Brian’s The Week In Smoke, Issue 12

Back once again here’s 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 (or the past month, or however long it has been since the last issue), along with a couple of quick thoughts that came to me at the time. These are not full reviews, but quick blurbs based on a single smoking experience…

Padilla Artemis Torpedo

It looks like it’s Padilla week here on Stogie Review. In case you missed it, Jerry took a look at the Black Bear on Monday. (Feel free to watch his shenanigans once you’re done here. And no, you’re not done yet.) Charlie didn’t get the memo, so he gets no link love. And today I’m going to take a look at the Artemis, a cigar I’ve been asked to review a few times in recently.

It’s been a while …

Brian’s The Week In Smoke, Issue 11

Back once again due to a heavier than average day job work load here’s 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 (or the past month, or however long it has been since the last issue), along with a couple of quick thoughts that came to me at the time. These are not full …

Arturo Fuente 858 Sun Grown

The holidays are over, and with them passes another season of rare Arturo Fuente cigars. But don’t be sad, Fuente fans, the word on the street is 2012 will be a big year for rarities. But in the meantime, before the local supply disappeared I grabbed a couple handfuls of 858 Sun Growns to burn and ponder.

Though we haven’t seen much of it in recent years, the 858 Sun Grown has been with us for just over a decade. …

The Box-Worthies: Brian’s Top 10 Cigars of 2011

‘Tis the season for cigar lists, and here’s mine. I like to think of what follows as my real top 10 list. Meaning that, when I lift the humidor lid, the following cigars are the ones I really hope to find waiting for me front and center. New or old, complex or straightforward, these are the smokes I’m always happy to light up, the ones I do my best to keep in supply. Of course, it didn’t always work out …

El Primer Mundo Epifania

It’s the time of year for festive gatherings, and I’ve been to a few recently. And so has local cigar maker, Sean Williams, owner of El Primer Mundo. At one of the parties we were talking about future cigar releases when I realized I completely forgot to review his new one for 2011, the Epifania. (You had your chance, Jerry.) So as the year comes to a close, it’s time to handle some unfinished business.

When Sean talks about …

The Art of the Raffle

Cigar event raffles is a topic that seems to keep coming up in conversation. Jerry, Walt, Mike and I shared our favorite and least favorite prizes in a YQMA episode a month or two ago, and I used the opportunity to complain about winning baseball caps. I’m sure it was good for a few chuckles, but it probably wasn’t useful to anyone really thinking about organizing a raffle. I started thinking more seriously on the subject when a cigar rep …

Perdomo Exhibicion Sun Grown Churchill

One thing you can count on every year is a bunch of new releases from the folks at Tabacalera Perdomo. Which is good thing for cigar reviewers looking to cover new ground. According to our very concise interview with Nick Perdomo at IPCPR earlier this year, they brought a mind-boggling 30 new SKU’s to market this year. Heck, that’s almost enough new product to cover every review I did 2011. Of course that includes some re-releases of discontinued cigars …

Brian’s The Week In Smoke, Issue 10

Back thanks to a serious of unfortunate, time consuming events, once again here’s 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 to me at the time. These are not full reviews, but …

Arturo Fuente Hemingway Untold Story Maduro

It’s that time of year again. And I’m not talking about trees, lights, shopping sprees and loosened belts. I’m talking about rare Fuente smoke season, where cigar geeks and Fuente fanatics across the country dash to their nearest B&M to see what presents Santa Carlito left on the shelves. This year, along with the annual supply of Añejos, if you’re lucky, you just might find the Hemingway Untold Story Maduro.

The Untold Story Maduro, sometimes abbreviated “UTS” or “UTSM”, like …