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HU Tobacco’s Nebari is a ribbon cut blend of Virginia, Burley, Orientals, and Perique. After opening the tin, it feels like it might need some drying time (this turned out not to be the case) and had a light and pleasant tin note. The Orientals and Burley combine in interesting ways, creating a kind of…
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The “LG” references LFD’s co-founder Litto Gomez. The cigar is limited to members of the TAA which recently celebrated its “emerald” anniversary (55th), in 2023, hence the French “Emeraude” in the name. As with all cigars released in the Litto Gomez line, the LG Emeraude is made entirely of Dominican tobacco grown at the company’s…
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How to Properly Prepare Twist Tobacco I have talked to a lot of people who want to smoke twist or rope tobaccos like Gawith Hoggarth’s Black or Brown Irish X but get frustrated with keeping it lit. I have been learning that the problem is often in how it is being prepared. When it comes…
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Since 2019, when Not Just Blowing Smoke began, I have shared my thoughts on the best new cigars and tobaccos of the year. On the one hand, the last thing the cigar/pipe world needs is another list of the best of 2024. But I am not just blowing smoke when I confess that some of…
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HU Makhuwa is a ribbon cut blend of Burley, Virginia, and Perique. The tin note includes figs, graham cracker, and a floral aroma. Upon lighting, it presents a bright floral aroma with notes of nuts, hints of cocoa, hay, lemon zest, wood, and tangy spice on the palate. The finish is smooth and creamy with…
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Wrapper: Ecuadorian HabanoBinder: PA BroadleafFiller: Nicaraguan, Honduran, DominicanSize: Toro 6 x 54 The H. Upmann 1844 Añejo Toro features a uniform and silky-smooth coffee brown wrapper with a light oily sheen. The cold draw brings notes of barnyard, hay, and leather. Upon lighting, the cigar opens with notes of nuts, buttery-sweetness, light coffee, leather, and cedar.…
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To celebrate our 34th anniversary, my wife and I enjoyed the Padron 50th Anniversary Maduro. This special cigar, originally released in limited edition 50-count humidors in 2014, is made to commemorate the company’s 50th anniversary. Refills are available annually to humidor owners. Origin: NicaraguaWrapper: NicaraguaBinder: NicaraguaFiller: NicaraguaSize: Toro 6 1/2 x 50 box-pressed The cigar features a slightly toothy, evenly…
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Rocky Patel has a large portfolio of cigars that seems to grow by two or three lines each year. This year, that includes the Year of the Dragon, the Rocky Patel Gold Label, and most recently, the subject of this review, the Emerald. The Emerald is a soft box-pressed cigar with a silky coffee-brown wrapper…
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The latest in G.L. Pease’s Zeitgeist series, Horizons is a flake of Turkish Latakia, Red Virginia, Bright Virginia, and Orientals. Smoky, sweet, and savory with notes of mesquite, steak sauce, earth, and leather, with occasional hints of citrus. The retrohale is smoky with a light pepper spice. The finish is rich with notes of leather,…
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“Summa” is the Latin word for a comprehensive summary or treatise, or total, or archetypal example. It is a word commonly used in theology and philosophy. In fact, the first thing that comes to mind when I see the word “summa” is St. Thomas Aquinas’ unfinished masterwork, Summa Theologica. So, I was intrigued when I…
Not Just Blowing Smoke with Pastor Padron 