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The Romeo y Julieta brand can cite its beginnings in 1875 when the original brand was founded by Inocencio Alvarez and Mannin Garcia.  The brand won many awards over its first decade, but truly took off after being acquired by Jose “Pepin” Rodriguez Fernandez, who promoted the brand throughout Europe and America by racing his horse Julieta.  Wealthy patrons of the company eventually began to request personalized cigar bands.  2000 of these personalized bands were produced.  The most famous patron of Romeo y Julieta was Winston Churchill.  He became such a prominent symbol of cigar smoking that a cigar size...

Saint Luis Rey is a Honduras based brand which distributes through Altadis.  These cigars are all hand crafted and include a blend of tobacco from Honduras, Nicaragua and Peru.  The Saint Luis Rey Toro has a Nicaraguan wrapper and binder and a filler with the same combination of tobacco.  This is a full strength cigar measuring 6×50.  Even though it’s full strength though, it isn’t at all overpowering.  It’s just right. The wrapper has a dark, rugged appearance and there is a slight spring to the cigar.  This isn’t to say it isn’t firmly packed though.  The construction is strong,...

Ashton is a name well-known in cigar circles for providing consistent quality featuring the creativity of the famous Fuente family. All of their cigars incorporate binders and fillers from the Dominican Republic and Connecticut shade grown or Ecuadorian wrappers. The Ashton Cabinet Selection Pyramid is no exception – its comes in a super silky Connecticut shade grown wrapper marked with the ornate black, gold and red Ashton band. All of the Cabinet Selection cigars contain six types of aged Dominican tobacco – the creation of an Ashton Cabinet Selection cigar it is a seven year process from the seed to...

CAO is one of the best known names in the cigar trade worldwide. Founded by Cano A. Ozgener (from whose initials the company derives its name), CAO began by crafting pipes and humidors along with cigars. Eventually they chose to narrow their focus to the creation of their superb cigars. It was a bumpy road at first but over time they have come to be one of the most respected brands in the industry. The CAO Gold Corona Gorda is a light cigar that will be loved by those who enjoy light smokes, but may also have something to enjoy...

  Outsiders to the cigar world may be wondering … what’s the big deal with cigars? What’s so great about cigars that you can’t get from smoking a cigarette or a pipe? Here are some reasons to consider trying something new! Cigars typically offer more flavor and aroma than conventional cigarettes or pipe tobacco. Since cigars are made of three main components, the filler, binder and wrapper, cigar manufacturers have the ability to embed more complex, subtle notes into their blends. You can compare the experience of a great cigar to elegant cologne or a fine glass of wine. Cigars...