Category: Industry News

The month of May seems long ago now, but finally the reports form a whole bunch of Cigar Smoking World Championship qualifiers are in. Some were close, some were not. Some were surprises, some were expected. Here are all the winners: Norway: Tormod Skaaraas – 1:59:21Morocco: Julian Sanns – 1:07:42Albania: Mariglen Gjata – 1:31:00Mauritius: George Bolbach – 1:11:28Serbia: Luka Vojnic – 1:48:07Kuwait: PostponedGreece: Kontopos Sokratis – 1:21:00Kenya: PostponedIndia:

Following an afternoon exploring the House of METAXA, participants of the 2K Cigars Event gathered at the Amaronda Resort & Spa in Eretria for an evening dedicated to cigars, cocktails and conversation. The beachfront reception provided a relaxed setting where retailers, distributors and cigar enthusiasts from across Europe came together to reflect on the day’s experiences while enjoying the Mediterranean atmosphere. Guests were welcomed with a refreshing St-Germain

Powstanie’s first four regular production lines share a unique trait: they are offered in the same core vitolas. If you want a Powstanie Broadleaf, Connecticut, Habano or San Andrés in a belicoso, you will get one that measures 5 1/2 x 54. For its fifth core line, Powstanie decided to switch things up. First of all, there—as of now—is no Powstanie Sumatra Belicoso. Second, the new Powstanie Sumatra line does

As part of the 2K Cigars Festival in Greece, Cigar Journal had the opportunity to visit the House of METAXA, gaining an exclusive look behind the scenes of one of Greece’s most renowned spirits. Guests explored the historic ageing cellars, where thousands of large oak casks quietly mature under natural conditions. Time is one of the defining elements in the creation of every METAXA expression, with some spirits

With the first half of 2026 officially in the books, I was giving some thoughts as to what have been the top stories in the cigar industry thus far. While certainly not a ranking or complete list, two of the ones that came to mind are both related to Drew Estate. One was the launch of J.Sann & Son, a new joint-venture between the company and its co-founder, Jonathan Drew

The AGANORSA Leaf Aniversario Connecticut is now available in a new vitola, one that also comes in a metal tube. It’s the second different toro for the line, though it will be difficult to confuse the two cigars. The AGANORSA Leaf Aniversario Connecticut Toro, the existing cigar, is a 6 1/4 x 52 box-pressed toro. The new AGANORSA Leaf Aniversario Connecticut Tubo is a 6 x 52 round toro. Blend-wise,

There’s another mariner coming from RoMa Craft Tobac. The company has announced a new Marinero line, which will—at least for now—be offered in one vitola but two different blends. If the Marinero name sounds familiar, it’s because the company released the CRAFT Maquette El Marinero in March. Both of the new cigars are based on that blend. Marinero Boatswain, at least on paper, is the same blend. It uses a

Nearly every company in the cigar industry has at least one new limited edition in a given year. These cigars serve a variety of useful purposes. Maybe a company wants to release a lancero but doesn’t want to commit to having to sell it year-round. Other times, a company might only have so much of a specific tobacco. Then there are a long list of less romantic reasons for releasing

Hamptons Cigar Manufactory & Museum will officially launch The Commander, the 50th cigar in its collection, on July 4, 2026.  The release honors military heritage through a cigar created to recognize generations of service. The Commander was developed by Lak Vohra, owner of Hamptons Cigar Manufactory & Museum of Sag Harbor, N.Y., as a tribute to his family’s military legacy. “This cigar was created to honor my family

The third vitola of Principle Cigars’ Martinique line is now available, though for the moment, only at one retailer. This week, Small Batch Cigar—the online storefront of MAXAMAR Ultimate Cigars in Orange, Calif.—has started selling the Principle Martinique Corona, a 5 1/2 x 43 corona version of the Martinique line. On paper, the blend is the same as the other two vitolas: an Ecuadorian Connecticut-seed wrapper over a Dominican Monte