Life Goes On

An edition as exceptional as the 10 perfecto cigars beautifully held in a box finished with one of the 7’000 unique stills from McGilchrist’s video ‘from many sides’. Art Basel June 16 – 19, 2016 Basel, Switzerland Davidoff Limited Art Edition 2016 by Olivia McGilchrist Basel, Switzerland, May 31, 2016 – Davidoff is proud to announce the global launch of its second Limited Art Edition in June 2016 at Art Basel, Switzerland, in collaboration with Jamaican-French artist Olivia McGilchrist. The Davidoff Limited Art Edition 2016 consists of a cigar edition limited to 7’000 unique boxes, each featuring an exclusive still extracted from McGilchrist’s video ‘from many sides’. Each box will carry 10 perfecto cigars, an exceptional format, which only 10 experienced Davidoff torcedores (cigar rollers) are able to craft. The beauty of the perfecto format lies in the fact that the aficionado can actually taste the wrapper and binder as both flavours come throu

Rarely do I get the opportunity to smoke a true top-shelf cigar. I've found sometimes they live up to the hype and sadly sometimes they don't. However, the  Famous 75 Padron Anniversary cigar really hits the mark! This Famous Smoke Shop exclusive was created to celebrate Famous Smoke Shop's 75th anniversary and let me say right up front, it's a great cigar. The Famous 75th Padron Anniversary is filled with Nicaraguan tobaccos and covered with a nearly vein-free Maduro colored wrapper that's rolled on with seamless skill. Checking the body, the  box-pressed cigar is packed firmly full length plus it's finished off with a tight triple cap.  From the cold foot there's a faint aroma of sweet, fermented tobacco while the free cold draw had notes of oak and light brown sugar. Once burning, the Famous 75th Padron Anniversary cigar produced large mouthfuls of medium bodied smoke with tasty notes of sweet caramel, cocoa and a hint of oak. Pairing this

This project began when we stumbled upon the most gorgeous and fragrant Corojo wrapper ever. We knew it was something special and had to be blended as such. No normal filler would do! After calling in a few favors, we procured the "dream" tobaccos worthy of this project. Literally, the filler tobacco is so old in this cigar that you can taste the age! It's phenomenal! Flavors begin with a bold leather wave across the palate. Blasts of vanilla, white pepper, and caramel give way to a luscious creamy finish. Elegantly full-bodied, strength through the retrohale is strong--but silky from the mature vintage Ligeros.  As the cigar progresses, notes of cocoa powder, walnuts, and marshmallow begin to emerge. The final third introduces a beautiful red pepper spice, dark chocolate bar, cedar and whipped cream.  Theophany is a decadent and luxurious smoking experience. We think it's gonna take the top spot in your humidor! Only 695 of these cigars were ma

Davidoff is proud to announce the official opening of its Flagship Store and Cigar Lounge in Houston, Texas. 'Davidoff of Geneva - since 1911' Houston occupies a spectacular 2,000 square feet premium space in Oliver McMillan's upscale River Oaks District - located in the Houston loop. The store is a beautiful illustration of Davidoff's global retail concept, which features a luxury environment and guest experience. Guests are ushered into a premium cigar retail space, flanked by a walk-in humidor and luxury lounge. Private lockers are also available for lease by customers looking to store their personal collections. "Oliver McMillan's destinations are renowned for combining an outstanding array of luxury retail stores and premium restaurants, and it is an ideal location for us provide an unrivalled experience for Houston's cigar aficionados," says Jim Young, President of Davidoff of Geneva North America. "Our Houston store is

Miami, FL – Today, Drew Estate announced their newest brand, “Florida Sun Grown”. This new brand features tobacco grown just outside of Orlando, Florida, in partnership with Jeff Borysiewicz, owner of Corona Cigar Co. The new Florida Sun Grown cigar line will feature four new sizes, listed below: Robusto (5 x 54), MSRP $230/20ct box Toro (6 x 52), MSRP $260/20ct box Belicoso (6 ½ x 54), MSRP $280/20ct box Sixty (6 x 60), MSRP $300/20ct box The FSG blend features Florida Sun Grown tobacco as an accent tobacco, which adds nuance and depth to the blend, but also features select Nicaraguan fillers. The binder is a Habano seed tobacco from Honduras and the cigar is finished off with a lush Brazilian wrapper. There will also be a Limited Edition Trunk-Pressed Toro (6 x 54) with an MSRP of $150/10ct box. This limited edition size will feature its own unique blend, which utilizes a Connecticut Broadleaf wrapper, Mexican binder, and Florida Sungrown filler tobacco,

May 18, 2016 HOLLYWOOD, FL -- Maya Selva Cigars , U.S. is officially launching the newest branding evolution of our flagship brand, Flor de Selva, complete with an updated logo, cigar ring plus footer, and streamlined box beginning June 1st, 2016.  The evolution comes as a culmination to the global success of the brand, in an effort to modernize the marketing elements and bring a higher level of sophistication to its familiar look.  Twenty-one years of operation and expanding markets across the Americas, Asia, and continued success in Europe have warranted a greater reason to tie the brand to its origins, the culture and people of Honduras.   The brand still uses the Harvestress as iconic figurehead for its logo, however in a more prominent and elevated position.  For the ring, Flor de Selva cigars will now each have a personalized ring per vitola, and its footer will showcase an updated signature and a tactile rendition of the "petate," which is a Mayan s

Today we look at another top-shelf masterpiece brought into this world by A. J. Fernandez Cigars , the Enclave Robusto. Quick Details Size: Robusto 5 x 52 Wrapper: Habano Rosado Binder: Cameroon Filler: Nicaraguan Coming to us from the famed Tabacalera Fernandez factory, the Enclave Robusto comes wrapped in a classy Colorado Maduro colored Habano Rosado wrapper. Looking at the Enclave Robusto you can see the virtually vein free, toothy, wrapper is rolled on with seamless skill. The cigar is packed well full length and from the cold closed foot there's still a light aroma of sweet, fermented tobacco.   After clipping the triple cap and putting a flame to the closed foot the first medium bodied puffs of smoke are sweet and spicy with notes of caramel, cedar, and a bit of pecan. Testing the retrohale, it was spicy, yet mild.  As the razor sharp burn reached the midpoint of the Enclave Robusto there was a hint of anise while the brown sugar sweetness gained some mo

New full-bodied blend will be offered in four shapes with a select Ecuadorian wrapper EASTON, PA – Famous Smoke Shop, the leading online distributor of discounted premium cigars, specializing in offering the web’s widest selection of cigars at the lowest prices, has just added a new, affordably-priced line to its stable of Oliva cigars . Named "Baptiste by Oliva," the line features a full-bodied blend of diverse Nicaraguan long-fillers rolled in a flawless Ecuadorian-grown Habano wrapper leaf. The Baptiste line is presented in the following four shapes in boxes of 20 cigars: Presidente (7" x 52) MSRP- $5.81/cigar Grand Robusto (6" x 60) MSRP - $6.15/cigar Toro (5½"x 54) MSRP - $5.63/cigar Torpedo (5½" x 54) MSRP - $5.81/cigar The name was reportedly inspired by the character, "Andre Baptiste," the ruthless Liberian dictator played by Eamonn Walker in the 2005 film, Lord of War, starring Nicholas Cage, which may account for t

Basel/Phoenix, May 12th, 2016 - Davidoff celebrates the opening of its newest lounge in Phoenix, AZ on May 19th, 2016. The Davidoff Lounge at Ambassador Fine Cigars will provide an upscale cigar sanctuary in the Phoenix / Scottsdale metro area.     The 2,000 square feet Davidoff Lounge at Ambassador Fine Cigars was designed with the cigar connoisseur in mind.  The concept offers a selection of refined natural materials inspired by tobacco fields and the Dominican Republic. It delivers a warm brilliance and comfortable atmosphere to enhance the cigar experience. The engaging design of the lounge creates one large, seamless space connecting refined custom décor, architectural features, art, and a well-appointed conference room.    Jim Young, President of Davidoff of Geneva USA, comments: “We are delighted to announce the opening of the new Davidoff Lounge at Ambassador Fine Cigars in Phoenix, AZ. We are particularly excited to do this in partnership with Vartan Seferian wh

Well as luck would have Paula got a great deal from work and we both purchased a Fitbit Blaze. With my luck I now have a fitness tracker that doesn't do a very good job of tracking anything other than sitting and sleeping.  Anyway I've been dealing with Fitbit support since Friday when I sent off the initial support request. They answered me on Monday which is in the "OK" amount of time but it's went down hill since then. To backstory this a bit, my tracker doesn't always track active minutes accurately, and at times needs to be rebooted when it won't track active minutes at all.  All I do is walk. Most days I take the same route at the same speed anywhere from once to four times daily. Sometimes the Fitbit will count active minutes, sometimes it won't.  Along with that, it doesn't track heart rate with any accuracy no matter where it's placed on my arm or how tight or loose it is. I've tried just about everything. My initi

Turn Up The Tempo, The Unexpected Awaits. Introducing the NEW AVO Syncro Nicaragua Fogata   PINELLAS PARK, FL - MAY 11, 2016 – Inspired by the worldly lifestyle of cigar legend Avo Uvezian, AVO Cigars turns up the tempo with a second release under the highly-rated Syncro Series – the new Syncro Nicaragua Fogata.   Having savored the spicy, sweet notes from Isla Ometepe, the AVO Syncro Series now ventures deeper into the rugged landscape of Nicaragua – collecting and composing wilder, richer, more intense flavors. Venturing north into the dark, mountainous soils of Nicaragua’s Esteli and Condega regions, our master blender has captured the strength and spice from this rugged, yet fertile terrain.   “AVO Syncro Nicaragua Fogata delivers new frontiers in cigar experiences. Pulsing with the rhythm of Nicaragua’s more intense Esteli and Condega tobaccos and composed with the softer, creamier notes of our Dominican grown tobacco, aficionados will savor every note and be

Every now and then you come across a real gem of a cigar and the Cuban Stock White Label with it's twenty years of aging* just happens to be one of those gems. The Cuban Stock White Label Box Pressed Toro is draped in an oily, seamless and nearly vein free, Colorado colored, sun-grown Dominican Havana wrapper. From the cold foot there are light notes of sweetly fermented tobacco to the nose and after clipping the triple cap there's a mild hint of spicy graham cracker from the free draw. Right from the start the White Label provides large mouthfuls of luxurious mild bodied smoke with a bit of spice right on the tip of the tongue plus there are some sweet sugar in the raw nuances. Testing the retro-hale there are pleasantly mild notes of sweet oak.  As the sharp burn line progresses up the cigar's body a nice oil line develops above the burn while both the sweetness and the spice increases. At the midpoint the sweetness fads for a bit being replaced with notes

Cuban Stock Cigar Co. just opened its new factory in the tax-free zone in Tamboril, Dominican Republic. President and company founder Yaniv Levy states, "After twenty years in our two previous factories, and with the pressures to increase output as our reputation grows, it was time for this new facility. Before this move, our total production space was less than 10,000 square feet, we now have 20,000 square feet, enough to carry us well into the future."  "Tamboril's tabacaleros are among the country's best.  Since better working conditions create better cigars, these artisans deserve a comfortable, uncrowded, well-lit and temperate environment.  The new facility is a major improvement in that respect.  Tamboril is closer to workers' homes, easing their transportation needs.  The high-bay construction is cooler and brighter, with new, modern and more functional facilities." Since the new building only opened in late February, the company

I'm posting this because maybe someone else reading this blog may have the same problem as me and perhaps this information will help. You too have probably seen the advertisements on television talking about diabetic nerve pain. Well I've had this type pain for about ten years now, but over the last six months it's become almost unbearable.   Finally, enough was enough and I went to see a doctor for answers. Well I'm not diabetic, yet, keyword "yet". The doctor told me that even if I had developed diabetes over the past six months I wouldn't have this much pain already. After a bit of bantering back and forth he finally asked if I had frostbite as a child. Well thinking back I did have a mild case back when I was five. He explained that even though it was mild, it was probably the root cause. OK, the cause was solved, but make it go away. The doctor told me that there are no cures only medications that will mask the pain and if over the counter pain k

Friday, May 6, 2016 — Miami, FL – Today, Drew Estate announced the 2016 Barn Smoker Program, which includes the new Florida Barn Smoker as well as the annual Connecticut Barn Smoker and Kentucky Barn Smoker. Barn Smokers are a completely unique experience, bringing the cigar smoker to the farm level, where they experience first-hand tobacco growing, processing, and finishing. Florida Barn Smoker, June 4, 2016, Clermont, Florida - Drew Estate will join Corona Cigar Company’s Jeff Borsiewicz on his Clermont, Florida farm, where they will highlight the unique agricultural aspects of Florida Sun Grown Tobacco. Drew Estate has been fermenting FSG in Estelí, Nicaragua since 2013 and will be officially releasing the new FSG cigars at the scheduled store event at Corona Cigar Company that same evening following the farm experience.  Connecticut Barn Smoker, August 6, 2016, South Windsor, Connecticut - Drew Estate will host the second annual Connecticut Barn Smoker, held in the

Long-time readers already know that I'm a huge fan of any cigar A.J Fernandez produces or has a hand in the blending of. The newest cigar in the A.J. Fernandez line, the Last Call is no exception. Due to it's size the Last Call is a fairly quick smoke, but it's packed with huge flavors and the icing on the cake is, the Last Call comes packed in boxes of 25 with a suggested retail price of just $5.00. According to the official press release, the Last Call was originally made in small batches for A. J. to enjoy with guests at home during NFL Football games. However, and lucky for us, due to it's success A. J. decided to put this cigar into regular production to release as a brick & mortar exclusive addition to the "Portfolio Series" .  Quick Details Size: Corona Gorda 4 1/2 x 48 Wrapper: Ecuadorian Habano Rosado Binder: Nicaraguan Filler: Nicaraguan The Last Call comes covered in a seamless Colorado Maduro wrapper with a triple cap and a

Nearly a year ago I had the opportunity to meet Jeff and Casey from Crux Cigars at a Cigar Train event here in Spokane. Jeff was kind enough to hand me a pre-release Limitada PB5 to try.  Well it was dark that night, the event was fun and for one reason or another I just didn't do a review.  Since that time I've had the chance to smoke several Limitadas so a review is long past due. I found the PB5 to be a solid cigar back then and a solid cigar today. Read on to find out why. Quick Details Size: Cuban Box Press: 5.75 x 54 Blend: Unique Wrapper: Engañoso Construction of the Limitada is nothing short of superb. Covered with an oily, Maduro colored Engañoso wrapper you'll see that it shows only the finest of veins, it's rolled on with seamless care and there's a tight triple cap.  From the cold foot there's an aroma of sweetly fermented tobacco and after clipping the triple cap the free draw has notes of spicy cocoa. The first medium/

As most of you probably already know, I'm not really a fan of infused cigars, but I do smoke one every now and then. However, there is always a reason to never say "never". Along comes the Acid Subculture Progeny another Famous Smoke Shop exclusive cigar and I really enjoyed it. Why? Well not only was it a quality constructed stick, it has a great flavor mix and that won me over. Quick Details Shape: Cuban Corona 5 1/2 x 46 Country: Nicaragua Wrapper: Mexican San Andres This Acid Subculture Progeny starts out with a seamless, Colorado colored wrapper that contains a few smaller veins. Feeling down the body, it's packed fairly well, plus it has a closed foot and a tight triple cap. Even with the closed foot, there was an intense floral and fruity aroma radiating from the cigar. With the closed foot the cigar was a breeze to light. The first light/medium bodied puffs from the free draw contained notes of very light peppery spice mixed with sweet f