Week in Smoke – TGT Edition

I’m switching things up and am going to start publishing my Week in Smoke on my Monday spot. With so much going on I like to devote as much of the weekend to family time (although as I type this I’m at W.Curtis Draper watching football). So my Thursday spot will now be my review spot on Monday will be Week in Smoke. Most don’t care either way but I’ve received a few questions about when my next review …

Oliva Serie V Maduro Especial 2011 (First Impressions)

Last week I received a tweet from @czerbe asking if I was planning on attending a Studio Tobac event in the area. Initially I was on the fence about attending but decided to head out and make an evening out of it. I wound up having a great time and was handed a pre-release sample of the Oliva Serie V Maduro Especial 2011, courtesy of Dave Wagner.

From what I could gather at the event, the newest release …

1143 Seconds with Pete Johnson

Last week, the night before I left for an overseas business trip, I sat down with Pete Johnson at a Tatuaje Cigars event hosted by Holt’s Cigar Company in Northeast Philadelphia. We talked about a lot of things going on in the Tatuaje universe, including the upcoming Cojonu 2012s, future installments of the Monster series, Pete’s plans for the Saints & Sinners club, and the possibility of expanding the Tatuaje brand to include adult beverages. I had a great time …

La Gloria Cubana Artesanos Retro Especiale

Wrapper : Honduran Connecticut
Binder : Mexican and Nicaraguan – double binder
Filler : Nicaraguan and Dominican ligero plus Nicaraguan and Dominican proprietary tobacco
Source : bought at local b&m

Today we are going to take a look at the La Gloria Cubana Artesanos Retro Especiale in the Habanero size (6×52).

This cigar is also available in three other sizes, Club (5 3/4×47), Taino (7×52) and a Cubano (6 1/2×58).

Pricing for …

An Evening with Benji Menendez

Last week Benji Menendez was in town visiting both locations of W.Curtis Draper. Since I had to cancel my participation in the blogger trip with General Cigar down to the Dominican Republic I made plans with the folks at General to get time with Benji while he was visiting. I’ll be honest. I wasn’t sure what to say to this icon in the industry. Seriously, I’ve only been smoking since the end of the boom in the late 90′s. …

Brian’s The Week In Smoke, Issue 9

Due to a number of factors, not the least of which being an oppressive pollen levels this past week, it’s time once again for Brian’s The Week In Smoke. In case this is your first Week in Smoke, be advised that it covers many (though not necessarily all) of the cigars I’ve smoked in the past week (OK, more like the past month, but I don’t feel like changing the name), along with a couple of quick thoughts that came …

Cigar Boss (app review)

I had hoped to post my recently-recorded interview with Pete Johnson during my regularly scheduled slot this week, but connectivity issues are currently preventing me from uploading the HD video. It’s coming soon though, hopefully by the end of the week. In the meantime, I’ve got another cigar-related app review for you: Cigar Boss for iOS.

While the previous app I reviewed, Cigar Smoker, focused on cigar news & reviews and photo sharing, Cigar Boss is designed to …

EP Carrillo Maduro (Short Ashes)

This week, to put it simply, has been an absolute mess. After dealing with our massive data loss and the stress of getting everything up and operational again, I wasn’t much in the mood for recording a review for today.

Because slacking off wasn’t an option (how could I possibly slack off when all of the others members of Stogie Review came through with content after dealing with the downtime?), I dug through my coolidor looking for something short and …

Casa Miranda – First Impressions

Wrapper : Ecuadorian Habano
Binder : Nicaraguan
Filler : Nicaraguan
Source : gifted from Rene Castenada

Cigar

Today I have the Casa Miranda in the torpedo size (6×52). This is available in a robusto (5×50) and a toro (6×52) also.

This stick was gifted to me up at Cigar Expo by Rene Castenada.

I only have this one stick so it will be a first impressions.

Starting out with a bunch of spice right …

Benji Menendez Event Pictorial

Now that the site is back to normal its time to catchup on content. As you know, master blender Benji Menendez has been in my area this week. On Tuesday he was at W.Curtis Draper-Bethesda. Charlie was cool enough to make the drive down from Wilmington DE and my new friend Lanh joined me for the event. Lanh had e-mailed me back in July introducing himself and wanted to get together. Of course the slacker I am didn’t reply to …