Azan by Roberto Duran
Most people recognize the name. But, usually not for producing cigars. Different Roberto, different product. However, Roberto Pelayo Duran has experience making cigars like his more famous namesake has in the ring. Azan is a little known old time Cuban brand of cigars that has been in Robertos family for many years and now it is made Nicaragua. The result is a typical hand rolled cigar....
Your Brother’s Cigar – Fratello
Fratello is the name of a new cigar brand launched recently by former pro basketball player Omar de Frias. de Frias has been nicknamed ‘Fratello’ which means my brother in Italian grew up next to a cigar shop in the Dominican Republic. This cigar, which we found at the recent IPCPR show is available in four sizes. Many new brands debut at the show and we try to review them as we...
Monte Pascoal Interest in Brazil
We have been smoking Brazilian tobacco for some time. And it has been grown almost since Brazil was discovered. The primary growing regions are in the northern part of the country. Mata Fina, Mata Norte, and Mata Sul are all growing regions with tobacco of different properties. The Mata Fina is the best and is used for wrappers for many different cigars. It is silky and ages to a nice...
Loose Canon 1206 – Right on Target
From the same guys who brought us the well regarded C&C Corojo, we now get the Loose Canon. This is a box pressed Sumatran available in 5 sizes and packed in boxes of twenty. I had the opportunity to talk to these guys at the recent trade show and they were overwhelmed by the success of last year’s release. But, having put that aside they were very interested in establishing...
Lou Rod, A Great Rod
Without intending to do so, I hit a home run right after the recent IPCPR trade show in Las Vegas. It was a spectacular show with lots of great cigars and fun times with friends. Rather than thinking about which cigar form the show I would review first, it just happened. I have smoked a few different sticks and this was the first one where the photos were completed and all of the research...
Miro – As Good as the Artist
A few weeks ago, I got a package of sticks in the mail from a distributor inviting me to review three new smokes. They all looked good and I chose the Miro first. Being in the fine art business for years, it is a name that I relate to. Miro was a 20th century master, creating abstracts and working in vibrant colors. His art influenced a generation of artists. This cigar had a nice look...
