Cigar Review: Padilla Reserva Maduro Toro

This time last year Ernesto Padilla announced that he would be giving the Padilla brand a face lift. The company, which started out as an ultimate boutique made by Pepin, slowly drifted into the online world for sometime, and I believe Ernesto knew that he was loosing touch with his roots when this happened, and wanted to go back to where he began. I loved Padilla when he first got going and could not get enough of his cigars, but after the Pepin breakup things went a little downhill for him in my opinion. He still produced some wonderful cigars from time to time, but they just weren't the same. Since his announcement of the "face lift," we have seen the return of The Old Padilla, and I am very excited about that. He has teamed up with the Oliva Family of Cigars, and one of his new releases is the Padilla Reserva.

Cigar Giveaway (Win This Ten Pack)

This one is pretty simple. Guess the number of bands in the ashtray and win the cigars pictured below!

player qualifications:

(will not accept guesses from anonymous accounts)

(must be 18 years or older)

(must live in the United States)

(Only one guess per individual) 

Left to Right: Zombie Super Shot, Headley Grange Corona Gorda, Viva Republica Rapture Perdition, L'Atelier LAT 54, Oliva Serie V Melanio Figurado, CyB Lonsdale Club, Federal Cigar 92nd Anniversary EPC Medalla D’ Oro, Quesada Heisenberg Corneta Cuadrada, Leccia Black & White White 6*50, Tatuaje Reserva J21 

 Contest ends Sunday May 26th, 2013 00:00

Week in Review (Volume 1, Issue 6)

In the cigar world today it is nearly impossible to smoke a cigar that does not have a tie to Nicaragua. Whether the cigar is made in Nicaragua, or it is composed of tobacco from Nicaragua, it is difficult to find a cigar with no Nicaraguan ties. The amount of cigar factories in Estelí, Nicaragua  alone is amazing, and I think it is safe to say there are more factories in that one district than Honduras and/or Cuba. Along with the number of factories in Nicaragua, the country has a bountiful number of tobacco fields that are all unique in their own ways. Most of the cigars I smoked this week show the greatness of Nicaragua, greatness in tobacco mostly, but sometimes the greatness in the factories present there, and the buncheros and roleros they employ. While I smoked some incredible cigar this week, one stood out above them all, and will be a cigar I will never forget.

Cigar Review: Viaje Exclusivo Super Lance

Every manufacturer has a line in their portfolio which is their "baby." Most manufacturers give everything they have to their portfolio, I can't say all do, but there is one particular line that is always special to a certain manufacturer. With Andre Farkas and Viaje, that has to be the Exclusivo line. It may be more readily available than the Friends and Family series, but there is something incredibly special about this line. Each and everyone I have had has performed wonderfully, and that goes beyond construction and into the flavor presence and complexity. I have not had the entire Exclusivo portfolio, but the ones I have had have been spectacular. For 2013 Andre Farkas announced the release of the newest extension to the line, and that cigar was the Super Lance. This would be the ninth installment in the line, and that includes retailer exclusive smokes.

Cigar Review: J. Grotto Series Reserve Lancero Limitado

There are a plethora of boutique cigar brands on the market today, and knowing all of them is impossible. I am contacted, and stumble upon new companies weekly, and it is always exciting to see. We are at a point right now in the cigar industry where it is fairly easy to start your own brand. We are seeing individuals emerge with their own brand who were once retailers, representatives for cigar companies, and even individuals who were not in the industry. What makes this so great is that we are seeing individuals who were merely passionate cigar smokers emerge with their own company. They are living the dream. The days of only seeing companies run by families, and being passed down from generation to generation is no more. Anyone can start a successful company nowadays, and one of those individuals is Paul Joyal.