It's impossible to sample every stogie on the market. So despite the title of the post, we don't presume to know what the best cigars really are. We can only compile a list of the sticks we enjoyed in the order that we enjoyed them.
Ultimately, these are lists of purchase recommendations separated in a way you will hopefully find helpful. If you've read some HLC reviews in the past and found the opinions useful, then we predict you'll do well to try as many of the cigars listed below as is possible...Viaje Late Harvest Review
To be honest, it isn't clear to us what sets the Viaje Late Harvest apart from the other annual Viaje LEs. Like the Exclusivo and Holiday Blends for example, the Late Harvest is a Nicaraguan puro rolled at Raices Cubanas. The cigar is available in a couple traditional formats and it's pretty safe to assume that most if not all of the tobacco is sourced from Aganorsa.
Packaging is one element that sets each Viaje offering apart. In the case of the Late Harvest, boxes are made to look like wine crates as "late harvest" is a wine making term signifying the use of grapes left on the vine longer. There's no indication we could find that any related harvesting technique is utilized in the development of raw material for this cigar...Quesada Jalapa & IPCPR Notables, One-Timers #9
In this our 9th edition of HLC's One-Timer reviews, we take a look at some of the cigars that came out of this year's IPCPR show in Orlando.
While there's no possible way we could sample all of the releases from the show, we tried to make tasting notes from all the releases that most interested us plus whatever else we can get our hands on. The result is a stack-ranked list of our five standouts.
Leave a comment and let us know if you agree or disagree with our assessments. There are many new releases we may not get around to trying for awhile, so if there's a favorite stick you think we should check out, we're all ears ...
Oliva Serie V Melanio Review
Perla del Mar Cigar Review
We were able to receive some pre-release sticks handed out during last month's IPCPR and will post some reviews of the samples. This first of these is the Perla del Mar from J.C. Newman that should be arriving at retail this month.
The Perla G (toro) we tried is one of the four 52+ ring, aggressively priced vitolas J.C. Newman will be shipping for this initial Perla del Mar release. We intend to try the rest of the PdM sizes and may follow-up with a full review of the regular issue sticks after they become available.
Until then, we hope you enjoy our preliminary thoughts and findings about J.C. Newman's Perla del Mar and the remaining IPCPR pre-release review posts coming soon...Tatuaje Little Monsters Review, One-Timers Ed. 8
One box of Tatuaje Little Monsters is now in the can and the reviews are all here in the 8th edition of HLC One-Timers.
It wouldn’t be right smoke just one LM when you get two of each in every bright orange box. So the full ten were put down in preparation for this post. Perhaps we could have called it “Two-Timers”, but that would have required new blog categories, tags etc... It’s enough work just to smoke all those cigars and write some coherent comments about the experience.
Speaking of comments, if you missed out on getting some Lil’ Monsters for yourself, then we encourage you to leave a comment on one of the LM review pages with your sad story of missed cigar opportunity. The commenter with the most tragic tale of woe will be rewarded!...
Fuente Solaris Review
The Fuente Solaris we'll Review today is the fourth and most recent "Microblend" release available exclusively from FL retailer Smoke Inn. Fuente fans outside FL can purchase the limited-run cigar on Smoke Inn's website. As we write this in early July, Solaris boxes and 5-packs remain available and will set you back about $9 a stick.
Each Microblend release is produced by a different heavyweight cigar maker with Fuente being perhaps the most notable participant in the series. There aren't many bigger or more respected brands than Fuente (who certainly know a thing or two about limited releases) so the gang at Smoke Inn were surely pleased to have the Solaris added to the MB lineup...
Tatuaje RC233, Short Run 2012 & More OTs (Ed. 7)
The Tatuaje RC233 behemoth tops all scores in this our 7th edition of One-Timer reviews. While not necessarily a limited release, the largest-of-all-Tats can be a challenge to find. The 9+ inch figurado is certainly worth hunting down when stocking up on celebration stogies.
One other OT eclipsed the oh-so-important 90-pt. marker. That distinction belongs to the EP Carrillo New Wave Connecticut Short Run 2012 Exquisitos. Every Short Run we've tried has been good-to-great and this year's New Wave edition sustains the Short Run's winning pedigree.
Remaining One-Timer tastings include limited and regular releases from Drew Estate, Torano and a second Tatuaje...
Crowned Heads Four Kicks Review
We've been waiting for an opportunity to write about the Four Kicks line for awhile. It's a cigar that's been in our regular rotation since its release and after putting down our share of Seleccion No. 5 samples, we thought the time was right to post a full review.
Like most of our cigar blogging contemporaries, we've concluded that the Four Kicks is a hit. As regular releases go, it's one of the best new lines to come out in the last year. It's also quite a bit better than many LE's. The straight forward presentation and growing availability is a great reflection on Crowned Heads early success and no small validation of the CH team's contribution to earlier projects/brands they were a collective part of.
You can find more details about our Seleccion No. 5 tastings after the bump. There are also some musings about the industry not really specific to Four Kicks. A benefit of cigar enjoyment is the time a good smoke affords for the contemplation of things we hold dear. Being a very good cigar, the No. 5 did that job for us and we hope you enjoy the results...Cien Anos, MUWAT & More One-Timers (Ed. 6)
None of the One-Timers in this sixth Edition of the series topped the critical 90-point threshold. That’s not to say we didn't enjoy the cigars sampled for our weekly OT run-down. A few were quite tasty and all were without serious flaws.
The highest-scoring stick in this sixth edition of the OT series is the vaunted La Aurora Cien Anos Belicoso. The Beli vitola is arguably the best expression of the original Cien Anos blend that arrived at retail some nine years ago. It’s difficult to tell exactly how old our belicoso samples are. The assumption is that they came from the original run that ended in 2006. The cigars were purchased about six months ago from a B&M in Los Angeles...
Four Kicks, Cien Anos & L’Atelier – SmokeCenter
We're proud to introduce Highlight Cigar's new SmokeCenter series!
In SmokeCenter we'll be chiming in on the latest news and information available online and elsewhere in the cigar media sphere. Observations and recommendations about digital publishers and platforms will be included with any info we can dig up about new releases, cigar personalities, trends and anything else that we believe will help enthusiasts stay informed and connected.
This week we discuss Jon Huber's recent interview on Stogie411 that included a Four Kicks announcement, the news of an impending re-release of La Aurora's cornerstone Cien Anos blend, Pete Johnson's new cigar company L'Atelier in Miami and lots more!
We hope SmokeCenter helps you stay informed about all things cigar related. So enjoy first edition of the new series and let us know if there's anything you'd like to see covered in future SmokeCenter posts...
Tatuaje Mexican Experiment Review
The limited Tatuaje Mexican Experiment release maintained only a brief stay in the spotlight earlier this month before losing cigar-of-the-moment status when Pete Johnson’s Little Monsters hit retail about a week later. While waiting for our box of Monsters to arrive, we managed to put down several ME robustos and the tasting results are detailed below.
Naturally, comparisons to other releases featuring a Nic+Mexican maduro blend will be made. Pepin’s La Gloria Cubana Mi Amore, the Ortega Serie D have the most in common with the ME. Padron k-series maduros (rumored to have Mexican wrappers) also come to mind. Each of these cigars share a pressed presentation and similar MSRP’s, so if they fit your profile preferences, the Mexican Experiment is one you’d likely want to participate in ...
Anejo Shark, Kill Bill & More One-Timers (Ed. 5)
The first half of 2012 is coming to a close and the depth of quality product available in the US market continues to amaze. Some of our favorite experiences came courtesy of sticks with established reputations. Others have highlighted the abilities of newer brand owners quickly making a name for themselves.
The Fuente Anejo Shark defines the former category and the La Palina Kill Bill represents the latter with style. We tried both cigars for the first time recently and were stunned by the depth and quality they presented. Both sticks topped the 90 pt. threshold earning them top positions in this One-Timers edition.
While the Shark and KB outshined the remaining OT entries, the La Flor Dominicana, Alec Bradley and La Aurora sticks sampled are no joke...
Room 101 San Andres Review
Short Story Maduro & More One-Timers (Ed. 4)
Three Dominican sticks take top honors in our latest One-Timer review compilation. Nicaragua still holds a special place in our hearts, but after receiving some (often online) guidance regarding a geo-diversity, we're sampling increasing amounts of D.R. product. The result is greater appreciation of cigars like the Fuente, LFD and La Aurora sticks featured in this post.
These stogies represent high-level Dominican blending and manufacturing that compares positively to the Nicaraguan elite. Product from Pepin, Padron AJF, etc... will always occupy real estate in the HLC humidor. So we'll just have to expand capacity as we make room for favorites originating from other cigar hotspots.
If you're entrenched in a Jalapa/Condega smoking cycle, then you are in very good company. However, we encourage the slow expansion of your routine that includes offerings from the best D.R. manufacturers. You can start with the 90+ rated One-Timers detailed here...