Champagne Corona

What a stunning cigar. Fine, elegant, Champagne. First impressions: this is one zesty, pepper-forward cigar — no complaints so far. The profile is showing nutty notes with a touch of caramel sweetness. It’s quite smooth, with a solid burn and decent smoke output. A very mild white pepper lingers on the finish, adding a nice […]

Candy corn

This is one of Privada’s Halloween releases, and it looks fantastic. Pictures really don’t do it justice — the beautifully mottled dark wrapper gives it a striking appearance that stands out immediately in hand. This cigar comes at an interesting time for our family. We’re expecting a new addition within the next four weeks, and […]

Not Tony by Jochy Blanc

This cigar comes out swinging, delivering a generous dose of spice from the very first draw. The construction is exceptionally firm—perhaps even slightly overpacked—but it initially provides a good draw and plenty of smoke output. Early on, I pick up subtle preserved fruit notes layered over a foundation of aged tobacco and black pepper. There’s […]

El Buble

Nicaraguan puro, say less! The first impression was a good one, with a solid draw and plenty of smoke production. Unfortunately, about 20 minutes in, the draw tightened considerably and the smoke output dropped off a cliff. A recut and several purges helped, but it took the better part of 20 minutes to get the […]

Privada test blend Maduro torpedo 6 1/4 x 52

Another presumed AJF test blend. Let’s go. Straight away I’m getting a little mustiness on the wrapper along with some dark tobacco aromas. The cold draw is extremely light, almost too light. It’s wearing a dark wrapper and comes in a decent-sized torpedo, although aren’t all torpedos supposed to look impressively sized? Going in, I […]

Don Toirac

First of all, the size — this has to be close to the perfect cigar format. Don’t get me wrong, I enjoy cigars big and small, but visually this vitola just looks spot on. (6 x 52) And speaking of visually perfect, have a look at this band. Absolutely stunning. Very regal, with a classic […]

Montenegro President Series Cordial

Heat right from the start — chilli spice immediately coating the tongue. This cigar comes in swinging and never bothers asking permission. Don’t know what happened to the photo, so here is one I borrowed. Zesty as hell. At first it’s hard to pin down exactly what’s happening because it just assaults the senses in […]

field scout

From the fresh draw, there is a light sweet barnyard aroma, which translates perfectly into the flavour once lit. Knowing this cigar comes from Privada, there is a strong chance of an AJ Fernandez collaboration. On this occasion, the wrapper, binder, and filler are undisclosed—and probably for good reason. Within the first 10 minutes, I […]

The 200

This example has been aged for 6+ years — and it definitely smells like it. Most cigars mellow with age, but the scent on this one is still intense: dark, rich, and very reminiscent of pipe tobacco. The draw started a little tighter than expected, though smoke output was still solid. Early on I picked […]

AJ Fernandez Scrooge

And here it is — the Scrooge Cigar.In true Scrooge fashion, I paired it with the cheapest whiskey Dan Murphy’s has on the shelf… fitting, right? I’ve always found that certain vitolas carry their own signature character. Sure, each cigar is different, but sometimes the size and draw give a vitola a familiar “through-line” of […]