23 Minutes with Pete Johnson

It’s pretty interesting to note that this celebrates five years of the 20 Minutes with Pete Johnson series of videos here on Stogie Review. So first I want to thank Pete for always being giving with his time. Secondly I want to thank W.Curtis Draper for giving me a home to record for the past five years. This series of videos has turned into a tradition that I hope continues for many more years to come.

In this interview Pete …

Dunhill 100th Anniversary Edition (First Impressions)

With time running short again this week, I searched through my coolidor for some potentially interesting subjects for a first impressions video. I offered a few options to my fellow Stogie Review compadres, and the nearly unanimous choice was the Dunhill 100th Anniversary Edition. I’d never smoked a Dunhill before, let alone this special limited release, and I struggled to find information about this cigar online, so I really had no idea what to expect. All I knew was …

Maldonado Dynasty Mogul

Back in November, Daniel (aka @Dalamscius) from Casas Fumando held a giveaway contest to raise money for the Movember campaign, which spreads awareness about men’s health issues, particularly prostate cancer. I was happy to make a small donation to help out a pal (who also happens to be active in the Stogie Review Fan Forums), and was thrilled to be chosen to receive a 5-pack of cigars donated by Maldonado Dynasty.

When my 5-pack of the …

Padilla Black Bear

The Padilla Black Bear seems to be one of those Cigars International and Cigar.com exclusives based on the popular Padilla Series 1968 blend. While I can’t confirm its the same binder and filler as the Series 1968, the Padilla Black Bear does have the popular Pennsylvania Broadleaf wrapper in the ever popular 6×60 size. Typically not a size I enjoy but lately I’ve been coming across blends where the 6×60 format actually works. At $7 a single you definitely appear …

Humo Jaguar

The story behind the Humo Jaguar is a simple one. The story goes that during the Honduran Cigar Festival this blend by Nestor Placenia was judged by 200 or so judges as the best blend of the Honduran Cigar Festival which I hear bears the same name as the cigar. Fast forward to IPCPR 2011 and the blend makes an appearance at the Miami Cigar booth. The Humo Jaguar is a Honduran puro with all of it’s elements (wrapper, binder …

La Reloba Seleccion Sumatra

One good thing about Cigar Aficionado’s Annual Top 25 List is that it occasionally puts the spot light on a popular cigar that we may have overlooked over the years. The La Reloba Seleccion Sumatra by My Father Cigars is one such cigar we’ve overlooked. Brian reviewed the La Reloba Seleccion Habano when it was released in 2010 and I reviewed the La Reloba Seleccion Mexico when the La Reloba line expanded in 2011. Some how we managed to review …

Villiger La Capitana (plus giveaway)

Recently, the marketing folks at Villiger Stokkebye reached out to us here at the Stogie Review to see if we’d be interested in reviewing a new cigar they were about to release. Best known for their pipe tobaccos, Villiger has produced machine-made cigars for over 120 years and added premium hand-rolled cigars to their repertoire in 2009. Their newest addition is La Capitana, which is designed to provide a full-bodied smoking experience.

I responded to Villiger by saying that …

Excalibur 1066 Dark Knight

Thanks for all the feedback in the last episode of The Week in Smoke. I’m glad to see interest in revisiting cigars that we’ve reviewed in the past. Walt originally reviewed the Excalibur 1066 Dark Knight back in 2007. Thinking about when I first started smoking cigars I remember the Dark Knight series being a very popular line when it was introduced in the mid-2000′s before the whole boutique craze went into full swing. The Dark Knight series …

Cabaiguan Guapos (First Impressions)

By now, most of you have probably seen the top ten portion of the annual Top 25 list published by a major cigar “lifestyle” magazine that shall remain nameless. As usual, there are a few surprises. Coming in at number 7 was the Cabaiguan Guapos, made by Pete Johnson from Tatuaje. This was a bit unexpected (at least by me), since there are several other cigars in the Tatuaje portfolio that are generally considered to be better…

EP Carrillo Edición Limitada 2011 “Dark Rituals”

Following right on the heels of my first impressions video for the EP Carrillo Short Run 2012, this week I’m reviewing the EP Carrillo Edición Limitada 2011, also know as the “Dark Rituals.” Having not yet tried them myself, but based on very strong recommendations from everyone I spoke with, I picked up a full box of the Dark Rituals at the recent EP Carrillo event hosted by W. Curtis Draper in Bethesda. I had …