January 16th, 2016

Cigar size: 5 inches by 50 ring gauge

The Jas Sum Kral line is the creation of cigar industry newcomer Riste Risteski, a big man with a personality to match. The JSK line was his idea, and came to fruition with the help of master blender Noel Rojas of the New Order of the Ages factory in Esteli, Nicaragua.

The name Jas Sum Kral translates from Risteski’s native language (Macedonian) into English as “I am King”. The first cigar series issued in the JSK lineup is called Red Knight. There are four vitolas in the line. The cigar I smoked for this review was the Robusto.

The JSK Red Knight cigars are adorned with attractive red and gold bands sporting the JSK logo on a knight’s shield between two heraldic lions. As for the blend that Risteski and Rojas developed, it uses a ‘top secret’ filler inside a binder of Mexican San Andrés and Nicaraguan seco leaves. The wrapper is a ‘light claro’ Ecuadorian Habano leaf.

December 26th, 2016

When you get a Leaf by Oscar cigar, the first thing you notice is the packaging. Rather than settling for traditional cellophane or even paper wrappers (like those on OSOKs and the Room 101 Big Chief Cool Arrow), the Leaf is actually bound up in a tobacco leaf. That makes getting to the cigar kind of like unwrapping a gift.

After unwrapping, my cigar smells like a wonderful Corojo, with lots of spices in the aroma. Upon cutting and lighting, those spices do not disappoint. There’s a light bite of pepper on the tongue, and a more complex spice profile on the retro-hale.

January 12th, 2017

Before we wrap up the Cigar Weekly Top 10 of 2016, I think it's important to recap a few things. So I hope you will bear with me.

First - Founded in 1997, Cigar Weekly is celebrating its 20th Anniversary! We're proud to have served you brothers and sisters of the leaf.

Second - CigarWeekly.com is a member-run and member-supported community! Thanks to all of you for visiting our advertisers, AND to our advertisers for being part of the Cigar Weekly family.

Third - I would be remiss in my thanks if I failed to mention some of the other fine cigars that our members, followers and friends nominated for this Top Ten list. I'll name a few at the end of the article.

Finally - It was you, dear reader, who chose this list. Unlike any other publication, we are truly 'member-created, cigar-related'. Thank you for your participation! We'll definitely do this again. In fact, I'm trying to figure out a way to allow people to nominate throughout the year. And when I've done that, we'll announce it here, in the forums and on social media. Please look for us on Facebook (CigarWeekly.com page) and on Twitter (@cigarweekly). Your participation in the forums is welcome too! Help us make our 20th year our best one ever. And stay tuned for contests and special content throughout 2017. This could be the year YOU become a published member of the Cigar Weekly family!

Alright... Enough with the housekeeping and banter. We know what you're here for.

December 22nd, 2016

Blind Review: Biely Robusto by Tirador Ramos Cigars

Welcome to Cigar Weekly's 2016 Blind Review Number 5 - from a little known boutique factory in NIcaragua.

Background

Cigar Weekly has a tradition of doing blind reviews of new and/or boutique cigars whenever the maker asks.

Cigar Weekly's blind reviews are scored by a panel, and averaged using 7 criteria within a 50 point scale.

How it works: Cigar Weekly members volunteer for the task, and are asked to complete the review by smoking both samples within a two to three week window. They are requested to take copious notes, and then to enter their data into an online form. It's the 21st century, right? We used to use paper…

We do not require that the maker be an advertiser, nor do we charge a fee for these reviews.

January 9th, 2017

Welcome back dear reader! Today, we'll resume our coverage of the Cigar Weekly Top 10 of 2016.

You'll recall that in our first segment, we disclosed ten cigars that almost made it, and discussed other boutique cigars that you just might want to try - a suggestion that I make most sincerely!

As with just about everything 'Cigar Weekly', our Top 10 was not 'created' based on who advertised or on any other 'outside' influences - other than you. Our members, followers and fans on social media were offered the opportunity to nominate, and then vote on, the cigars that made this list. And that's one of the reasons our 'Runners Up' list was so vast. Personally, with a list of more than 40 cigars, I didn't expect to see that 'bunch up' in the 11th to 13th places.

December 19th, 2016

Basic cigar parameters

Shape / size: Toro / 6 inches by 48 ring gauge
Strength: Medium to full
Wrapper: Vintage 1999 Jamastran Corojo
Origin: Honduras

Having been born shortly after establishment of the U.S. embargo on Cuba, I thought it would be cool to try these smokes. Allowing for the possibility that there might be very little of the famed (and venerable) Cuban filler in these smokes, I placed my order.

January 6th, 2017

Cigar Weekly presents its Top 10 Cigars of 2016: Part 1 of 3

Welcome to 2017, and the first official 'Top 10' published by Cigar Weekly!

2016 was a very interesting year in cigar-life, as manufacturers and consumers alike aimed for exciting new releases along with the continued availability of well established favorites.

Top 10 lists can generate a lot of emotions among people. Over the years, on our CW forums, staff and members would make mention of cigars they thought were great. And of course, we'd also delve into dissecting the other cigar magazines' Top 'X' lists. Whether you agree or disagree with the choices, these lists always attract a lot of attention and generate much discussion.

This year, we decided to do our own, and to do it OUR way - member created!

So here's what happened...

December 15th, 2016

Size of cigar: 5½ inches by 50 ring gauge

There have certainly been cigars inspired by television shows or memorable characters before – to name a few, Sons of Anarchy, The Sopranos and even Duck Dynasty. Now along comes the Lucious Lyon brand from Meier and Dutch of Bethlehem, Pennsylvania.

In case you’re not familiar with the namesake character, Lucious Lyon is a renowned music mogul and charismatic anti-hero (portrayed by Terence Howard), and the protagonist of the hit show Empire. His story is not entirely dissimilar to that of the real life mogul, Jay Z.

At any rate, it is the essence of Lyon’s life of luxury that this cigar hopes to capture. There are three vitolas in the line – a Robusto, a Torpedo and a Toro. The cigar I’m reviewing is the Robusto, which is the smallest of the three.

January 2nd, 2017

Cigar Weekly’s Jeff Slatton (jefslat) kicks off the New Year by offering up his impressions of two Room 101 cigars – the Johnny Tobacconaut Fileroid and the Chief Cool Arrow Ranflajo.

December 12th, 2016

I've had occasion to meet with Joel Marrero of Marrero Cigars on several occasions. (Atlanta is a great market for cigars.) Tommy Bender, one of our editors and long time members, met him and discussed his brand back at the 2015 edition of the IPCPR. Both Tommy and I consider Joel a friend of Cigar Weekly.

Last fall, when Joel was in town, we had the opportunity to have lunch together and talk cigars. What a discussion it was! Joel's passion for this business is vibrant, and this passion is exemplified by the quality of his cigars.