Staff Reviews

The year’s winding down around here, which means it’s almost time to start enjoying the holiday season and pack on a few pounds for my upcoming hibernation. As a man of habit, there’s a few things I do every Thanksgiving and Christmas: stuff my face until my belt is uncomfortably tight, drink what some fun-suckers would consider “too much,” and then throw some football on TV, crack open a bottle …

Today, we live in the world of small batch. From the thousands of coffees and bourbons on the market to the bizarrely hipster artisanal water bars and toast houses (thanks, Portland!) it seems all you need to do to make a mark in this day and age is tell people something’s rare. Off-breed, exclusive, the forbidden fruit… I’m not even sure what artisanal means, really, but it’s damn provocative …

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 …