halfwheel

(The) Contest Day 8: Series X Celebrity

Uh-oh. In 2005, United Tobacco, i.e. the parent of the former EO Brands, the company headed by Erik Espinosa and Eddie Ortega, released the Series X, a Nicaraguan puro made by Oliva. Four sizes (Boomer (5 x 54/$5.80), Celebrity (7 x 52/$6.10), Chairman (6 x 60/$6.45) & Tabu (5 1/2 x 54/$5.95)) were made and sold for a [...]

(The) Contest Day 7: My Father Federal 91st Cervantes Connecticut

It was the second cigar in what has become a plethora of special edition Ecuadorian Connecticut-wrapped My Father cigars, and one of the most difficult to get. Only 50 boxes of 23 were released, and they had to be purchased in stores. When they were released in February, these were shockingly strong, and while they’ve [...]

(The) Contest Day 6: Custom Blend by Brooks (Joya de Nicaragua)

I haven’t even smoked it and I’m not sure Brooks has. It’s blended by Brooks, made at Joya de Nicaragua and there are only ten in the world; so it’s rare. The 5 1/2 x 52 cigar has a lot of Nicaraguan tobacco in it. Really not much else to day. I’m not responsible if [...]

(The) Contest Day 5: Tatuaje Bombazo Capa Especial

A lot of times, Dion Giolito likes to do things quietly, the Tatuaje Bombazo Capa Especial is a prime example. Created for the Illusione owner’s retail store, FUMARE, the Pete Johnson made cigar is a follow-up to the 2006 Bombazo made for Giolito’s store. The new release featured plain boxes, no bands and no publicity. [...]

(The) Contest Day 4: Litto Gomez Small Batch No. 2

Brooks reviewed this back in 2009, two years after the Small Batch No. 2 debuted. Only 30,000 of these were made and far fewer are around today. There really isn’t much more to say, if you are a fan of Litto Gomez and La Flor Dominicana, it’s a must try. The Facebook post is here.(That’s [...]

(The) Contest Day 3: Viaje Double Edge Sword

And on the third day of (The) Contest, halfwheel gives to you (/singing), the Viaje Double Edge Sword. Andre Farkas says the DES will return next year, but good luck trying to find an original from one of the company’s most touted releases. A little over three thousand cigars were released in 2010, and here’s [...]

(The) Contest Day 2: Oliva Special S Diadema (7 x 48)

It’s not the massive 9 x 52 Special S Diadema, but it’s still part of Oliva’s least known line. The Special S was introduced in 2006, before the introduction of Serie V, and was billed as Oliva’s top shelf cigar, and it was priced that way as well. A combination of things, including the Serie [...]

(The) Contest Day 1: Undercrown Flying Pig

First up as part of (The) Contest, the Undercrown Flying Pig. Made specifically for the Dutch market in arguably Drew Estate’s most cult size, the cigar was reviewed back in July, shortly after its release. Facebook entry post is here.

(The) Contest: 25 Days of halfwheel

We’ve hinted about it a few times before, but today officially begins our holiday contest—(The) Contest: 25 Days of halfwheel. This post should cover everything you need to know about this, although if you are hoping to know why the is in parentheses, you are out of luck. The Basics (The) Contest is pretty simple: we [...]

Review: Viaje Oro La Pequeña (2012)

Last month we posted a news story about the rerelease of the Viaje Oro La Pequeña. While it is part of the Oro line and thus uses the same blend, the size is something different and unique to the rest. La Pequeña was originally rolled for the Habana Smoke Shop in 2009, however, Andre Farkas loved [...]