News — Cigar Reviews

The story of boutique manufacturer Rocky Patel’s rise to glory is perhaps as well known and celebrated as the cigars that brought him there.  During the 90s, hundreds of cigar companies rose and fell.  Rocky Patel was among the manufacturers to get his start during that time, but he wasn’t among those who closed shop at the end of it.  Even though he was competing with huge corporations, Rocky Patel’s determination and his creative cigars drove him to the top of the market against all odds. “Against All Odds” is what the label inside the Rocky Patel Decade Robusto box...

Perdomo is one of the world’s most respected cigar manufacturers, based in Florida.  The tobacco they use is generally harvested in Nicaragua.  While the company’s present incarnation dates only to 1992, the foundation of the company can be traced back as early as 1937 to Silvio Perdomo, who learned the art of cigar making in Cuba.  His tradition has become a standard of excellence among his family members; the modern Perdomo currently has 9 brands of premium cigar on the market and more than 2000 employees. The Perdomo 10th Anniversary Epicure has a smooth wrapping over a Cuban-seed Nicaraguan filler...

  Don Diego cigars are a mainstay among cigar aficionados who enjoy a mild, light smoke.  The Lonsdale, like the other Don Diego cigars, features a Connecticut shade grown wrapper which is pale in color and very smooth, practically flawless.  There is a fine interlacing of veins just visible across the tan surface.  The attractive simplicity and smoothness of the cigar’s interior hints at the superiority and sophistication concealed within. The draw on the cigar is effortless and a big part of the relaxation that the Don Diego Lonsdale provides.  The burn is even and doesn’t overheat, and the smoke...

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,...