Category: Cigar Reviews

German Engineered Cigars has filled out its portfolio. The Hamburg, Germany company says Raumzeit and Weltschmerz, its two Nicaraguan blends, are now available to order through its distributors, joining the Dominican-made Kraftwerk, RVGN, and RVGN Extrem. Founded in 2016 by Oliver Nickels and Jan Klaas Mahler, German Engineered builds each blend around what it calls an “aromatic journey,” a written description of the experience it’s after, before its blenders pick

Today, we are reviewing Olive Garden’s Zuppa Toscana soup. “Zuppa Toscana” translates to “Tuscany Soup,” and the dish originates in Tuscany, north-central Italy. Historically, people with limited resources favored Zuppa Toscana, but today a wide variety of diners enjoy it. Zuppa Toscana comes in many variations, and we are not attempting to validate the authenticity of Olive Garden’s version; instead, we will evaluate its overall performance. Olive Garden is an

Fratello Cigars has announced the launch of its Concealed Carry II series, beginning with a cigar called Fidel. Concealed Carry is a small-batch, narrative-driven cigar series built around historical events, classified themes, and undisclosed blends. Each edition combines storytelling and packaging while keeping production details confidential. The first Concealed Carry Series featured six small-batch releases around the theme of Prohibition. Concealed Carry II tells a broader story about the U.S.

Hooten & Young is marking the anniversary of the Battle of Mogadishu with a cigar that comes braided. The Jacksonville Beach, Florida company, which was founded by veterans and also makes American whiskey, has announced the Gothic Serpent Culebra. It’s named after Operation Gothic Serpent, the 1993 U.S. military mission in Somalia that included the October 3 and 4 battle later told in the book and film Black Hawk Down.

Today, we are reviewing the 2024 release of Drew Estate’s Liga Privada UF-4. Since its 2010 introduction, the Liga Privada Único Serie UF-4 has been an exclusive offering at the Casa de Montecristo store in Illinois. This cigar originally started as a test blend of the Liga Privada T52 but was ultimately not selected for production. However, it became Jonathan Drew’s favorite version of the blend, co-founder of Drew Estate.

On El Oso Fumar Takes Take #377, Bear Duplisea welcomes back Tripp Waldrop and Denis Tsvang of Let’s Get Pairing. Tripp and Denis just celebrated the 100th episode of Let’s Get Pairing where Bear was the guest. Now Bear flips the tables and discusses the milestone as well as things past, present, and future. El Oso Fumar Take 377 aired live on 10/11 at 10:30pm ET / 9:30pm CT. You

On El Oso Fumar Takes Take #376, Bear Duplisea welcomes back Justin Andrews of Scandinavian Tobacco Group (STG) to the show. On this show, Justin is showing up just to answer questions, he has things he wants to address and things he wants to set the record straight. This is one episode you don’t want to miss El Oso Fumar Take 376 aired live on 9/28 at 10:30pm ET /

It’s coming an episode early, but Episode 100 of Let’s Get Pairing (LGP) features pairings with the El Pulpo Octo Ocho by Artesano Del Tobacco. Bear Duplisea, from the Cigar Coop Coalition joins Tripp and Denis for the festivities. In 2023, Artesano Del Tobacco introduced its second brand, El Pulpo. El Pulpo translates to The Octopus. Owners Billy and Gus Fakih, brothers, chose to name their cigar after this fascinating

After a two-year hiatus, the Cigar Brand Fantasy Draft is back! Master Sensei goes head-to-head with Juan Cancel, Scott Braband, and Fred Rewey as they battle to build the ultimate dream team of cigar brands. With bragging rights on the line, every pick matters, and a few strategic trades could shake things up before the dust settles. Who will walk away with the strongest lineup? That’s where YOU come in!

Aging Room Blue Amber Blue Maestro Today, we review the Aging Room Blue Amber Blue Maestro (a torpedo offering). This cigar debuted in 2026. It was a cigar meant to commemorate the 15th Anniversary of the Aging Room Cigars brand. Aging Room debuted in 2011 and became Rafael Nodal’s most successful brand before he joined Tabacalera USA. To celebrate the 15th Anniversary, Nodal teamed up with his longtime production partner,