La Aurora Let Out the Untamed Lion.

La Aurora Let Out the Untamed Lion.

Apr 04

La Aurora has a large number of successful cigars that were launched with traditional or even conservative labels and marketing. With its 2014 launch of “Untamed”, La Aurora is breaking from its past practices by using a contemporary approach. Untamed is also designed by La Aurora to be the most full bodied cigar they have offered to date. The cigar uses a dark Connecticut broadleaf wrapper...

Nat Cicco’s Anniversary Cigar

Nat Cicco’s Anniversary Cigar

Mar 17

In 1965 the National Cigar Company (now Nat Cicco?) launched its “rejects” brand – low cost, low priced every day cigars. Zander-Greg purchased Nat Cicco in 2007 and has commemorated the Nat Cicco beginning by launching the Anniversario 1965 Liga No. 4, a premium cigar for smokers looking for full bodied strength. Zander-Greg gave me an Anniversario toro, 6 ¼ X 52, to review. The toro...

Nat Cicco has a Cuban Sandwich Legend!

Nat Cicco has a Cuban Sandwich Legend!

Mar 14

Outside the cigar industry Cuban sandwiches have ham, pork, cheese and other ingredients for a tasty lunch. But Cuban sandwich cigars refer to the use long and short fillers together, sometimes with the long filler “sandwiching” the short filler in between. Nat Cicco’s Cuban Legend cigars use this construction approach for their Habano special edition Cuban Legend which contains Nicaraguan...

New Addition to Arandoza’s Battle of the Bands

New Addition to Arandoza’s Battle of the Bands

Feb 20

Arandoza Cigars is a family owned company that apparently started early 2011, launching its first line of cigars called Blue Label in 2012, with light blue bands. This cigar was reviewed by my compatriot in October 2012 and he gave it a 3.5 out of 5. At the 2013 IPCPR, Arandoza announced the “rebirth” of the medium bodied Blue Label line with a deeper, bolder blue in the cigar bands. This...

Kuuts Has a Winner With the Placeres Reserva

Kuuts Has a Winner With the Placeres Reserva

Feb 04

Kuuts has their cigar factory in the Danli region of the Honduras where they make their Kuuts Nicaraguan, Placeres, Miro and Zapata brands. Although Kuuts has been selling in Europe for a long time, they entered the US market in 2013. At the 2014 IPCPR Kuuts gave me a Placeres Reserva 6 X 54 Colosos to review. The Placeres brand comes in 5 sizes and has a Habano Jalapa wrapper around a Costa...

Humidores Dominicanos reincarnates Faraon Tutankamon

Humidores Dominicanos reincarnates Faraon Tutankamon

Jan 28

Humidores Dominicanos registered to do business in Florida in the middle of 2013. Sometime later Humidores launched a brand called Cigar Factory where each of the blends was named after a Pharaoh and offered in various sizes. I first noticed them at the 2014 IPCPR where they gave me three blends to review – Tutankamon, Ramses and Esfinge. The Faraon Tutankamon was a 6 X 50 toro that had a...