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1502 Cigars Announces New Release of Lancero Emerald Cigar Miami, Florida, April 21, 2014 – Nicaraguan manufacturer and seller of 1502 Cigars, Global Premium Cigars, is pleased to announce their new vitola for the well-reviewed 1502 Emerald: Lancero. The Lancero vitola is sure to strengthen the already highly-rated 1502 cigar line. Measuring 7'' x 40,'' the Lancero offers the popular Nicaraguan blend present in all 1502 cigars, and is also finished with the signature "Cigar Lock," a partially covered foot. The Lancero Emerald will also be offered in boxes of 25, box-pressed. Current 1502 tobacconists interested in purchasing the cigars, can easily contact the Global Premium Cigars by emailing: info@globalpremiumcigars.com and new tobacconists can easily sign up at: http://www.globalpremiumcigars.com/prospective-stores 1502 Cigars CEO Enrique Sanchez anticipates cigar aficionados everywhere to be thrilled about this new vitola. “The Greatness lies in th

My love for home-ground-coffee started with Sumatra from Starbucks Coffee , but since then my tastes have moved on a bit. Cruising around their website the other day I happened upon this Komodo Dragon blend coffee and knew that I had to give it a try. Why you ask? Because of the word "dragon" in the name; if a product has a dragon or says dragon on the label, I will probably buy it. So anyway, let's get back to the coffee... Quick Details Origin: Unique blend of Asian, Pacific coffees Processing: Washed and Semi-washed Price: $13.95 in store or online Opening the bag I was greeted by a robust aroma mix of chocolate and coffee and as I poured beans into the grinder I can see a bit of oily caramelization. So far, so good. It only took about two turns of the grinder before I noticed that this Komodo Dragon Blend was the softest coffee I had ever ground. In the past I've never really noticed a difference in beans while grinding, but these beans felt like I was g

The KAIROS cigar is a micro batch project blended by the Ezra Zion Cigar Company for Blessed Leaf , a cigar based Christian ministry, to support their mission and share their message. Total production of the KAIROS has been limited to 4000 cigars; 100, 20 count boxes and 400 five packs. The KAIROS is offered in one vitola only, a box-pressed 6.25 x 52. Retail pricing is as follows:  $179.00 per box of 20 $44.75 per five pack $8.95 individually I was fortunate enough to give the KAIROS a spin the other day and this is how played out for me... Quick Details Cigar Size: 6.25 x 52 Box-pressed Country of Origin: USA Factory: Casa Fernandez, Miami, FL Wrapper:  Corojo 99 Rosado Binder: Nicaraguan Filler: Nicaraguan Cutting Method:  Colibri V-Cutter Paired with: Diet Pepsi - Auto drip coffee Smoking Time: 70 minutes Price: $8.95 Sample provided by Ezra Zion Cigar Company Removing the KAIROS from the cellophane I see a high quality, hand made cigar with attractive

I'm always searching for the next great cup of coffee and Sumatra Mandheling is deffenitly one of my favorites. I found this Cascade Pride Sumatra Mandheling the other day so I decided to give it a try. The Winco Foods web site only has a brief description of the coffee, but they hit it pretty close to the mark. Their site says "Sumatra Mandheling mellow flavor & full body, a smooth and earthy cup. There are no origin, growing or processing details on their site so this review will be short and sweet. The roasted Cascade Pride Sumatra Mandheling beans had a slight oily caramelization to them and they had a nice chocolate and coffee aroma from the from the bag. Once the beans were ground, the aroma changed to more of a toast and coffee mix. On the pour over the brewing coffee gave off a pleasant radiating aroma of toast. With the first sips, I found the Sumatra Mandheling to be smooth with a hearty, syrupy mouth feel and mellow, muted flavors of caramel and toast. P

Being a Man O' War cigar fan and a fan of almost every thing AJ Fernandez blends, smoking the new Man O' War Ltd. Edition - Orange County Choppers cigar was a must do, no brainer for me. This cigar is hand-crafted in Esteli Nicaragua by AJ Fernandez and is a limited production run of 5000, ten-count boxes. I was lucky enough to pluck the first stick from a freshly opened box at Cigar Train the other day. Quick Details Cigar Size: 6.5  x 52 Toro Wrapper:  Ecuadorian sun grown Filler: Nicaraguan and Honduran Ligero Cutting Method:  Xikar guillotine Paired with: Diet Pepsi Price: $9.99 purchased at Cigar Train Physical appearance of this cigar matches every thing in the Man O' War line, it's top notch. The dual silver on black bands feature art work from both Man O' War and Orange County Choppers while creating a nice focal point on the dark Ecuadorian sun grown wrapper. Looking at the wrapper itself, it's oily cold, has a bit of tooth, has only the

I picked up this Room 101 305 (robusto) by Camacho Cigars a few days back from Cigar Train . After about 10 trips back and forth in the humidor and not being able to make up my mind, I picked this cigar because of the band. It would be interesting to know how often other people chose cigars this way. So anyway, let's get on to the review. Quick Details Cigar Size: 5  x 50 305 (Robusto) Wrapper:  Jamastran Habano from the Eiroa's farm Filler: Honduras and the Dominican Republic Cutting Method:  Xikar guillotine Paired with: Diet Pepsi Price: $7.99 purchased at Cigar Train Even through the cellophane the black and silver band creates a nice focal point against the medium brown Habano wrapper. Once it's unwrapped it's even sharper looking. Once you get past the band and actually look at the cigar, you will see that it has a stout, oily wrapper with a bit of tooth. It's nearly seamless and only has a few smaller veins. Pre-light from the foot there were

The selection for review today is the Series H Maduro from Emilio Cigars. For once I don't have a story for the cigar other than it was provided for review by the House of Emilio and I am pretty excited to give it a spin. So, away we go... Quick Details Cigar Size: 6.5  x 50 Toro Wrapper:  Jamastran (Honduras) Ligero Maduro Filler: Nicaraguan & Costa Rican Cutting Method:  Xikar guillotine Paired with: Diet Pepsi Price: $7.40 Sample provided by House of Emilio Once the Series H Maduro is free from the cellophane you can immediately see the near perfect construction of this cigar; it's as close to perfect as I have ever seen. The stout, toothy, seamless maduro wrapper had only the finest of veins and cold it even had an oil sheen. Testing the aromas from the foot there was a faint presence of rich tobacco and after clipping the cap the firm, yet free, cold draw had notes of cocoa and toast with a lingering spicy aftertaste on the palate. After the Series H Ma

This Sublimes Double Robusto is a cigar that I had never heard of until my last visit to Cigar Train . Brian, the owner, had left a Sublimes double robusto for me and wanted my opinion. Checking out the Sublimes Cigars web site I read, "SUBLIMES cigars are the epitome of taste and excellence". Are they? Well let's smoke this beauty and find out... Quick Details Cigar Size: 5 3/4  x 54 Double Robusto Wrapper:  Ecuadorian shade-grown Habano-Rosado Binder: Honduran Habano-Corojo Filler: Nicaraguan Habano-Criollo Cutting Method:  Xikar guillotine Paired with: Diet Pepsi Price: Est. $7.99 Sample provided by Cigar Train The first thing I noticed after freeing the cigar from its cellophane was the striking contrast between the white with gold band and the shade grown Habano-Rosasdo wrapper. Getting past the nice aesthetic appearance and turning the attention to the cigar itself, the overall construction looked great. The oily, toothy, seamless wrapper contains only

This My Father Cedros Deluxe Cervantes has been taking a long nap, it's been in my review humidor for nearly three years now. I picked this up at a local store, one that I no longer frequent, at a price I thought at the time was pretty hefty. It's the first cigar priced over $10 that I had paid full retail for instead of picking up in a sampler. Well after that nap it must be time to wake this cigar up and see what it's all about. Also, this is my first My Father cigar so I am excited to give it a spin... Quick Details Cigar Size: 6.5  x 44 Cervantes (double corona) Wrapper:  Habano-Rosado Filler: Nicaraguan Cutting Method:  Xikar guillotine Paired with: Diet Pepsi - Cravens Coffee Sumatra Mandheling Price: $13.79 purchased locally Well to begin, I picked this cigar up at the time because of the packaging. The band isn't flashy, but between the dual bands and being encased in Spanish cedar the My father Cedros deluxe has an elegant look that just said, &

I picked this cigar up in an Espinosa sampler back a couple months. This is Espinosa Habano is another cigar with a eye catching band and is actually the first cigar produced in Erik Espinosa's new "La Zona" factory in Esteli Nicaragua. Well let's get on the cigar it self... Quick Details Cigar Size: 5  x 52 Robusto Wrapper:  Nicaraguan Habano Binder: Nicaraguan Filler: Nicaraguan Cutting Method:  Colibri V-Cutter Paired with: Diet Pepsi Price: $24.00 per 5 pack Online, SmokeInn This Espinosa Cigars Habano robusto has great overall construction. You can see in the picture that it only has the finest of veins and barely any visible seams. The contrast between the band and the Habano wrapper creates nice visual appeal as well. Physical examination of the cigar reveals that it's packed well full length, there are no hard or soft patches to be found. Checking the foot for aromas there is a hint of fruit, with earth and some coffee. After the cap is cu

Today I review the Gonzo Santeria Heina cigar. This is another cigar created by Steven Ysidron of Epicurean Cigars and is distributed by the House of Emilio . According to the Epicurean Cigars  web site the Gonzo Santeria is, "Inspired by the exotic cult religion of the Caribbean, Santeria will put a spell on you with its sublime combination of Mexican and Nicaraguan tobaccos is the pinnacle of palatable enjoyment". These box-pressed, Gonzo Santeria cigars are available in three sizes and are packaged in boxes of 50 with production limited to 150 boxes per size. Ruca: 5 x 42 Heina: 6 x 52 Padrino: 6 x 60 Last week I reviewed the Gonzo Vintage 2007 and gave it a 95 rating. Can the Santeria match this level of success? Let's find out... Quick Details Cigar Size: 6  x 52 Heina (Toro) Wrapper:  Nicaragua binder: San Andres and Jalapa Filler: 2009 Nicaraguan Jalapa and Condega Cutting Method:  Colibri V-Cutter Paired with: Diet Pepsi Price: $11.00 Sample prov

On my weekly visit to Cigar Train , I plucked this little sweetheart of a cigar right from a freshly opened box. My relationship with this Trinidad Paradox Robusto started off a bit shaky, but in the end... Quick Details Cigar Size: 5  x 50 Robusto box-pressed Wrapper: San Andrés Criollo Binder: Dominican Piloto Filler: Nicaraguan Cutting Method:  Xikar guillotine Paired with: Diet Pepsi Price: $6.99 purchased at Cigar Train This Trinidad Paradox Robusto was the first cigar from a freshly opened box and my first experience of smoking a Trinidad cigar. I took the picture right inside the store since I wanted to make review notes on the drive home. The cigar was box-pressed, it had a nice nearly square shape, and the seamless wrapper was nearly vein free. After several attempts, I came to the conclusion that the aroma from the foot was a mild barn yard scent. Once the cap was cut the flavor from the free cold draw confirmed the barnyard aroma. After the cigar was burnin

Last night was the Legends of Fire , Partagas cigar event. I didn't count heads but around 75 people were in attendance and got a chance to try out the new Partagas 1845 Extra Oscuro cigar. Along with the cigars, the champagne and some fine wine samples it was a pretty good time. There were lots of prizes but I didn't win any. Oh well, I got to test drive this new blend from Partagas and that's all the really matters since I have been seeing some buzz about it the past couple of weeks. So, what did I think? Read on and find out... Quick Details Cigar Size: 5.5  x 52 Robusto Gorodo Wrapper:  Connecticut Habano Oscuro Binder: Vega Especiale Filler: ligeros from the Dominican and Nicaraguan Cutting Method:  Xikar guillotine Paired with: Diet Pepsi, red wine, champagne. Price: $7.26 Online. Even through the cellophane you can see this Partagas 1845 Extra Oscuro, is a great looking cigar. The black and silver band really stands out from the dark Oscuro wrapper, t

BunaMobile roasting company is a small batch roaster that specializes in roasting for fund raisers. You can find more information about their charities and fundraising on their website . The tag-line on the Buna Mobile web site reads, "Exotic & Specialty Coffees Delivered Farm-Direct Fresh To YOU!" So, lets see if this statement holds true for the Kenya Kia-Ora. Quick Details Cultivation: Mountain-grown in volcanic soil Cropping: Inter-cropped with macadamia nut trees Altitude: 5,200-6,200 feet Tree type: French Mission (Bourbon) and SL Preparation: Fully washed, Kenya drawer style drying beds Production: Only 1 or 2 containers per year. "Kia-Ora” is a Maori word from New Zealand meaning, “Into the Wild.” When poured from the bag to the grinder, the roasted Kenya Kia-Ora beans showed a nice amount of oily caramelization and had a robust aroma of cocoa and coffee. Once the beans were ground the aroma changed with the addition of nuts into t

The Emilio Cigars AF-2 is another of the cigars that I smoke quite a few of, but for one reason or another have never taken the time to write a review. Well today I am correcting that error. Quick Details Cigar Size: 6 x 50 Toro Wrapper:  Ecuadorian Habano Oscuro Filler: Nicaraguan and Pennsylvanian Ligero Cutting Method:  Colibri V-Cutter Paired with: Diet Pepsi Price: $6.20 Online at Atlantic Cigar Co.  Sample provided for review by House of Emilio Visually inspecting this Emilio Cigars AF-2 Toro I see a top quality cigar with an oily wrapper that is nearly free from veins and seams. Feeling the body, it's packed well full length with no hard or soft spots. Checking the foot, I find aromas of dried fruit, toast and rich tobacco. Once the cap is cut, I find a free but firm draw and the same flavors of dried fruit, toast and rich tobacco that were found from the foot. Once the cigar was toasted and burning it produced a nice volume of medium bodied smoke containing

The new Elements Uranium is another cigar that I purchased just because of the cool artwork on the double bands. At the foot, the simple black band mearly shows the period table listing for uranium, but the top band show a skeleton in a radioactive field, flipping off the man (I guess).  The wooden box that contains 18 of these mammoth 7x70 cigars has a clear plastic lid with the same great design. In the past, cigars 60 ring gauge and larger haven't performed well for me. I'm not sure if it's my smoking style or what but they almost always burn out the centers. Let's see how the this beast performed... Quick Details Cigar Size: 7  x 70 Blend Origins: Honduras, Nicaragua, Mysterioso Cutting Method:  Colibri V-Cutter Paired with: Diet Pepsi Price: $9.99 purchased at Cigar Train Not only was the size of the Elements Uranium impressive, but so was the construction. It came wrapped in an oily wrapper that was nearly free of veins and it was rolled on with

What happens when Drew Estate and Cigar Dojo team up? Something great, the Undercrown Dogma! After visiting the Smoke Inn website I came away with the understanding that Dogma , is a term describing a belief or set of beliefs that is accepted by the members of a group without being questioned or doubted. Cigar Dojo’s dogma? "Never Smoke Alone." Drew Estate's collaboration with Cigar Dojo resulted in a new Undercrown that has been re-shaped, re-banded, and re-blended with added ligero leafs for a fuller bodied experiance and a box-pressed shape to better marry the flavors together. You know it's always the story for me, but today this one is actually on me. I have six regular Undercrowns sitting in my humidor and they have been there for over two months. Why haven't I smoked one yet? I don't really have a good answer, but perhaps since I have heard how good the Undercrown is I have been waiting for the weather to warm so I can enjoy the entire e

This Ethiopia Abaya Yirgacheffe is the final sample from my visit with Simon at Cravens Coffee . This is also one of the four samples from the cupping we did that day. It's a lighter roast, grown in the region between the town of Yirgacheffe and Lake Abaya in Ethiopia. I think it's a delicious and pretty unique coffee. Read on and find out why... From the bag there were strong aroma notes of cocoa, coffee and blueberries. As the coffee was being ground for a pour over the aroma shifted to more of a bold chocolate, coffee mix. On the pour over, the ground coffee produced a large bloom and the strong scent of blueberries hit my nose. The aroma was fantastic! Once the brewing process was complete, the first sips from the cup yielded a light and crisp mouthful of coffee tasting like chocolate covered blueberries. As the cupped coffee began to cool, a hint of fresh baked bread developed. Overall this was a very enjoyable cup of coffee, it was bright and crisp with a syru

The Gonzo Vintage 2007 was created by Steven Ysidron of Epicurean Cigars and is distributed by the House of Emilio . Only 700 boxes of Epicurean Gonzo are produced each year and released after four years of aging. To date, every cigar I have smoked from the House of Emilio has been top of the line and well above average in flavor profiles and construction. Is the Gonzo Vintage 2007 another winner? Let's find out... Quick Details Cigar Size: 6  x 52 Toro Wrapper: Broadleaf Binder: Double Binder, Pennsylvania Broadleaf of San Andreas and Jalapa Filler:  Jalapa and Codega Cutting Method:  Colibri V-Cutter Paired with: Diet Pepsi Price: $9.50 Sample provided by House of Emilio Once the Gonzo Vintage 2007 is free from its cellophane wrapper the first thing you will notice is the stout, toothy, oily, dark, broadleaf wrapper. Yes you can see the wrapper seams on this cigar, but it only shows you just how stout the wrapper really is. The photo doesn't do the oil sheen

This Ave Maria  Immaculata Gordo is another cigar I just couldn't pass up. One, it's blended by the master himself  A.J. Fernandez so it must be tasty. Second, it has one of the best bands in the business and the band is the reason I started buying and smoking Ave Maria cigars. Third, the original Ave Maria and the Reconquista are top of the line cigars, so the Immaculata should be too. Quick Details Cigar Size: 6  x 60 Gordo Wrapper: Ecuadorian Connecticut Filler: Cuban-seed Nicaraguan Cutting Method:  Colibri V-Cutter Paired with: Diet Pepsi - French roast coffee Price: $10.00 at Cigar.com I could sum this cigar up in three words, "smooth and creamy", however, that's not much of a review so let's get to it. Construction of this cigar at first glance was fantastic, the wrapper was rolled on with seamless care and contained only the finest of veins, but, just below the second band there was a large wrapper wrinkle that went half way arou