Monthly Archives: June 2012

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...
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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...

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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...

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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 ...

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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...

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Room 101 San Andres Review

The Room 101 San Andres or "Serie SA" is the latest (and perhaps greatest) of Matt Booth's increasingly frequent line additions. The cigar features a Mexican San Andres leaf wrapped around Honduran binder and filler tobaccos. Manufacturing is courtesy of the folks at Camacho and their factory in Jamastram Honduras (now owned by Davidoff). These cigars started hitting shelves a few weeks back and we snapped a few 213 coronas up immediately. After letting the sticks rest for a little while, we took a couple down recorded the results for posterity...
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