For years, the phrase “beast mode” took over the world of pro football, as Marshawn Lynch adopted it as his slogan for how he played on the field. Now, the name is coming to the world of cigars, as Lynch has teamed up with Kingmakers Cigars for a new regular production line called Beast Mode by Kingmakers, which will make its debut tonight at a charity event at Eight Cigar
Last year, Apostate Cigars announced a new distribution agreement with Oveja Negra brands. This week, the first Apostate cigar from Fábrica Oveja Negra is heading to stores. Death Mask is a 5 1/2 x 48 robusto made with a Mexican San Andrés wrapper over an Ecuadorian binder and Nicaraguan filler tobaccos. The Fábrica Oveja Negra factory in Estelí, Nicaragua is best known as the home of Black Label Trading Co.
Cigar News – October 2, 2026 Artesano del Tobacco founders Billy and Gus Fakih join Hungarian cigar enthusiasts for an evening of cigars, conversation, and the story behind the award-winning brand. In mid-September 2026, Budapest, Hungary’s Hemingway Restaurant hosted an evening devoted exclusively to Artesano del Tobacco, with founders Billy and Gus Fakih in attendance accompanied by European importer Ivan Krišto. Presented in association with the La Fumée Lounge franchise, the
When J.C. Newman released its Yagua line in 2020, it eschewed one of the most staple parts of the cigarmaking process: using molds to shape the cigars to ensure about as perfect a cylinder as it could get. The line was born out of a conversation with Lazaro Lopez, who manages the J.C. Newman PENSA factory in Estelí, Nicaragua. Lopez was explaining how his grandfather used to make cigars in
Last March, a fire broke out in the packaging area of AJ Fernandez’s main factory in Estelí. Given AJ Fernandez’s extensive client list, the impact of the fire—which came on the heels of the 2025 PCA Convention & Trade Show—had a noticeable impact on not just AJ Fernandez but also many other companies, some of which are still feeling the effects. Earlier this year, the company announced Amar, a new
Scandinavian Tobacco Group (STG)—the parent of General Cigar Co. and Forged Cigar Co.—has informed retailers that it will be refunding the import charge that it applied to orders starting in May 2025. This refund is the result of the Supreme Court’s ruling in February, which overturned the Trump administration’s International Economic Emergency Powers Act (IEEPA) tariffs. Following the tariff announcement in April 2025, STG adjusted its prices by applying a
Warped Cigars has released the fifth vitola in its Isla del Cocodrilo line. The Isla del Cocodrilo Robusto is a 5 x 50 robusto made with an Ecuadorian habano desflorada wrapper, dual Brazilian Arapiraca and Ecuadorian habano 2000 binders, and fillers from Nicaragua. The blend is produced at TABACALERA LA iSLA in Santiago, Dominican Republic. “When we embarked on the journey of sourcing tobacco for this project, we sought something
October will see the release of two of La Aurora’s flagship releases, each a different series of vintage cigars. In most years, these two annual releases simply mean the next batch of cigars is leaving the aging rooms and heading to stores. However, one of the two lines is getting a new vitola for 2026. The La Aurora Hors d’Age line will continue to be offered in its standard 5
Maya Selva Cigars has launched Timón, a new line that is designed to make Honduran cigars more accessible to everyday smokers. The Timón blend is all-Honduran and designed to showcase the country’s terroir, though the company has not disclosed specifics about the blend or the regions of the country in which the tobacco is grown. The line is produced at Maya Selva Cigars’ factory in Danlí, Honduras. “With Timón, we
Earlier this year, Cavalier Genève announced it was discontinuing the four cigars that made up the company’s Small Batch Series and replacing them with two new releases. Now, those cigars are on the way to retailers. The two new cigars are a 7 x 38 Lancero and a 7 x 50/58 Salomónes. If that sounds familiar, it’s because the company once offered the same two vitolas as limited production cigars