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 [...]

Review: Ortega Serie D Maduro Lancero

Today I’m going to be reviewing the Ortega Serie D Maduro Lancero. The cigar was originally only available by buying a ticket to the 2013 D.C. Cigar Tweet-Up, which included a swag bag and a bundle of 10 Ortega Serie D Maduro Lanceros. Yesterday, we broke the news the cigar will be regular production and shipping [...]

Redux: Viaje Super Shot 10 Gauge

If there was ever a surprising Viaje release, it was Super Shot. Debuting first in the Super Shot 10 Gauge, then a smaller 12 Gauge version and coming back this year in the form of Zombie Super Shot, the small line delivered. It wasn’t perfect out of the box, but it had a lot worth [...]

Review: Tatuaje Exclusive Series Federal Cigar 90th Anniversary 109 Redux

In 2011, Tatuaje released two separate blends to commemorate New Hampshire based Federal Cigar’s 90th anniversary: one with a Rosado wrapper and one with a Connecticut Broadleaf Maduro wrapper. Both releases were based off of the Cuban 109 vitola, a Double Robusto with a round cap and a favorite that is a favorite of Federal Cigar owner [...]

Review: Ezra Zion Tantrum (Prerelease)

In July of 2012, the team behind cigar social networking site Cigar Federation launched a brand of their own, Ezra Zion. The brand’s two releases—Honor Series Reagan and Inception, now known as Jamais Vu—were received with general praise, including finishing 22nd on the halfwheel Consensus 2012. Now it’s time for the company’s new release, Tantrum. [...]

Review: Reinado Grand Empire Reserve Corona Gorda (Prerelease)

Of all of the 2012 releases from smaller manufacturers, the Reinado Grand Empire Reserve arguably received the most fanfare. For the past few month’s Antonio Lam has made it clear the line was likely to expand from the single 5 x 55 vitola it debuted in. Last week, Lam made the extensions official in an [...]

Redux: Oliva Atlantic Cigar 15th Aniversario Diadema

Back in October of 2012, Atlantic Cigar Co. released the fourth cigar in their series of cigars to celebrate their 15th year of business. Made by Oliva, it was a 6 3/4 x 48 Diadema comprised of an Ecuadorian Habano wrapper over Nicaraguan binder and filler, a blend allegedly never been sold to the public before. Only 400 [...]

Review: Dante Canto I: The Imp (Prerelease)

In 1857—156 years ago—Dante became one of the first brands to use lithographed labels. It is the same brand also credited as being the first to market their product with pictorial labels. Fast forward to 2013 and a new Dante brand is being released next week. Owned and distributed by Mike Huff and Mo Fakhro, who [...]

Review: E.P. Carrillo Federal 92nd Anniversary Medalla D’ Oro

Today we’re looking at the E.P. Carrillo Federal 92nd Anniversary Medalla D’ Oro, the latest in the line of Federal Cigar Anniversary cigars. Back in February we wrote about the upcoming release. The cigar is based on the 2012 Short Run blend though the filler for the Medalla D’Oro is said to contain a little [...]

Review: Tatuaje Cohete (2013)

Back in 2006, Tatuaje released three of what has now become dozens of single store releases, one of which was the Cohete, Spanish  for rocket. Exclusively sold at Tower Pipes & Cigars in Sacramento, Calif., the 4 x 50 Petite Robusto was limited to 50 boxes of 25 cigars for the first release and 100 [...]