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.
Read article →Latest PR
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 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.
Read article →
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.
Read article →
The Best Everyday Cigar Isn't the Priciest One. Federal Tax Records Show Why.
News: A $1.50 cigar and an $88 one pay nearly the same federal tax. Here's what that says about the best everyday cigars, and where your money goes.
Read article →
How the Cigar Trophy 2026 Reader Vote Works, and Why It Rewards Reach Over Quality
Reviews: How the Cigar Trophy 2026 reader vote works, why a popularity contest crowns the wrong cigar, and the finalists I would back with my own money.
Read article →
Fuente OpusX Review: Is the Unicorn Worth the Hunt?
Reviews: A Fuente OpusX review that skips the worship. Four myths about the unicorn cigar, what the hunt really costs, and when it's worth your money.
Read article →
My Father La Lealtad Review: A Torpedo That Trades Power for Polish, Made in Honduras
Reviews: My Father La Lealtad review of the box-pressed torpedo, a Garcia blend that trades Nicaraguan power for polish and ships from Honduras, not Esteli.
Read article →
Espinosa's Warhead Independence Day 250 Years Has No American Tobacco In It
News: Espinosa's 601 La Bomba Warhead Independence Day 250 Years ships in June for America's 250th. What the PCA preview confirms, and what it doesn't.
Read article →
Does the Davidoff Late Hour Robusto Earn Its Whisky-Barrel Reputation?
Reviews: I smoked four Davidoff Late Hour Robustos from a single box, third by third, to see whether the Scotch-cask aging earns its $20-plus price.
Read article →
65 Seats: What Casa Fuente in Las Vegas Got Right, and the Patio Decision That Ended It
Culture: Casa Fuente in Las Vegas closed after twenty years. It wasn't the cigars - a landlord cut 65 patio seats from the best-known cigar lounge on the Strip.
Read article →
A Four-Inch Perfecto That Keeps Selling Out: An Arturo Fuente Hemingway Short Story Review
Reviews: why the Arturo Fuente Hemingway Short Story, a four-inch Cameroon perfecto, keeps selling out, how it smokes, and whether it earns the hype.
Read article →
AVO Expresivo 2026 Is the First AVO Made in Honduras, and the Price Is the Story
Reviews: AVO Expresivo 2026 is the first AVO made in Honduras. A critic on what the Burn Brighter rebrand changes, and why the price matters most.
Read article →
Cigar of the Year 2026: Which Contenders Survive Three From the Box?
Reviews: My take on the cigar of the year 2026 race, the 90-point inflation that rigs it, and the contenders I'm actually tracking before I score one.
Read article →