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Bylined articles
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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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Four Decades In, the Arturo Fuente Don Carlos Still Outsells Fuente's New Releases
News: The Arturo Fuente Don Carlos review nobody writes - why a 40-year-old Cameroon blend outsells Fuente's new releases, and what the FDA ruling changed.
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What's in Arturo Fuente's Father & Son 2026 Collection - and the One Detail Fuente Hasn't Confirmed
News: Arturo Fuente Father & Son 2026 ships for Father's Day. What is confirmed, what is not, and why the OpusX King Power is the only real story.
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Is the Rocky Patel Year of the Horse a Lunar New Year Gimmick, or a Real Smoke?
Reviews: Three Rocky Patel Year of the Horse cigars from one box, smoked over a week: the burn trouble, the espresso-and-caramel arc, and whether it earns its billing.
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My Father Cigars' 2026 Story Isn't Le Bijou. It's a Factory in Honduras.
News: My Father Cigars 2026 - the year their Honduran factory becomes real, the Blue line settles into national distribution, and Le Bijou 1922 sits out the calendar.
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PCA 2026 In Five Notes: 262 Booths, A Narrower Floor, And The Boutique Squeeze
News: Five things I noticed walking the 2026 PCA trade show floor in New Orleans - 262 booths, 5,945 attendees, a Gordo wave broken, and the boutique squeeze.
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Liga Privada No. 9 Review: Is the Broadleaf Bully Still Worth Chasing?
Reviews: A Liga Privada No. 9 review across five sticks from one box - cold draw to nub, one plugged draw, and an honest buy, age or skip verdict.
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25 Cigars, 14 Months, One Taste: A Padrón 1964 Anniversary Maduro Review
Reviews: A padron 1964 anniversary review built on one full box - 25 cigars over 14 months, what consistency is really worth, and the maduro verdict.
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