halfwheel

Redux: Viaje Zombie (2012)

Fewer cigars in Viaje’s portfolio have been the lightning rod that the Zombie was when it was announced in April of 2011. While rumors of the blend being based off the WMD or MOAB had people talking, what really got the cigar into the spotlight was the controversy about its name. In some forums, Andre [...]

Review: Rocky Patel II-XXVI Robusto

Back in May 2011, I had the chance to talk with Rocky Patel during an event in Phoenix, when his new factory in Nicaragua, Tabacalera Villa Cuba, S.A.—TAVICUSA for short—was still in its relative infancy. He was excited about the cigars that would be coming out of the factory, as they would be the higher-end [...]

Redux: Viaje Exclusivo Tower Cigars 45th (2011)

Back in April of 2011, Viaje released what was then the seventh incarnation of the Exclusivo line to celebrate Tower Pipes & Cigars in Sacramento, CA 45th year in business. The box-pressed Viaje Exclusivo Tower Cigars 45th was released on April 5, 2011 with only 100 boxes of 20 cigars produced. The same vitola with the same blend [...]

Review: Fonseca Cubano Exclusivo Robusto (Prerelease)

Last month we got the news out of SAG Imports that it was releasing a new Fonseca line called the Cubano Exclusivo. The cigar was developed with the idea that they wanted to take the easily recognizable Fonseca branding and develop a cigar that breaks out of the expected smooth and mild Fonseca profile. The cigar [...]

Review: Illusione *R* Rothchildes (Prerelease)

In late 2012, murmurs started that Dion Giolito would have a new Illusione, the Illusione *R* Rothchildes. It was supposed to be a completely separate project from the La Grand Classe release, which at the time had just shipped. But there were a lot of similarities from the initial details: Nicaraguan filler and Mexican San [...]

Redux: Partagás Serie D No.4 Reserva

In 2003, Habanos S.A. released the first in a series of Reserva releases, using tobacco aged at least three years, the Cohiba Reserva Selección. Two years later, in 2005, the second cigar in the series was released, the Partagás Serie D No.4 Reserva. Only 5,000 boxes of cigars were made featuring the normal Serie D No.4 band and [...]

Review: Liga Privada Único Serie UF-13 Dark (Prerelease)

It’s been a long wait, but Drew Estate is finally ready for the national release of perhaps its most anticipated Liga Privada ever, the UF-13 Dark. Way back in early 2011, I smoked the first of what would end up being quite a few reiterations of a blend that Liga Privada was working on, dubbed [...]

Redux: Tatuaje Limited Series Mexican Experiment Robusto

On May 28, 2012, news began to circulate about a new Tatuaje Limited Series release dubbed the Mexican Experiment. Details were a bit sketchy at first, with the cigar first being noted as a 5 x 50 Robusto, then a retailer contradicted that by saying it was a box-pressed 5 x 52 Robusto. To further confuse things, reports of [...]

Review: Quesada The Blender’s Sampler Robusto

Earlier, we broke news on The Quesada Blender’s Sampler, a new limited edition Robusto sampler from Quesada and its U.S. distribution arm, SAG Imports.  To recap: SAG Imports, the distribution arm of Quesada, is set to release its most popular blends in the form of a special sampler. The Quesada Blender’s Sampler will feature eight Robustos, [...]

Redux: My Father S Special

Back in May of 2012 I reviewed the My Father S Special, a cigar that is only given out with box purchases at My Father events. The S Special comes in cardboard three-packs and is only made in a 5 x 50 Robusto vitola. It is rumored to be blended to taste similar to the El [...]