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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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.
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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Once Every Three Years: CAO Revives the Amazon Basin Daggers for 2026
News: CAO revives Amazon Basin Daggers for 2026, a 4x38 built on Braganca leaf harvested once every three years. What the $24.99 five-pack really buys.
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My Father Le Bijou 1922 Review: From a Miami Shop to 20 Million Cigars a Year
Reviews: My Father Le Bijou 1922 review of the Nicaraguan puro that took the Garcia family from a Miami shop to Esteli, and whether it still earns the box.
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Is the El Rey del Mundo Robusto Worth a Box? Six Years In, I Keep Reaching for It
Reviews: The El Rey del Mundo Robusto isn't a special-occasion cigar. It's the Honduran value box I keep reaching for - and here's why it earns the shelf.
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For America's 250th, Most Patriotic Cigars Are a New Band on an Old Blend
News: The America 250 cigars for Fourth of July 2026 are mostly new bands on old blends. Which releases are genuinely new, and which just got a flag?
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The Aganorsa Supreme Leaf Robusto Earns Its Name. Here's How, Third by Third.
Reviews: Five Aganorsa Supreme Leaf Robustos from one box, walked cold draw to nub. Why this $9 Nicaraguan corojo out-smokes the premium shelf.
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Connecticut Broadleaf Grows on Just 3,056 Acres, and Maduro Prices Show It
News: Connecticut broadleaf grows on 3,056 acres of one river valley, yet most maduros skip it. What the USDA data says about why maduro wrappers cost more.
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Why Does Guy Fieri's Mildest Knuckle Sandwich Cigar Cost $18?
News: Espinosa's new Guy Fieri Knuckle Sandwich cigars shipped June 16. The mild Avant-Garde runs $18 a stick, and the price tells you who it's really for.
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Four Gordos, One Box, One Honest Number: The Perdomo 30th Anniversary Maduro, Reviewed
Reviews: Four Perdomo 30th Anniversary Maduro Gordos from one box - the four-pass tasting, an honest rating, and where it lands against the Padrón 1964.
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