Official Cigar

Roatan, and San Pedro Sula have one thing in common. They all belong to a Central American country, Honduras that was badly beaten by its political history, economic plight and sometimes the havoc that brought by hurricane in the past years. Roatan is a vacationer’s paradise especially those who are on a cruise, San Pedro Sula is the home of the tobacco growers of Honduras. Honduras is considered as one of the poorest countries in Central America, one of the many countries that are indebted from the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund. The country may seem to be synonymous with poverty, crime and political unrest, which brought probably make the people of Honduras divided, however if there is one thing that can unite the people of Honduras that would be their cigars. Honduran cigars are fast becoming a household name in all homes on the U.S. since cigars from Cuba are banned from entering the country, an offspring of the U.S.’ sanctioned trade embargo against Cuba. In some European countries, Honduran cigars are slowly gaining prominence among cigar aficionados. Some Honduran cigars found its roots from Cuba. When Fidel Castro dictated that all businesses in Cuba, including the tobacco industry shall be under the government’s rein, many Cuban and American tobacco growers were stripped off their rights to operate their businesses under the communist rule. Some of the tobacco farmers from Cuba chose to settle this neighboring country in this side of the Caribbean, thus the Honduran cigars were born. One of the pioneers of Honduran cigars is Frank Llaneze, the proud owner and President of Honduras’ pillar in tobacco industry, the Honduran-American Tobacco S.A. (H.A.T.S.A.). Llaneze was responsible for giving the tobacco industry a new name to reckon with. He sought ways in coming a new mix of Havana tobacco by experimenting it with other tobacco species from other Caribbean countries, just before Cuba ran out of tobacco at the height of the Cuban revolution. After numerous attempts he successfully blended tobacco seeds from Cuba and Connecticut and grew them in the fertile soil of Honduras. Today, H.A.T.S.A. is the producer of famous cigar brands like Excalibur, Hoyo de Monterrey and Punch which American cigar connoisseurs love. Honduran cigars are famous for their full-bodied flavor, which is a combination of nuts and wood, topped with its aroma of spicy and woody finish. A toast of red wine will never be without a stick of Honduran cigar. Honduran cigars are at par with their Havana predecessor. Now that those Cuban cigars are sold in black market, making it harder to purchase the goods, Honduran cigars give as much enjoyment that American tobacco lovers get from their Havana. There is no denying that Honduras is one of the poorest countries in the world, but it has one of the riches that not too many nations of the world own. In the near future Honduras will redeem itself as the tobacco capital of the world and will erase its name as one of the world’s poorest.

Dunhill Cigars, when it emerged from the agreement between the London based Alfred Dunhill, Ltd. and the Cubatabaco Tobacco Monopoly, was a serious name and destined for prominence. With impressive product labels: like the Cabinetta whose earthly flavors of fruits, nuts and honey that are so delicately balanced, or the Estupendos: similar to Cabinetta but with design that prevents taste wallowing, therefore a richer taste, Dunhill Cigars did have something solid to offer to the population of overly critical cigar lovers. Adequately saying, Dunhill became so extremely popular with socialite cigar aficionados that stocks for Dunhill became limited, highly coveted and resulting in proportionally steeper prices. It was even said that Dunhill Cigars was already a serious competition to the Swiss brand of high class cigars, the Davidoff Brand, even though both brand names had their cigar manufactured by Cubatabaco. This account proved only to be very true, as ultimately, Dunhill Cigars did sever ties with the Cubatabaco Tobacco Monopoly, seeing that the Cuban Monopoly practice was detrimental to the healthy competition of the two tobacconists. With prospective hopes of landing their cigar production on neighboring islands of Dominican Republic, Dunhill Cigars did chose not to renew their Cubatabaco Tobacco Monopoly contract. Dunhill did operate with varied successes over the years until eventually, Dunhill Cigars finally closed its factory doors and ceased the practice of manufacturing cigars altogether. After the closing of Dunhill’s factory doors, those Dunhill cigars that have been sitting on store shelves suddenly became even more coveted as its status changed into vintage material with worth several times more than the original price. And up to this date, only those true cigar aficionados and connoisseurs can hope to try these high priced auction materials from vintage retailers. Dunhill have become a collector’s item. On the online market, any vintage seeker or cigar aficionado can search out for a box of Dunhill Cigars that should, of course, carry a sizable price tag. It is only a matter of single-minded searching. Anyone spotting a box of Dunhill cigars should be warned, though, since expensive luxury products such as these gets counterfeited often (especially discontinued brands like Dunhill). Without the regulating body of the manufacturer, there’s no way to make certain that those Dunhill cigars are genuine. Habitual checking of the online vendor’s reliability should earn trust. Look for reliability standards like the BBBOnline Reliability Program or EMS or AMS Seals. Another way is checking the quality of the packaging. The path of Dunhill Cigars is a familiar one, and many of its supporters claimed how the cigar died away gracefully, which is right in a sense. If you see any Dunhill come your way, try to get hold of it knowing that such cigar is another man’s highly coveted extravagance.

Cusano cigars are handmade premium cigars – and the company is proud of the taste its cigars have. These Cusano cigars are available mild to full-bodied. Cusano cigars have been reviewed by the likes of Cigar Aficionado Insider and Smoke Magazine – and have been earning good ratings. It is thus worthy to look at some of their cigar product lines and see why this is so. Cusano Cigars – It’s really all about Taste! C10 Crown Corona – These cigars have been reviewed as having an Earl Grey tea flavor and with a sweet wood finish. It provides a very good draw. It is said to have truly captured the taste of Cuba’s past. These Cusano cigars have earned a 9.0 rating from Smoke Magazine 2005, and 89 rating from Cigar Aficionado. Cusano 18 Double Connecticut – The flavors are leathery and have a taste of creamy vanilla. These Cusano cigars are stout and produce a rich and strong smoke. The “18″ in its name means the number of years the Dominican tobacco filler was aged. The binder and wrapper are of the Connecticut Shade tobacco – and thus the words “Double Connecticut”. These cigars have earned a 91 rating by the Cigar Aficionado Insider and included on its list of Best Cigars 2005. 18 Cusano Paired Maduro – These Cusano cigars possess rich spicy flavors and well balanced at that. Its wrapper is from Connecticut Broadleaf Maduro in the USA, its binder from San Vicente Olor, and its filler from Matafina Mauro from Brazil. These cigars have earned an 89 rating from Cigar aficionado Insider. Corojo Toro – These Cusano cigars have a rich smooth flavor – a spicy one with a toasty aroma. Its filler is from Dominican Republic, its binder from Sumatra in Mexico, and its wrapper from Corojo, 97 in Ecuador. These have been rated as a 10 by Smoke Magazine, and a 91 rating from Cigar Aficionado Insider on September 2004. Flavored Cusano Cigars – The company offers flavored cigars, and there are four types: Vanilla, Rum, Cognac and Honey. These flavored Cusano cigars are handmade and are made of Connecticut Shade Wrappers. These cigars look fine and taste good. Cusano Cigars, Inc. – Handmade Fine Cigars Visit its website at www.cusanocigars.com. Its staff can be contacted at 1-800-347-1921 or at customerservice@cusanocigars.com. The company is based at Bradenton, Florida. The company’s Cusano lines of cigars have been continually earning high ratings from reviews – this fact goes to show the quality put into these cigars. The next time you shop, try one Cusano cigar, light it, smoke it – and see why it has earned the high marks as per published reviews.

Cuban cigars are the forbidden fruit in the cigar industry. Do you want to smoke one? Many do. It has been esteemed as the best cigar ever – whether that holds true up until now, the fact remains that it once held that stature. Perhaps now, all it has is the shadow of its great past but Cuban cigars are a source of inspiration of many cigar manufacturers and its quality wishfully imitated by many who want to follow its footsteps. These Cuban cigars have a pungent taste and full-bodied. These quality and taste were attributed to the tobacco seeds that grew on Cuban soil. The soil there was highly fertilized and the climate was perfect for growing quality tobacco; and even its water & air were considered to have contributed to the fine tobacco it produced. What could be considered as another key factor in the quality of Cuban cigars are its skilled workers in cigar manufacturing. Cigar workers went through a strict & strenuous apprenticeship process before they became qualified to do actual work in a factory. Correct cutting of the stems out of the tobacco leaves, accurate segregation of tobacco leaves by quality, size & color, proper rolling of cigars and many more critical processes in the production of Cuban cigars were carefully taught. Cuban cigars are unfortunately illegal in the United States. Fines and penalties are in order for those who violate the legislation covering Cuban cigars. Pre-embargo Cuban cigars are an exception though – but these are very rare and would cost much. At this time, there are still those retailers, especially in the Internet, which offer to sell what they claim to be original pre-embargo Cuban cigars. One should be very careful in believing such claims, aside from the fact that these Cuban cigars are illegal. You should ask yourself when caught in such dilemma, and already feeling the urge to buy and try one – “Would it be worth it?” The answer to that is entirely up to you. You don’t have to try one though, one can always take the others’ word for it – and believe what others who have tried Cuban cigars say – take it as it is, and lay it to rest. You may just put yourself in trouble that you would regret later on. Anyways, if you should be able to buy one these days – chances are, it is fake. There are already a lot of alternative quality cigars out there – these may not be the ever-desired Cuban cigars, but they may just be as fine.

If you want to smoke a good cigar, and at the same time relish on its history – you may find it nice to consider having your Cohiba cigar lighted. These Cohiba cigars are found to be rich in flavor and can be very satisfying to a cigar lover. Its Composition Cohiba cigars have a Dominican filler, Jember binder and a Cameroon wrapper. It is manufactured in the Dominican Republic. General Cigar Dominicana is the manufacturer of such cigars, and is considered to be the only brand that can sell such Cohiba cigars legally in the United States. Cohiba Cigars – Rich in History When one talks about Cohiba cigars, a famous name in history is associated with it – Christopher Columbus. In 1496 when he was in western Hispaniola or the Dominican Republic now, he found out that the native Indians there smoked leaves of tobacco – “Cohiba” as they called it. It was five centuries later that such Cohiba cigars were developed in the Dominican Republic. In 1990, it was reformulated and has continued to sell in the United States. Its Maker General Cigar Company makes these Cohiba cigars. Check out www.cigarworld.com. Its website also shows their other cigar products. What started out as a small family business for the Cullman family bloomed into a big cigar company – and a major player in the cigar business. The company owns around 1,100 acres of land in Connecticut for their business. The company also has its subsidiary company, Culbro Tobacco, which grows and processes their own tobacco leaves. They also have purchased and taken over other cigar companies to increase their operations and market reach. The Cullman family has committed itself to producing quality cigar products for the many customers patronizing their cigars. Introducing The Cohiba XV! Cohiba XV – This follows the Cohiba tradition and is an elegant choice. This cigar is made out of a Nicaraguan Ligero and Piloto Cubano Ligero Blend filler, a Connecticut Broadleaf binder, and an Ecuadoran Sumatra wrapper. Cohiba XV means Extra Vigoroso – that said you know what to expect out of this Cohiba cigar. Cohiba Cigars – Get that satisfying smoking experience! These cigars are really worth it. These are considered to have a good draw and of good taste. These Cohiba cigars are suited for any occasion – and a lot have tried and have fallen to its taste. The next time you feel like lighting a cigar, think of a Cohiba cigar – and light one up – and be one of those who have grown fond of it. Try it and see why many have made it their cigar of choice.

When one talks about quality cigars – Ashton cigars are unlikely to be left out. Ashton cigars, as any cigar aficionado would know, is a fine cigar that has carefully carved its place in the cigar industry – and getting recognized for the standards of excellence it subscribes to, in coming up with their cigar line of products. Robert Levin, a tobacconist and a connoisseur of cigar blends at that, created Ashton cigars in 1985. Ashton cigars’ fillers & binders were made of the finest Dominican grown leaves and its wrappers were from quality Connecticut Shade grown leaves. These combinations gave Ashton cigars that unique blend & character sought by many cigar aficionados. These Ashton cigars are manufactured in the Fuente factory with strict quality control inspections in place – assuring its loyal customers of the consistency of cigar quality that they have been used to. Ashton Classic Series These Ashton cigars are made from a 3 to 4 year old Dominican tobacco – combined with the golden Connecticut shade wrapper gives out a rich taste with nuances of peppery spice. Ashton Aged Maduro Series Getting its taste from the natural fermentation of its Connecticut broad leaf wrapper, the cigar will initially give you a sweet taste – but once lighted and smoked, the taste becomes nutty. The combination of its filler and wrapper provide for the rich & classy taste that set this cigar distinct from the rest. Ashton Cabinet Series These cigars have 4 to 5 year old Dominican filler and a Connecticut shade wrapper that is aged for a year further. The filler provides for a well-rounded taste, while the wrapper provides for the smooth and creamy taste – giving a blend cigar lovers would adore. Ashton VSG Series These Ashton cigars will definitely not make you stop lighting one cigar after another. These were exclusively blended by Carlos Fuente Jr. for Ashton. The cigar makes use of a 4 to 5 year old Dominican tobacco from the finest plants. Its wrapper is taken from the plants in Ecuador, which are exclusively grown for Ashton VSG. This wrapper provides the secret for the intoxicating effect of the Ashton VSG cigar – and together with the quality filler used, this cigar is clearly ranks one of the best in a cigar lover’s list. Ashton Heritage Puro Sol The wrapper, binder and filler of this Ashton cigar are all made from tobaccos that are a hundred percent sun-grown. It has a Cameroon wrapper enveloping an Ashton blend – giving one a taste that is rare and beyond compare. Ashton Cigars – Cigar Quality and Excellence Exemplified Having an Ashton cigar means having an extraordinary cigar in between your fingers. It means you have with you a cigar of rare quality – definitely distinguishing you apart from all other cigar smokers – making you one proud happy smoker.

Traditional cigar making limits itself to a couple of blends. It practically makes the job of achieving the consistency of each cigar made a little bit convenient – and a little bit more feasible. The more blends used would mean more controls and critical measures that become necessary for a manufacturer to produce cigars of the same quality. With ACID cigars however, these traditional concepts and methods are challenged. These cigars boldly present itself in the cigar market as those distinctively manufactured. New ingredients are introduced in the cigar’s blend and innovative processes are put in place that set its cigars apart from all other cigars around. Drew Estate, the company making these ACID cigars, are definitely out there carving its name in the industry – as one that makes cigars unconventionally – and yet getting that level of sophistication that is enticing to cigar lovers. The individuals behind Drew Estate are Jonathan Drew and his business partner Marvin Samel. They were fraternity brothers in college and out of their previous careers in law and finance – together they have made waves in the cigar industry with the innovations of cigars they bring to the market. ACID Cigars – Arielle Chester Industrial Design ACID Cigars got its name from an art studio owned by their friend Scott Chester. Scott is an industrial designer who they have tapped on to create the urban feel for their cigars. Drew Estate wanted ACID cigars to embody freedom, adventure and life. These cigars were aimed at individuals who loved life and lived it fully. These ACID cigars were for the adventurous and those who loved to explore the world. An ACID cigar is about living life to the max. Infusion of Essences ACID cigars are of no question, made from premium tobacco Drew Estate could buy – so basically you get to have that fine flavor expected out of these cigars. Then comes the infusion of essences – herbal and botanical – giving the cigar a unique blend only found in ACID cigars. ACID Cigars – Blends Beyond Compare If there are three things that set Drew Estate apart from all other cigar manufacturers are their creativity in coming up with original cigar product lines, their belief on the quality they have put into these, and thirdly, their risk taking attitude on introducing to the market such cigars with characters and personalities never been seen – and smoked before. Aside from the ACID cigars – which were the first cigars their company officially produced – other popular cigar lines for Drew Estate are its Natural, Ambrosia, Subculture and La Vieja Habana cigars. With such creative cigars, cigar lovers will have that alternative to their otherwise traditional cigars – giving one a cigar smoking experience like no other. Lighting an Acid cigar would prove this to be so.

Smokers are not choosy when or when not to smoke cigars. But, did you know that there are indeed great times when you would be able to smoke cigar and savor the greatest taste it could offer. These may seem odd but really true and those who are familiar with these times could surely attest to this one. Here are some of the most wonderful times when you could smoke and feel every strand of it flowing through your throat smoothly: 1. Happy birthday to me Well, it is your day and gives yourself a break. Smoking a good cigar on your birthday would really be something you could give to your very self. You could have this as your way of celebrating life. 2. After thanksgiving puff it out During this meal, which could be one the biggest sumptuous meals you could have for the whole year, it would be good if you enjoy a great smoke after filling up your stomach. A smoke would come really great with a dessert drink as well. 3. A milestone, a smoke There are these great moments in your life when you bring out that achiever in you. You deserve to celebrate! As you smoke, you could remind yourself how good you were on doing such a great job. 4. Weekend escapade You could turn out the weekend into a great one. After a tiring week at work, give yourself a treat by just sitting around, feeling the breeze, the empty schedule, just feeling lazy and chilling. 5. Gamble and have a cigar There is that “manly” effect caused by smoking while gambling. This could also help you out in relaxing while enjoying the game you are playing. This is a very good way of gambling, you take control of your luck as you taste your favorite cigar. These are worth the smoke moments and you do not want to miss them, do you? Well, it is your moment and celebrate with the great way of relaxing, feeling free, letting loose and that is by smoking your favorite cigar.