The Trinidad Espiritu Series No. 3 is the latest release of a brand that was almost dead. In July 2019, Rafael Nodal and his team at Altadis USA resurrected a brand that was barely alive with the release of the Trinidad Espiritu No. 1. The history of the brand dates back to 1905 in Cuba. In 1920, Diego Trinidad Jr. took over the family business, incorporated it in 1958 and renamed it TTT Trinidad. Then […]
El Pulpo comes from Artesano del Tobacco a company that also makes Viva la Viva. While the company doesn’t exactly roll off the tongue, who am I to judge the Fakih brothers and their 25 years of experience including running one the most premier cigar shops in the country, Cigar Inn. From around 2005 until I moved to Miami in 2012 I could be found at Cigar Inn where I was a regular that was […]
The HVC Seleccion No. 1 line is produced at Fabrica de Tabacos HVC, SA; which is brand owner Reinier Lorenzo’s boutique factory exclusively rolling for HVC. According to their website, “The Seleccion No. 1 is features binders and fillers from the most famous regions of Nicaragua: Jalapa and Esteli; covered with a beautiful dark San Andres Maduro wrapper from Mexico. The blend is a medium full body cigar with a rich flavor and clean to […]
Originally released in 2019 as part of Smoke Inn’s Microblend Series, the Red Meat Lovers comes from Steve Saka’s Dunbarton Tobacco & Trust in partnership with the South Florida based Red Meat Lovers Club. It wasn’t the only limited edition cigar released by Saka in 2019 that would be added to the 2023 portfolio. The other cigars were the Mi Querida Firecracker from Two Guys Cigars & United Cigars which donned a red band that […]
With Black Friday almost around the corner, HVC has announced their latest cigar offering of the same name. The unofficial holiday is the start of the holiday shopping season, but it also the time of year many retailers go from operating in the red (loss) to operating in the black (profit). This year HVC went heavier on the Jalapa region to create a unique blend with only visos and secos exclusively selected for the 2023 […]
Nicholas Melillo began his career in the cigar industry working in a cigar shop in his home state of Connecticut. He would eventually wind up at Drew Estate where he become one of the top blenders. It is here that some controversy over the Liga Privada No. 9 line starts to emerge. Depending who you ask some might credit him with the creation of that blend, while others would credit Steve Saka. No matter who […]