Illusione Cruzado cigar gets rebranded, let's review it!
First introduced at the 2013 IPCPR Convention & Trade Show, the Cruzado cigar had significantly more banding with gold foil and such. Awhile back, Illusione went to a different band, removed the foil and even changed the font on the band itself. As far as I can tell, no changes were made to the blend.
Cruzado earned a 93-rating and was named the #6 Cigar of 2021.
Robusto - 5.25 x 50
Wrapper - Nicaraguan Corojo Rosado
Binder & Filler - Nicaraguan Criollo ‘98 and Corojo ‘99
Body - Med
Strength - Mild+
Smoking Time - 1.5 hrs.
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Tatuaje Tuxtla 10th Anniversary cigar review
During August of 2023, Tatuaje released yet another Tuxtla version of their core line. This time, the 10th Anniversary cigar got a new wrapper and became their Tuxtla version. The cigar has a dual binder from Nicaragua and comes in two vitolas, Bon Chasseur (robusto) and Belle Encre (perfecto), both being limited editions with 2,500 boxes of 20 cigars.
This is a shorter review, not a lot of transitions.
Bon Chasseur (robusto) - 5 3/8 x 52
Wrapper - Mexican San Andrés
Binder - Nicaragua (dual binder)
Filler - Nicaragua
Body - Med./Med.+
Strength - Mild+
Smoking Time - 2.5 hrs.
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Drew Estate Ming cigar crafted for Smoke Inn Great Smoke participants!
Drew Estate’s Undercrown 10 line gets a new tweaked blend for Abe Dababneh (Ming is his nickname) and for the Great Smoke event which is held on February 24, 2024. Ticket holders of the event, were able to purchase this cigar 10 count cardboard box bundle on January 31, 2024. Unfortunately the boxes were sent without boveda packs and needed humidification before smoking.
Robusto Extra - 5.25 x 54
Wrapper - Mexican San Andrés
Binder - Connecticut broadleaf
Filler - Nicaragua & Pennsylvania
Body - Med +
Strength - Med
Smoking Time - 2 hr. 10 min.
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Lucille, not just a bat but a cigar by Ezra Zion!
LUCILLE 2023 Ltd. is a yearly release for Ezra Zion cigar company and often released in multiple wrappers each year. During 2023, a 10 year aged San Andres maduro leaf was used for the wrapper. As usual, the binder and fillers are a "closely guarded secret—but all tobaccos are 7-12 years aged!" (Ezra Zion website)
You may be asking yourself, why the name Lucille for a cigar? Well it comes from a popular TV Series called The Walking Dead and is named from a particular bat used in that show.
Toro - 6 x 50
Wrapper - San Andres maduro
Binder & Filler - ?
Body - Full
Strength - Med +
Smoking Time - 2.5 hrs
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Taco Tuesday calls for a Street Taco cigar, Rojas Carnitas to be exact!
In 2020, Rojas Cigars announced a new series of cigars called Street Tacos. Eventually containing three distinct blends. The first release in the line debuted in March 2021 named Barbacoa. Then during the 2022 PCA Convention & Trade Show, Rojas showed the second addition to the Street Tacos line named Carnitas. The Carnitas line contained three vitolas (sizes) at release: robusto, short corona, and a toro all in box press format. However, the cigar I reviewed was not box pressed!
Toro - 6 x 50
Wrapper - Ecuadorian Connecticut shade
Binder & Filler - Nicaragua
Body - Med +
Strength - Mild +
Smoking Time - 2 hrs.
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Drew Estate event only Liga Privada 10 Aniversario cigar!
To celebrate the 10 years of Liga Privada line of cigars, Drew Estate created an event only cigar called the Liga Privada 10 Aniversario (Savage Feast vitola) meant to replace the Liga A as an event cigar. Not just any event will nab you these cigars, it has to be an event where the founder, Jonathan Drew, will attend.
Released in May of 2021, the Savage Feast has a unique feral flying pig vitola of 5 3/8 x 60 perfecto with a pig tail cap. The one I will be smoking was obtained in August of 2022. You can now purchase this cigar in a 6 x 52 toro vitola with other vitolas eventually being release to the Liga Privada 10 Aniversario line.
Savage Feast - 5 3/8 x 60 perfecto
Wrapper - hybrid Connecticut-grown criollo
Binder - Mexican San Andrés Otapan Negro Último Corte
Filler - Nicaragua and Pennsylvanian Green River One Sucker ligero
Body - Med. +
Strength - Med. +
Smoking time - 3 hrs.
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Trying then destroying the Event Only cigar from Espinosa, the Crema de Laranja.
If you are a seasoned cigar smoker, you might be familiar with the name/s associated with this event only cigar. The name suggests, the Espinosa Crema de Laranja draws on the company’s Crema and Laranja lines, using a mix of the Nicaraguan fillers found in each cigar, then a Nicaraguan binder, and finally a barber pole wrapper made from the Crema’s Ecuadorian Connecticut shade leaf and the Laranja’s Brazilian-grown leaf. It is made at the La Zona Cigar Factory in Estelí, Nicaragua.
Instead of just smoking this cigar and providing the flavor profile, I decide to destroy the cigar. Watch for more info!
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Quick Stogie Sister update!
Never fear, more videos will be heading to my channels soon.
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La Palina (LP01) No. 1 cigar review and discussion!
Can I be suckered in by a mere band alone...the answer is yes! Let's try the LP01 cigar.
Rated at 90, this cigar has some complex flavors that have blended over time. Watch the video to hear the note profile.
Wrapper - Ecuadorian Sumatra
Binder - Costa Rica
Filler - Nicaragua
Strength - Mild+
Body - Med/Med+
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New Release Sobremesa Brûlée Wagashi 和菓子 by Steve Saka and Cigar Dojo!
The very first collaboration between Dunbarton Tobacco & Trust and Cigar Dojo, brings Sobremesa Brûlée Wagashi. While similar to the Brûlée Blue, the Wagashi is a unique blend.
Wagashi was released last week and is already a fan favorite of the cigar dojo. Let's light it up and see for ourselves!
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Room 101 Miami Snow cigar!
A lighter offering from Matt Booth and Room 101, Miami snow, a long filler cigar that won't break the bank. A delicate Connecticut wrapper envelopes Honduras binders and fillers that contain habano leaves.
Toro - 6 x 50
Wrapper - Ecuador Connecticut
Binder - Honduras
Filler - Honduras
Body - Med.
Strength - Mild
Smoking Time - 1 hr. 40 min.
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Alec & Bradley Gatekeeper cigar - are you the keymaster?!
The second release from Alec & Bradley brings us the Gatekeeper, which won #7 cigar of the year with a 95 rating in 2020.
Robusto - 5x50
Wrapper - Ecuador Habano
Binder - Nicaragua
Filler - Dominican & Nicaragua
Body - Med
Strength - Mild+
Smoking time - 1+ hr.
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New Release Camacho Broadleaf cigar!
Camacho has come out with a new core line cigar and was released on September 7th of this year. As the name suggests, the cigar is composed of broadleaf tobacco.
Wrapper - Honduras Broadleaf
Binder - Honduras
Filler - Honduras, Dominican Republic
Body - Med.
Strength - Med.
Smoking Time - 2 hr.
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Whisky and cigars? Blackened M81 cigar by Drew Estate!
Johnathan Drew of Drew Estate, James Hetfield (Metallica Co-founder), and Rob Dietrich (Master distiller of BLACKENED American Whiskey) collaborated to bring you the bold to the core cigar: Blackened M81!
Released September of 2022, this cigar can still be hard to find, although I picked up my box at an event around June/July of 2023.
Robusto - 5 x 50
Wrapper - Mexican San Andres Maduro
Binder - Connecticut River Valley Broadleaf Maduro
Filler - Nicaraguan and Pennsylvania Broadleaf Maduro
Smoking Time - 1.5 hr
Body - Full
Strength - Med+
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JSK Munchies Rocky Road Cigar! Will it live up to it's name?
Jas Sum Kral (JSK) has created a "Munchies" line of cigars which offers the cigar smoker a flavored option, but without that chemical taste. This time we will try the Rocky Road cigar.
5 x 50
Wrapper - Mexican San Andrés
Binder & Filler - undisclosed
Body - Medium
Strength - Mild+
Smoking Time - 1.5 hrs.
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New Release! Drew Estate's Liga Privada Super Ancho H99 cigar.
Announced this last May, Drew Estate has created a new vitola to add to their popular H99 Privada Line, the Super Ancho. Super Ancho translates to super wide, and they weren't kidding. A 6 x 60 cigar is not for the faint of heart.
Through this month, the Super Ancho will only be available to Drew Estate Diplomat retailers as event only cigars. After this month, the cigar will be a part of their full-time line up.
Wrapper - hybrid stalk-cut/cured H99 Connecticut Corojo from Connecticut River Valley
Binder - Mexican San Andrés Otapan Negro Último Corte
Filler - Honduran, Nicaraguan, and Pennsylvania Green River One Sucker
Body - Full
Strength - Medium
Smoking time - 2.5 hrs.
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Ezra Zion Cigar and coffee of the Month Club August '23
Ezra Zion offers a unique cigar of the month club, by combining it with coffee. You will receive 5 total cigars: 2 core line cigars, 1 unique member only cigar, and 2 general but limited-edition release cigars (as all their stuff is). The last 2 cigars may or may not be the same as what you receive.
The August 2023 cigar of the month brings us members only cigar, the Cereal Killer (5.75 x 46). The coffee of the month is Eleven Year Anniversary Roast. Each monthly bag of coffee is 12 oz.
Pros: Fast shipping, good variety, fresh coffee, biodegradable bits, aged core line cigars
Cons: Email only for all forms of communication, unique monthly cigar tends to be the exact same as the previous year's month
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JSK Munchies Bananas Foster infused cigar!
Jas Sum Kral decided to get into the infused/flavored cigar game and they pushed the envelope, intentionally, with the packaging. Love or hate their game, let's review this cigar.
JSK's proprietary infusion process offers a one-of-a-kind enhancement to their lineup of premium “Munchies” cigars coming in one vitola, 5×50. Their promise is "to deliver a cigar that is never overpowering, never overbearing, and certainly never with the chemical taste other brands are known to have."
Vitola - 5 x 50
Wrapper - Habano
Binder - ?
Filler - ?
Smoking time - 1+ hr.
Body - Medium
Strength - Mild
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Room 101 Miami Snow cigar unboxing.
Not all boxes are made equal!
Let's get into the details of this Room 101 cigar. After Breakfast in Portugal, Miami Snow is the second of three limited edition blends created by Matt Booth and crafted at AJ Fernandez's factory in Nicaragua. Available in only a single vitola,
6.0"x50 Toro, this blend is the most mellow of the three. It has a golden Ecuadorian Connecticut wrapper over Habano-seed long-filler grown in Honduras.
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Espinosa Murcielago de Oro TAA Exclusive cigar for 2023!
Murcielago de Oro is a newer release cigar for 2023 and happens to be a TAA store exclusive with production limited to 1,500 boxes of 20 cigars, a run of 30,000 cigars. The original Murcielago (by Espinosa) utilized a Mexican San Andres Maduro wrapper, however the Oro uses a Mexican San Andres Claro wrapper!
Espinosa claims the Oro is less sweet than the original release Murcielago, let's see if they are right.
Box Pressed Toro - 6 x 54
Wrapper - Mexican San Andres Claro
Binder - Nicaragua’s Jalapa region
Filler - Nicaragua
Body - Med+
Strength - Mild+
Smoking Time - 2 hr.
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Newer cigar company Sagrado! Let's try Magnifico!
A new cigar company, Sagrado, has recently hit the United States market and will soon be branching out into other countries. Today I will try the Magnifico, but no information is provided about the wrapper, binder or filler!
Edited - 8/5/23 - I just found out that the Magnifico is no longer in production. Sagrado has changed rolling/blending factories and will no longer produce this cigar.
"Sagrado Cigars, a premium Dominican hand-rolled cigar brand, is crafted with quality, precision, and cultivated from the finest tobacco plants. Sagrado signifies "sacred" in Spanish and our unique blends are designed with this in mind. Our flavors evoke emotions, creating an experience whether you are a cigar aficionado or indulging in one for the first time. Sagrado embodies the idea that sacred moments like these should be shared and celebrated between friends, family and loved ones. Our passion shines through the product we produce. All cigars are crafted in the Dominican Republic, under master cigar roller supervision, and aged for a minimum of 90 days to ensure superior quality and exquisite flavors.
Robusto - 5x50
Wrapper, binder, filler - ?
Body - Med +
Strength - Mild +/Med
Smoking time - 1 hr.
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New release! Traditional Boutique by Ezra Zion!
Ezra Zion has created a new blend they are adding to their core line of cigars. That's right, this will be one more cigar you can actually find and get on the regular.
Inspired by smoking other boutique company cigars, such as Tatuaje, Viaje and Illusione, Ezra Zion put out their own blend to pay homage to those expiriences. Unlike other releases, we actually know the make-up of the binder and filler tobaccos! 600 total cigars were released last week, which is actually more than most of the releases I've seen from EZ.
Vitola - 5 x 50 (only one size to date)
Wrapper - '99 Corojo
Binder & Filler - Nicaragua
Body - Medium+
Strength - Mild +
Smoking time - 1.5 hr.
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Ezra Zion Cigar and coffee of the Month Club June '23
Each subscription that is sent out is unique, meaning not every person will receive the same cigars. You will receive 2 core line cigars, 1 monthly member only cigar, and 2 cigars of limited releases (these will vary from person to person).
You will also receive a bag of coffee with your subscription, and that roast blend differs from month to month, which may or may not match your monthly cigar.
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Ezra Zion Cigar and Coffee of the Month Club May '23
Ezra Zion cigar and coffee of the month has arrived. As always you receive 2 core line cigars, 1 member only unique cigar, and 2 other various cigars which may or may not be the same as everyone else in the monthly club.
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Illusione and Jeremy Piven collaborate for the PIV Robusto Cigar!
The popular actor who is known to smoke cigars nearly daily, collaborates with Illusione to create the PIV Robusto.
Released in November of 2021, PIV Robusto is a Nicaraguan Puro that is known for it's spiciness, probably as a result from the double binder consisting of Corojo 2012 leaf.
Vitola - 5x52
Wrapper, Binder, Filler - Nicaraguan
Smoking time - 1.5 hrs.
Body - Med + (but varied from startup)
Strength - Med/Med +
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