Page 3 - Cigars Released News Today

Release Date: March 2021 Number of Cigars Smoked For Review: 3 From a visual standpoint, the Protocol Eliot Ness Natural is covered in an extremely attractive milk chocolate brown wrapper that features some obvious oil, a number of prominent veins and is slightly rough to the touch. In addition, the cigar is pleasantly firm when squeezed and features a soft box-press. Aroma from the wrapper and foot is a combination of strong peanut shells, hay, barnyard, earth, dark chocolate, generic wood and...

Release Date: February 26, 2021 Number of Cigars Released: 500 Boxes of 10 Cigars (5,000 Total Cigars) Number of Cigars Smoked For Review: 3 The Nestor Miranda Private Reserve Lancero is certainly dressed well, with a color scheme of royal blue, gold and cream. It’s hard not to notice the shiny edges of both bands, which shine as the light hits the shiny edges. The wrapper underneath isn’t quite as beautiful, at least not if you’re looking for something that is perfectly smooth. There ar...

I spend quite a bit of time trying to make sure that none of  halfwheel’s reviewers are reviewing the same brand of cigars consecutively. Typically that means trying to make sure that a brand doesn’t have its cigars reviewed by the same reviewer twice in a row. Every once in a while that happens, but an even rarer occurrence is to have consecutive reviews from a particular reviewer be of the same brand. Of course, that is because there are actually two very different La Gloria Cubanas. One...

Release Date: September 2020 Number of Cigars Smoked For Review: 3 From a physical standpoint, the Pancetta is noticeably diminutive when held in my hand while also being a bit lighter than I expected. It is covered in a dark espresso brown wrapper that is covered in prominent veins and looks like it was dipped in a vat of oil just before being packaged up. The aroma from the wrapper and foot is a combination of rich espresso beans, cocoa nibs, earth, leather, prunes, cedar and rich raisins whi...

A term that has come into my vocabulary as of late is inflection point, that spot where the trend bends and changes direction. It’s come into usage with the pandemic, but it certainly has a fairly wide field where it is applicable. One of those would be blending trends in the cigar industry, and if you’ve been around long enough and paid enough attention, you’ve likely seen them. The rise of Ecuadorian tobacco, the return of Mexican tobacco, changes in common sizes of cigars and numerous...

Release Date: April 22, 2014 Number of Cigars Released: 96 Boxes of 25 Cigars (2,400 Total Cigars) Number of Cigars Smoked For Redux: 1 I’m still not sure how the Viaje Exclusivo Lancero made it almost seven years without being pulled out for a redux, but it certainly doesn’t look any worse for the extended rest. The wrapper still has a supple and oily texture, and like it did originally there is a bit of mottling and some small veins. It’s still firm when squeezed, though I’m not goin...

Release Date: November 2020 Number of Cigars Smoked For Review: 3 Visually, the H. Upmann Connossieur No.2 is covered in a golden brown leaf that is extremely smooth to the touch, albeit with a number of very prominent veins. The cigar is just short of rock hard when squeezed and two samples feature soft spots: one located just under the main band and one located halfway between the main band and the foot. Aroma from the wrapper and foot is a combination of strong sweet hay, barnyard, earth, fr...

Partagas* *Notes that this only includes the U.S. distribution rights for these brands, which are separate from the Cuban versions of these cigars. Some of these brands—like Bolivar and Partagas—are ones that General has tried to remake multiple times, seemingly not very successfully. So on one hand it’s not surprising to see STG trying something else, but Forged Cigar Co. is a pretty drastic step that left many—including General’s competitors—quite confused. The company says it’s...

Release Date: 2010 Number of Cigars Smoked For Review: 3 While I have noted that various cigars featured a reddish wrapper in the past, they are nothing compared to the leaf covering the Patoro VA XO Robusto. In fact, the reddish brown color instantly reminded me of clay when I first saw it, and the lack of any overt oil did not help matters. The wrapper is silky smooth to the touch and while there are a number of obvious veins running up and down its length, none of them are what I would consi...

Release Date: February 2021 Number of Cigars Smoked For Review: 3 From a visual perspective, the Viaje Circa ’45 Reserva Edición Limitada is covered in a very dark—almost black in certain light—wrapper that has plenty of tooth to spare, although very little obvious oil. There are also a number of veins running up and down the length of the cigar and it is nicely firm when squeezed. Aroma from the wrapper and foot is a combination of cocoa nibs, earth, barnyard, sweet cedar, leather, gene...