Staff Reviews

I love cigars. If you’re surprised by that, you may be reading the wrong website… but bear with me a moment, because I want to lodge a little complaint against our handmade industry. Quite simply – there’s a lot of “noise” out there. Every cigar brand likes to hearken back to their century old history, their great-great-grandad’s original vision of “proper, Cuban” fermentation methods, the magic …

All day, Every day, AveEveryone knows AJ by now, but most people associate him with his full-bodied Nicaraguan blends. Immaculata shows he’s just as capable at crafting a gentler cigar. Before I divulge into the cigar, let me tell you why I chose to review this cigar – Every year, CI sends a group of its “greener” employees (guilty) to Nicaragua to tour the farms, the factories, do some taste …

For today’s review, I’ll be performing two cardinal sins of the uppity-up cigar snobs... that’s right, not only is this cigar a bundled option (gasp!) but it’s also flavored (oh no!). If you pop into your local cigar lounge and listen to the “experts” you’ll come away thinking that everyone only lights up Padrons, OpusX, and ultra-rare small-batch creations… but guess what? They’re lying. You …

Look, I’ve never been into cigar reviews. Who the hell cares what some semi-bald, big-headed nerd thinks about a bunch of cigars? Right? But then it dawned on me. Not everyone out there is bombarded with hordes of premium cigars like I am (I know, first-world problems) and works in an environment where their co-workers burn down sticks faster than greased lightning. So I’ll admit it: I was wrong. …

2003 — a momentous year for cigars. You see, fifteen short years ago is when the Five Hour Energy shot was first introduced to the market, and after becoming incredibly wired and going on a two week buying bender, the team at Cigars International began mutating into the deal-driven, price-slashing monsters we are today. Wait, wait, my editors tell me that’s not quite right. Ah, yes, in addition …