. But I’m a man of the people, so I grab a 5-er of these cheapies …

Since I began working in this industry, I find the most commonly used phrase within the retail paradigm of the cigar universe to be, “I feel like a kid in a candy store,” as most customers are overwhelmed with the different brands, sizes, and colors of cigars. One of the more sought-after brands I have the privilege to sell is Davidoff, which brings me to the second-most commonly asked …

SPOILER ALERT: Rarely will you see me give a cigar a 94-point rating. But guess what, I just did. Here’s why. Throw out what you think you know about Cuba Libre....even if you’re one of the many that enjoys this hearty stick on a regular basis. Cuba Libre One is bold, fresh, and entirely new. A bigger, darker, badder brother fully equipped to soothe your palate into submission. …

There are numerous reasons why I like and dislike cigars. Taste, construction, appearance, duration of the smoke, volume of smoke and many other factors determine whether I describe a cigar as a gem or a vomit-inducing turd. Because I grew up in an era where babysitting equated to sitting a little one in front of a Sega or Playstation, I find it difficult to pay much attention. As …

Being in the CI retail stores for many years now, I noticed that I get a lot of requests for specific styles of cigars & one of the most popular requests in general is for “Good, BIG, mellow, cheap cigars that are reasonably priced.”  Some of these guys don’t want to pay much more than a Buck-a-Stick for anything 8” or bigger, but then again they’re probably not smoking for the taste …