Category Archives: Reviews

World Cigar Show Launches in Dubai with Resounding Global Success

[Washington, D.C.–November 18, 2025] The inaugural World Cigar Show, organized by Quartz with support from the Premium Cigar Association (PCA), made a commanding debut in Dubai last week, establishing a new global benchmark for premium cigar events. Across three exceptional days, the Show welcomed thousands of visitors, top international brands, industry leaders, diplomats, media, and cigar professionals to a series of world-class venues in one of the world’s most dynamic cities.

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Casa 1910 Announces $3M Funding, Strategic Price Realignment, and Accelerated Global Expansion

Mexico City, September 10, 2025 – Casa 1910 AG, a premium cigar company rooted in Mexican heritage, today announced a series of significant developments that mark the next stage in its growth: the closing of a $3 million USD funding round, a strategic price realignment
across its portfolio, and new partnerships with respected retailers and distributors worldwide.

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PLASENCIA CIGARS TO SHOWCASE ALMA DEL CIELO AT INTERTABAC 2025

An acclaimed cigar born of love, destiny, and altitude

(Miami, Florida – September 2025) – Following its celebrated U.S. debut earlier this year, Plasencia Cigars proudly brings Alma del Cielo to the international stage at InterTabac 2025 in Dortmund, Germany. Alma del Cielo— “Soul from the Sky”—is crafted from tobacco grown at Finca San Julian in Condega, Nicaragua, flourishing at over 3,500 feet above sea level. This unique terroir yields a cigar of unmatched character, balancing romance, heritage, and innovation. The Plasencia booth will be located at Hall 4 E06.

Alma del Cielo is rooted in the legacy of Melalina Torres, wife of Don Nestor Plasencia, who once found refuge in the fields of Finca San Julian. Decades later, the land was restored as a gift of love, symbolizing devotion and destiny. Today, this sanctuary produces tobaccos of extraordinary quality, embodying both memory and mastery.

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Ozgener Karatoba

This cigar has a very smooth wrapper and is box pressed. The cold draw is perfect.

The initial flavors are earthy and the retrohale is smooth. The burn is very even.

In the first third light coffee notes and toasted tobacco join the flavor profile. This is a good medium to full bodied cigar. The burn and ash are perfect.

During the second third light pepper joins the profile for an excellent complexity. Pepper is also in the retrohale. The burn and ash remain solid.

Approaching the final inch the flavor profile remains more medium than full, but the overall taste is very good. The ash and burn are still perfect.

Overall a very enjoyable experience. The Ozgener family has another hit on their hands. 9.2/10, Joe Bob says check it out.

Crowned Heads Announces Four Kicks Mule Kick LE

Crowned Heads is excited to announce its first Limited Edition release of 2025, Crowned Heads Four Kicks Mule Kick LE 2025.

For only the second time since the original Mule Kick in 2012, the blend deviates entirely from the traditional Mule Kick blend, featuring an all-new blend that delivers body, boldness, and balance. “When we were evaluating potential new blends last year, one blend from Casa Carrillo really stood out to me,” commented Crowned Heads co-founder, Jon Huber. “That blend really connected with my palate, exhibiting body, complexity, impeccable balance, and ultimately, we decided that it needed to become a part of the Mule Kick lineage.”

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The list: 2024

The new cigars this year were mostly great. Like my last list (2022), the cigars are not ranked, however, the first five (alphabetized) and the “rest” that I deemed “worthy” (lol). If you don’t care for my methods, there are plenty of other lists to read. Let’s be honest, all of these lists are subjective, so if you don’t agree, or feel that something was left off, well, sorry. I can’t be everywhere all the time and a lot of other people’s “tops” are not available in my city. All cigars listed were released in 2024. I also only picked one cigar per company (sorry Steve Saka).

For 2024, my favorite five new releases were:

  • Aganorsa Arsenio
  • Black Label Trading Company Orthodox
  • Dunbarton Umbagog Bronzeback
  • Micallef Red
  • Perdomo 30th Sun Grown

As for the rest of the list, all of these scored at least 91 on my scale.

  • Black Star Line War Witch Maduro
  • Cavalier Geneva USA Exclusive
  • Crowned Heads Blood Medicine
  • Don Doroteo Alcalde
  • Epic Casino Real Lancero
  • Espinoza Warhead X
  • Ferio Tego Summa
  • Foundation Aksum
  • Gran Habano El Enegmio
  • Kristoff Tres Hombres
  • Leaf by Oscar Criolo
  • Luciano Foreign Affair
  • Tatuaje 10 Tuxtla
  • West Tampa Red Lancero

Gran Habano El Enemigo

This is a very attractive cigar. One water spot on an otherwise flawless wrapper. Tonight’s beverage is a Great Nation Otter Milk Stout. Clean clip with my Palio reveals a very nice draw. According to the CigarMedics portable hygrometer reading 74% on the head and 71% in the foot Just about perfect.

Initial impressions are light pepper in an earthy medium bodied cigar. The early retrohale shows some pepper notes to follow. Ash and burn line are excellent.

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Statesman Connecticut

This cigar was sent to me by the Statesman Cigar Company. My original plan was to make it a morning smoke with coffee, but I found this Voodoo Love Child trippel that is smooth and tasty, so I decided to try pairing them.

The cigar looks very well made; the wrapper color is closer to Colorado shade. Very clean cut and excellent cold draw.

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July 31, 2024 — Black Works Studio is pleased to announce the release of Hawaiian Tiger as an R. Field Wine Co. exclusive; hand crafted at Fabrica Oveja Negra in Esteli, Nicaragua.  

Hawaiian Tiger is a special event cigar available first to attendees of the R. Field event in Honolulu featuring James Brown on August 3, 2024. 

“Really excited about our first exclusive in the Tiger series. We have done a lot of great cigars for R. Field over the years and now it’s time to take it to the next level. The Hawaiian Tiger has a rich, dark, earthy profile. It’s a complex blend of spice and dark fruit with prominent star anise notes on the finish,” said James Brown, creator of BLTC and partner at Fabrica Oveja Negra. 

Continue reading July 31, 2024 — Black Works Studio is pleased to announce the release of Hawaiian Tiger as an R. Field Wine Co. exclusive; hand crafted at Fabrica Oveja Negra in Esteli, Nicaragua.  

Foreign Affair by Ace Prime

This is a medium brown cigar with a rich pre-light draw. I think this is the corona gorda due to the ring. Tonight’s beverage is a Saint Arnold’s Tarnation brown ale.

That said, this is a very solid medium to full profile. And, as I would expect from Luciano, a perfect construction. Go to the store and get some.

The initial flavors are smoked pork and leather. Very light pepper on the palate. Other notes in the flavor profile include earthy loam. So far very good. Ash is holding and the burn is even.


In the first third the flavor is slightly sharper, but not unpleasantly so. The flavor profile remains pepper and loam, but some nutty flavors are emerging. Burn and ash holding.


In the second third, the pepper has dropped from both the draw and the retrohale. Perhaps a bit milder than I prefer, but it is still loaded with flavor and should please the medium-bodied smoker.

Approaching the final inch the flavor profile is still very loamy with earthy and cedar notes. This is a very good choice if you prefer a stable profile. If you prefer shifting profiles, this is not your cigar. It also has a peppery retrohale.



BLTC Bishops Blend Set to Ship

July 8, 2024 — Black Label Trading Company is pleased to announce the shipment of Bishops Blend to select retailers beginning next week.  Bishops Blend is hand crafted in Esteli, Nicaragua at Fabrica Oveja Negra.

“We are very excited about this highly anticipated release.  This is the eighth release of Bishops Blend and continues to be one of our most sought-after, limited annual releases.  Bishops Blend boasts big bold flavors of anise, pepper, raisins, and a sweet earthiness on the finish. It is very complex and extremely refined. As with the past vintages, the broadleaf fillers shine at the forefront and are perfectly balanced by the Nicaraguan filler tobaccos,” said James Brown, creator of Black Label Trading Co. and partner at Fabrica Oveja Negra.

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Umbagog Bronzeback

This cigar looks great. The wrapper is not as dark as the Broadleaf of the original Umbagog, but smoother and a slightly lighter color. The cigar clipped cleanly with my Cera ceramic blade guillotine. The cold draw was perfect with hints of things to come. Tonight’s beverage is a Mean Old Tom vanilla bean stout from Maine Brewing.

In the first third the pepper notes are already starting build; this is where the Bronzeback starts tasting different; more pepper and not deep Nicaraguan soil. The earthy notes kick in just after the pepper settles. Ash is solid and the burn is very even.

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PLASENCIA CIGARS ANNOUNCES THE ALMA DEL CAMPO GUAJIRO

ROBUSTO GORDO BOX-PRESSED IS NOW SHIPPING

(MIAMI, FL) July 2, 2024- Plasencia Cigars, a world-leading premium tobacco grower, established in 1865, has announced the Plasencia Alma Del Campo new box-pressed vitola, Guajiro 5 ½ X 54, is on the way to stores across the nation. This box-pressed vitola will eventually replace the existing round Guajiro which will remain available for clients to purchase while supplies last. The highly popular Alma Del Campo line made its debut in 2017.

The Alma Del Campo is a Nicaraguan puro that was an instant hit with consumers. The inspiration behind the blend draws deeply from the Plasencia family’s rich heritage. “Alma Del Campo” (Soul of the Field) signifies the essence and spirit of the fields where premium tobacco is cultivated. This blend is a tribute to the fertile fields, and the meticulous cultivation practices, which have been passed down through generations of the Plasencia family.

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Shipping Nationwide – The Palió® Tazza Piccola Ashtray!

WESTON, Florida – Quality Importers Trading Company ® (QI) the leading accessory supplier to the worldwide premium cigar trade, announces the nationwide shipping of the Palió® Tazza Piccola
Ashtray. Unveiled this past spring at PCA, this compact, all-metal, four-cigar rest personal ashtray provides cigar aficionados with a clean and stylish smoking experience.

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SCOTUS Facilitates Challenges to Agency Law

WASHINGTON, DC (July 01, 2024) – Today, the Supreme Court of the United States published their decision in Corner Post v. Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System, in which they ruled that the six-year statute of limitations to challenge an agency regulation begins when a party is first harmed by the regulation. Prior to this decision, the statute of limitations had begun when the regulation was first published. As a result, a newly formed company appears to have the capacity to challenge any regulation that has an impact on it, regardless of how long ago the regulation was created.  The New York Times’ article on Corner Post is available here.

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Supreme Court Overrules Chevron Deference

Earlier today (6/28/24), the Supreme Court published their decision in Loper Bright v. Raimondo, a case which significantly curtails the power of federal agencies such as the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to interpret ambiguous statutes.  The court’s 6-3 ruling struck down a principle known as ‘Chevron Deference,’ a precedent created by the Court in the 1984 case, Chevron v. NRDCChevron essentially allowed Agencies wide latitude in interpreting the scope of their own authority in cases where laws passed by Congress were ambiguous, by requiring judges to strongly defer to the agency’s interpretations of vague statutory language.

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HumidifGroup Partners with Kingmakers to Develop the First “Shoemidor” Supporting WNBA Star Kelsey Plum’s Under Armour 2024 Shoe Drop

June 11, 2024 – HumidifGroup, a company specialized in the design and fabrication of packaging and accessories for the cigar industry, has stepped out of just packaging cigars into the shoe world.  

Kingmakers brought HumidifGroup in to develop the packaging for a luxury humidor to support the launch of Kelsey Plum’s cigars.  The WNBA superstar also launched her 2024 Under Armour shoes the same week, giving a nod to the cigars by including one of the cigar bands in the back of the shoe.  The half shoe box half humidor coined the ‘shoemidor’ turned heads at the launch event held in Las Vegas last month.

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A Message from PCA’s New Executive Director

Dear PCA Members,

Thank you for having the confidence in me to lead the Premium Cigar Association. I do not take this responsibility lightly. I vow to put my heart and soul into this association with a rich history, massive past successes, present stability, and, most importantly, a bright future. We will never be bashful about promoting the positive impact of this organization and industry on communities across the country and the joy that premium cigars bring to adult consumers throughout the world. I am extremely fortunate to take on this role with an incredible staff and experienced board of directors who will work as a team as we access, grow, and generate new ideas. 

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Generational Bans: A Prohibition That’s Bigger Than Tobacco

First, it was New Zealand, saying, “Hey, let’s ban access to a perfectly legal product, in a manner that if you’re fifty years old, yet born after January 2007, you’re still not allowed to purchase a cigar to enjoy on the golf course.” 

Then, a California legislator hears of this grand proposal and says, “Hey, what a great idea! I’ll put in a bill that says the same thing!” Hit repeat, in the Tennessee legislature.

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Perdomo 30th Anniversary Sungrown

This cigar is a thing of beauty, the construction is so good. Smooth wrapper. The cold draw is perfect. Tonight’s beverage is a Dogfish Head 120 Minute IPA.

The initial draw is so smooth. No initial roughness. First flavor impression is earth and cedar. The burn is steady and mostly even. The ash looks like it may drop off soon. Not flaking, but cracking.

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