Review

  • Aksum Claro Robusto

    Aksum Claro Robusto

    Originally branded as Metapa, Foundation Cigar Co. changed the name to Aksum last year. The cigar band features a portrait of Ras Makonnen, a 19th-century governor of the region now known as Ethiopia. This rebranding continues Foundation’s biblical theme seen in the Tabernacle and David and Goliath series, as Aksum is believed to be the…

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  • G.L. Pease Fillmore (2021)

    G.L. Pease Fillmore (2021)

    Lately I have been spending some time at our Hooksett location, and while I has going through what was available for tobaccos, I came across this tin of G.L. Pease Fillmore, with a stamped tin date of 12/21/21. I noticed that the tin was a bit bowed and not sitting flat. Fillmore is a VAper…

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  • Gawith Hoggarth’s Sweet Peach

    Gawith Hoggarth’s Sweet Peach is a ribbon blend of Virginia, Burley, and Cavendish with a light peach topping. The tin note is sweet but not as “peachy” as I expected. It is almost like a peach meringue. The tobacco is very moist but lights up fairly well right out of the tin, though a few…

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  • Fuera de Serie Nicaragua Maduro Toro

    According to the Molon Labe website, company owner Steven Bartell while traveling in Miami ran into a master blender from Cuba, who gave him one of his cigars. Bartell liked it so much that he founded the Molon Labe company to distribute them. Talk about being in the right place at the right time… The…

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  • Aladino Corojo Reserva No. 4

    Aladino Corojo Reserva No. 4

    The Aladino Corojo Reserva No. 4 was an annual release for several years from JRE Tobacco, featuring higher priming leaves from their authentic Honduran Corojo that were aged between 4-5 years. Each release was limited to 800 boxes. The cigar has a reddish-brown wrapper and is tightly rolled. In spite of its firmness, it offers…

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  • Liga Privada H99 Robusto

    Liga Privada H99 Robusto

    The H99 gets its name from its wrapper leaf, a hybrid between Habano and Corojo seeds grown in the Connecticut River Valley exclusively for Drew Estate. The H99 Robusto has a reddish-brown wrapper and is tightly packed. It gives off a light hay aroma from the foot. The cold draw is pleasant with notes of…

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  • Barbary Coast 1/2025 vs. 5/2019

    One of the long-running themes on NJBS since we started in 2019 has been an interest in exploring how aging cigars and tobaccos impacts the experience of the blend. Whenever I can, I love to compare aged tobaccos side by side, and I recently had an opportunity to do just that with one of my…

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  • Antaño Dark Corojo El Martillo

    The Antaño Dark Corojo El Martillo from Joya de Nicaragua is a Nicaraguan purp that is described at their website as ” the embodiment of the Nicaraguan “power” cigar.” The Corojo Oscuro wrapper is a deeper brown hue with a smooth texture and a light oily sheen to it. The draw is excellent. There are…

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  • E.P. Carrillo Endure Toro

    E.P. Carrillo Endure Toro

    The E.P. Carrillo Endure Toro is the first in a new line called the Perez-Carrillo Premier Collection from EPC. This cigar is a tribute to the Meerapfel family and their work with Cameroon tobacco, which is known for being difficult to grow due to the many challenges of working in the remote areas of the…

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  • G.L. Pease Haddo’s Delight

    Haddo’s Delight is a blend of Virginia, Perique, Burley, and Black Cavendish from Greg Pease. The tin description informs you that it undergoes an “exclusive process [that] darkens and marries the mixture.” I am thinking that refers to the flavor profile, because the tobaccos themselves (other than the Perique) do not look darker that I…

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