Page 4 - Cigars Released News Today

halfwheel. On April Fools’ Day, we attempt to give a serious review to what could be considered a not-so-serious cigar or accessory. It’s a tradition that dates back to 2011 and the first collaborative project between Brooks Whittington and Charlie Minato, and in previous years it has included a 21-inch long cigar, one made with an energy drink infusion, a known fake Cuban Cohiba Diplomatic Siglo VI, and an NSFW lighter. This year, it’s a cigar that gets its name from one of the main peo...

Release Date: February 2021 Number of Cigars Smoked For Review: 3 The AVO Classic Belicoso has an interesting mix of matte and shiny colors; the wrapper and base of the band both fall into the former category, while the gold parts of the band make up the latter. The wrapper leaf is a nutty shade of brown with some darker hues around the veins. The seams—when visible—reveal what color variance the leaf can have, though they are nearly invisible on one sample, and the thickness of the leaf s...

Release Date: November 2017 Number of Cigars Smoked For Redux: 1 Thinking I may have stepped into Honey, I Shrunk the Kids, I stare at this rather small cigar for a few more moments than normal. Everything has been shrunk down—band included—yet it still reminds me of the bigger Liga Privada vitolas. The wrapper leaf is a mottled, earthy brown, with coloration that makes the seams visible. Even smaller veins seem to stand out on this size given the lack of visual of real estate for them to ...

Release Date: November 2020 Number of Cigars Smoked For Review: 3 The first adjective that comes to mind when I see the Perla del Mar Corojo Corona Gorda for the first time is rustic, due in large part to the combination of an old school-looking band and a box-press that a is very obviously rectangular instead of square. While silky smooth to the touch, the mocha brown wrapper is also almost totally devoid of any visible oil, and it is extremely soft when squeezed. The aroma from the wrapper i...

Release Date: Feb. 8, 2021 Number of Cigars Released: Regular Production Number of Cigars Smoked For Review: 3 Even with the somewhat thinner ring gauge, the wrapper itself has quite a bit of texture on it, which isn’t always obvious. I think that the aggressive box press probably helps to accentuate this feature as the cigar provides four defined panels. The aroma from the wrapper is medium-full and smells like many other AGNAORSA-made cigars before it. There’s a dominant mixture of red pe...

Release Date: February 2021 Number of Cigars Smoked For Review: 3 The CAO Arcana Mortal Coil has a couple of layers of shine happening; the copper on the band does a good job catching the eye, but the wrapper leaf has an impressive amount of oiliness to it that does that job as well. It’s an interesting combination of colors between the dark, meaty brown of the wrapper and then the black and copper of the band, one that seems to play better when the wrapper leaf is on the darker side of the ...

Release Date: September 2020 Number of Cigars Smoked For Review: 3 The first thing I notice is that the cigar appears to have a triple cap, which isn’t a common sight on figurado vitolas. Two of the three samples have slightly darker feet, I’m not sure if that’s an intentional feature or just a coincidence. I really like the way the band helps to bring out some of the reddish colors in the wrapper. Once removed from the cellophane, the cigar smells a bit like an old room filled with leath...

Release Date: Oct. 22, 2014 Number of Cigars Released: 1,250 Boxes of 20 Cigars (25,000 Total Cigars) Number of Cigars Smoked For Redux: 1 While the cellophane shows some signs of age, it’s not yellow, instead just a bit murkier. Once out of the cellophane, the cigar looks a bit weird. It’s not the prettiest shade grown wrapper you’ll see and there’s some noticeable discoloration towards the middle of the cigar. The aroma from the cigar is rather potent, at least for a few seconds, with...

Release Date: January 2021 Number of Cigars Smoked For Review: 3 The majority of the length of the cigar is covered thanks to the combination of the red foil and the band, which is placed just below the halfway mark of the cigar. The two pieces are attached, though I can easily remove the foil from the band without any damage. The wrapper is dark—though certainly far from the darkest of Viaje cigars like Satori—and has a hearty feel to it thanks to a decent number of veins. The wrapper has ...

Release Date: November 2020 Number of Cigars Smoked For Review: 3 If you’ve ever been to Miami or Tampa and perused the entire cigar retail scene, you’ve inevitably popped into a cigar shop that made its own cigars and had a bunch of unbanded cigars for sale. That is the first thing that comes to mind when looking at the Gran Habano Persian Queen Kiana Barber Pole LE; it’s eye-catching but lacks any sort of banding or attribution to a maker, which I always find to be a bit of a shame. Th...