halfwheel

Review: Joya de Nicaragua CyB Lancero Fino (Prerelease)

There are a lot of best of/top cigars lists that appear at the end and beginning of each calendar year, I’d like to think one serves as a model a bit more than any other, The Consensus. It’s a list we’ve curated for the past two years, but an idea tried hundreds of times over in [...]

News: Joya de Nicaragua Adds Lancero Fino to CyB Line

The popular CyB by Joya de Nicaragua line will be getting its sixth vitola, the Lancero Fino. Joya de Nicaragua will give members of the Tobacconist Association of America (TAA) an opportunity to purchase the 7 x 38 cigar at next month’s annual meeting and convention in the Dominican Republic. “We have chosen TAA as [...]

Review: La Aurora Preferidos Maduro Lancero (2012)

The La Aurora Preferidos Maduro Lancero up for review traces its roots back to a similar cigar made for W. Curtis Draper’s 123rd anniversary back in May 2010. That cigar caught the attention of David Mogilner, vice-president of Racine & Laramie in San Diego, who wanted to have some made for his store. According to [...]

IPCPR 2012: Drew Estate & Joya de Nicaragua

The focus of Drew Estate’s IPCPR is Joya de Nicaragua’s Cuenca y Blanco. The cigar, which is the work of José Blanco is the center of attention thanks to the lack of debut for Willy Herrera’s Herrera Estelí. Despite a year with less buzz on paper, the Drew Estate booth remains as busy as can [...]

Review: Joya de Nicaragua Cuenca y Blanco Lonsdale Club (Prerelease)

Ask any number of cigar smokers what their most anticipated cigar of the year is, and you will get any number of answers. But near the top of each of their lists will probably be the release of the Cuenca y Blanco, a cigar blended by none other than José Blanco and Joya de Nicaragua President Dr. Alejandro [...]

A Visit to La Gran Fabrica Drew Estate

Editor’s Note: As you know, Brooks and I were amongst many bloggers invited down to Drew Estate a few weeks ago. Both Brooks and I brought our cameras, he used his (fortunately) and I didn’t, again, fortunately. On a personal note, there are very  few halfwheel posts I actually have anticipation towards seeing, this is [...]

Weekly News (May 21, 2012)

Editor’s Note: It’s been a hectic week. It’s probably going to get more crazy, but the news. La Flor Dominicana in 2012 — Details here. Quesada Makes House of Horvath 80th — Details here. Davidoff Puro d’Oro Gets New Size & Bands — Story here. Viaje’s 5th Anniversary — Details here. Nestor Miranda Grand Reserve [...]

Press Release: Joya de Nicaragua introduceds Cuenca y Blanco cigars

Estelí, Nicaragua (May 21, 2012) — Today Dr. Alejandro Martínez Cuenca and Sr. José Blanco officially announced the upcoming release of Joya de Nicaragua’s latest creation: “Cuenca y Blanco”. Medium in body, this full flavored blend is the first collaborative liga resulting from the exciting, new relationship between these two master cigar makers. Expertly crafted [...]

Review: Para Japón by La Aurora

It was March 11, 2011 when an 8.9–magnitude earthquake hit Japan, devastating enough on its own without being followed up by a tsunami that caused record amounts of damage and destruction. A group of online cigar media, including Japanese native Mario Takeyama of Cigar Explorer, who were visiting La Aurora’s facilities in the Dominican Republic shortly after [...]

Weekly News (December 5, 2011)

Editor’s Note: December has arrived, and it is quite obvious. There’s not a whole lot of public news, but projects are beginning to come together for the upcoming year. There’s not a tremendous amount of news, and I suspect that will continue through early next year. A few things ship this week and next week [...]