News — Cigar Reviews

Montecristo is the name of two different cigar brands, one which produces for Habanos SA in Cuba, and the other which produces for Altadis SA in the Dominican Republic. The original brand created the second branch so that it could continue to sell cigars to the United States. The Montecristo White Churchill is one of the Dominican Republic cigars, measuring 7.0″ x 54 and contained in a Connecticut/Ecuadorian Shade grown wrapper. This is definitely a beautiful cigar: the light tan wrapper features an ultra smooth surface almost entirely devoid of veins. The cigar is firm but features just the slightest...

The Rocky Patel Edge Missile is a 5×48 cigar available in either a maduro or corojo wrapper. Rocky Patel is a celebrated boutique manufacturer who came from modest beginnings. Despite having to compete with huge cigar corporations, he has carved out a place for himself alongside all the other giants. His cigars are known both for their high production quality and also their unique flavors and aromas. This cigar was originally unbanded, but now includes a band around the foot which reads, “Professional Smokers Only. Smoke While Sitting Down.” The Missile size is the smallest of the Edge line, but...

  The Acid Kuba Kuba is made by Drew Estate (the brand which creates all Acid cigars). The brand is based in Nicaragua, and while relatively new, they have been well received in the years since their foundation in 1998. Drew Estate is the product of Jonathan Drew and Marvin Samel, two friends in New York City. Rather than hailing from a long line of cigar makers, they created their business out of nothing but hard work and imagination. Eventually they teamed up with artist Scott “Acid” Chester, who worked on the promotional end of their business and helped the...

Cohiba is one of the best known brand names in the cigar industry, but represents two different cigar manufacturers. One of them makes cigars for Habanos S.A., the Cuban tobacco company, and the other makes cigars for General Cigar Company, an American company. The Cohiba cigars distributed through the General Cigar Company are created in the Dominican Republic. The Cohiba Pequenos, produced for the General Cigar Company, measures 4-1/5 inches (106 mm) x 36 and features a Cameroon wrapper around a Jember (Indonesian) binder and a Dominican Republic filler. The Cohiba Pequenos has a dark, oily wrapper and a fine...

The Arturo Fuente Curly Head is an inexpensive smoke produced by a well established brand which originated in 1912 in Tampa, Florida. A fire in the brand’s factory put a halt to production from 1924 to 1930, but they made a comeback and nothing since then has stood in their way—not even two more fires which burned down two subsequent factories. Originally Arturo Fuente cigars were made from Cuban tobacco, but after the embargo they moved their base to Nicaragua. Their second factory was burned down by the Sandinistas. After relocating to Honduras, their third factory was destroyed as well....