Little Havana's Last Rolling Tables: A Morning at El Titan de Bronze
Culture: Little Havana cigars still get rolled by hand on Calle Ocho. Inside El Titan de Bronze, the last working gallera, and why it nearly vanished.
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Cigar news, reviews and culture
An independent cigar magazine in three sections — News, Reviews and Culture: sourced reporting, honest tasting notes, and writing on the culture of the leaf.
Why Is the Perez-Carrillo Encore Noir II Capped at 1,500 Boxes? Ask the Bales.
News: The Perez-Carrillo Encore Noir II stops at 1,500 numbered boxes. The wrapper set that number, not a marketing meeting. Dated, sourced, no guessed price.
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Nicaragua Rolls Most of America's Cigars. It Grows Almost None of the Wrappers.
Culture: Nicaragua ships 60% of America's premium cigars but grows almost none of the wrapper leaf. What the origin line on the band really tells you.
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Six Morning Coffee and Cigar Pairings, From Espresso to Cold Brew
Culture: The best cigar with coffee isn't the priciest one. Six morning pairings, espresso to cold brew, walked cold draw to nub with real verdicts.
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All Honduran, All Corojo: The Camacho Corojo Toro, Reviewed
Reviews: A Camacho Corojo review from three cigars in one box. Why this 100% Honduran Corojo puro still hits full-bodied when the category went soft.
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Casa Carrillo Deep Blue Is the First Limited Edition to Ship After E.P. Carrillo Renamed Itself
News: Casa Carrillo Deep Blue is the first Perez-Carrillo limited edition since the E.P. Carrillo rebrand, and the maker won't say how many exist.
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Is the Romeo y Julieta 1875 Worth It Under Ten Dollars? I Smoked Three From the Same Box.
Reviews: The Romeo y Julieta 1875 wears a Cuban birthdate on Dominican tobacco. Three from one box, cold draw to nub, and a number that isn't a 90.
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Glenn Wolfson Has Died at 70. Drew Estate Hasn't Said Who Picks His Successor.
News: Glenn Wolfson, Drew Estate's CEO since 2016, died June 28 at 70. The company gave no cause and named no successor, and the choice may not be its own.
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CAO Brazilia Review: One Brazilian Leaf, the Rest Is Nicaragua
Reviews: The CAO Brazilia wears a Brazilian wrapper over an all-Nicaraguan core. What it tastes like, whether it's worth buying, and why I won't score it.
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Nicaragua Supplies 64% of America's Premium Cigars. The Tatuaje Havana VI Is the Everyday One Worth Keeping.
Reviews: A Tatuaje Havana VI review across five sticks from one box, and whether Pete Johnson's everyday Nicaraguan blend still earns a rebuy at eleven bucks.
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One Footnote Keeps Premium Cigars Out of the FDA's New Foreign-Factory Rule
News: The FDA's new foreign tobacco factory rule opened for comment June 29. Premium cigars are exempt, but the whole carve-out is one fragile footnote.
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Is the Oliveros Gran Retorno Worth $30 for Twenty? I Smoked a Dozen to Find Out
Reviews: An Oliveros Gran Retorno review at a buck and a half a stick. What twenty Nicaraguan bundle cigars really deliver, and where the bargain quits.
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The Cheaper Oliva Serie V Is the One I Rebuy, Not the Melanio
Reviews: Oliva Serie V vs Melanio, three from each box, tasted side by side. Which Nicaraguan blend earns the extra dollars, and when the cheaper one wins.
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