The Ozgener Family, founders of the CAO brand, are back in the cigar business, working alongside Crowned Heads. This is a good looking short robusto with a medium dark wrapper and a soft box press. The cold draw is perfect. Tonight’s beverage is a 903 Brewers Dice Goblin Imperial Cream Stout Ale. the wrapper is a dark sumatran and the fillers are Nicaraguan.

The initial flavor profile notes are earthy with cedar undertones. The ale is a bit too sweet, but not enough to ruin the cigar. The ash is mottled grey and solid. The burn is even.

On a side note, this is a pretty short cigar for how much band is present. I’m going to have to peel off before the end of the first third. Fortunately it peeled off with no damage to the wrapper.

In the first third the earth base and cedar notes continue with yeast-roll flavors sneaking in from the side. A trace of spice also appears, and I think it will grow. The ash remains solid and the burn remains even.

During the second third, I am drinking the beer sparingly to avoid missing tobacco flavors on the palate. The spice notes remain subtle, even in the retrohale. Ash and burn remain good.

The Ale is Butter Cream and Whipped Cream flavored, and I was a bit leery, but it is actually working. The cigar flavors are pushing through the sweetness.

Approaching the final third the ash is splaying on the end but still not dropping off. The flavor profile is rounding out nicely. This is a medium bodied cigar. The ash and burn speak well for the construction. The spice never develops past a light white pepper note.

Overall a very satisfying short smoke with good complexity. I would recommend a lighter/less flavored beverage.

This one earns 9.4/10 points for being very smooth and consistent. Joe Bob says check it out.

In advance of PCA2022, we were approached by Rabbitair about evaluating one of their air purifiers. They sent us one and put it in a friend’s indoor smoking room. Here are our thoughts.

The Cayman Cigar Company is unique in that the net profit of the company goes to charitable causes. This is a Corona parejo with a medium dark wrapper that is a bit rustic but shows an light oily character. The cold draw is perfect.

This is a robusto size is a special edition made in honor of Guy Fieri’s 55th birthday (just in case you didn’t know, Fieri collaborated with Eric Espinosa to develop the blend for the Knuckle Sandwich line). The wrapper is a rich dark brown. The notes from the foot are earthy. The cold draw is perfect.

This is a very attractive box-pressed cigar with a rich Broadleaf wrapper. The foot gave up light notes of coffee and cedar. The cold draw is perfect. Tonight’s beverage is Desert Door Sotol.

This is a beautiful Cigar with very little aroma from the foot. The cold draw is slightly tight, but I expect it will open up as the cigar burns. Tonight’s beverage is a 50ml pour of Clyde Mays Rye.

I was fortunate enough to see Rick Rodriguez at a recent event and he gave me a couple of pre-release samples. This cigar is beautiful, with a nice dark San Andreas wrapper. There are light sweet notes from the foot. The cold draw is perfect.

This is a very good looking cigar with a smooth dark Connecticut Broadleaf wrapper. Notes of cocoa are detected in the foot and cold draw, which is perfect. Tonight’s beverage is a 50ml pour of Woodford Reserve with a sparkling water back.

This is a very nice looking cigar. The Cameroon seed Honduran wrapper is a nice medium brown. Very subtle notes of loam and wood from the foot. The cold draw is perfect.

This is an attractive cigar with a slightly rugged dark wrapper. The foot reveals notes of cocoa and coffee. The cold draw is perfect.

The initial flavors are earthy with just a hint of graphite. The mottled grey ash looks fairly solid and the burn is even.

This cigar has a smooth Corojo wrapper. There are mainly vegetal notes from the foot. The cold draw is perfect.

This is a very attractive cigar with a smooth medium brown wrapper. The aroma from the foot is very light. The cold draw is perfect.

This cigar has a beautifully smooth San Andreas wrapper. The aroma from the foot has earthy Nicaraguan notes. The cold draw is perfect.

This cigar has a very smooth San Andreas wrapper with an inch of Candela on the closed foot. The cold draw is very tight, maybe because of the closed foot; it opens up to perfect once lit.

This cigar has a very smooth, lightly oily wrapper. The foot releases light tobacco notes. Having a coffee with it. The cold draw is a bit firm, but should open up when the cigar is lit.

This cigar has a medium-dark Ecuadoran Sumatra wrapper which is very smooth. Unlike other Carrillo cigars, this is produced by the Oliva Factory in Nicaragua. There is a light mustiness in the foot. The cold draw is perfect. Tonight’s beverage is a Scotch Ale.

This cigar has a very attractive medium dark Corojo wrapper with a slightly oily touch. According to one of the clerks at a local shop, this is the best of the Validation Series. We will see. The cold draw is perfect. Tonight’s beverage is a Lakewood Salted Caramel Imperial Stout.

We looked at all the “Top Cigar of 2022” lists from popular media to create this ranked list of the most popular companies. The more cigar blends chosen and the more often they were rated drove companies up the list.

This cigar has a rich dark somewhat rustic wrapper. The perfect cold draw evidences rich tobacco and light coffee notes. Today’s beverage is a Lakewood Salted Caramel Temptress Imperial Milk Stout.

This cigar has a slightly oily wrapper with a medium box press. Some sweetness is noted on the foot. The cold draw is perfect.

This cigar was created to honor the 75th birthday of the owner of the Quesada brand. It has a rich dark wrapper with coffee and tobacco notes from the foot. There are a couple of veins along the wrapper. Tonight’s beverage is a Real Ale Coffee Porter.