La Gloria Cubana Retro Especial Habanero
A very long time ago, I used to smoke La Glorias on a regular basis. We’re talking about 25 years ago, before the cigar boom. The cigars were made in Miami by Ernie Carrillo and his rollers on 8th street in Little Havana. Then something good happened for the cigar industry — the boom. Struggling small businesses all of a sudden couldn’t keep up with the demand for...
A Dark Knight Shines on Second Blush
To be honest, this is the second stick of this vitola that I smoked. Both came as a gift from General Cigar as part of their ambassador program aorund Thanksgiving. And, the first was not anything to write home about. Others who got this package also felt the smae way. But, tonight, I decided to give it another shot. And, I was pleasantly surprised. Perhaps a few months in the humidor...
Estilo Cubano – A Nice Smoke
One of the nice perks of writing cigar reviews is that you never know what you are going to smoke next. Just yesterday I had a long drive in front of me and chose a rich dark cigar that I knew nothing about for the afternoon part of the journey. This stick turned out to be a nice one from Ventura Cigar Company called Estilo Cubana. Upon first inspection you notice a few nice things. The...
The Griffins – An Interesting Surprise
It’s been years since I’ve had a cigar by The Griffins. Usually, I consider them to be to mild for my taste. This particular cigar was given to me at a show, and with an early morning drive, it seemed like a good choice for a ‘breakfast’ cigar. Upon first inspection this cigar really looks nice. It has a great natural Connecticut wrapper and just looks like what a...
Las Ramblas, Maduro
This is the third and last toro size offering in Ventura’s Las Ramblas line. This 6 1/2 X 50 cigar was quite firm (as in tightly wrapped) and slightly veiny in its construction, suggesting that the draw could be tough, but that was not the case. However, the firmness called for a closer look at the construction. As can be seen in the photo, some “twigs” appear in the center...
Avo Maduro – No Stranger This Night
It’s not often that you write about Frank Sinatra when post a cigar review. But, tonight’s review is of a cigar made by the composer of one of Sinatra’s classics, Stranger in the Night. That song was beautifully composed by jazz musician and cigar maker extraordinaire Avo Uvezian. Playing in the jazz clubs Avo was always smoking a cigar and would often give cigars...
