I must admit that I find this time of year both interesting and exciting, not only because of the holidays, but also because of the finality the calendar year brings.  And in the most unique circumstance, this closure prompts individuals and organizations to reflect upon the items, goods, and services most enjoyed over the course of our journey around the sun.  Although we could question why the end of the year is utilized for such peculiar behavior, I would be regressive in this writing to entertain such inquiries.  Therefore, I will rejoin the conversation topic by ..read more

I’m not sure if it’s old age memory lapse, or all the drugs I did when I was younger (just kidding, I still do them…. not really).  I don’t remember how I came across this blend, or why it piqued my interests, but I’m glad I did (spoiler).  My experience with the brand Presbyterian, specifically Presbyterian Mixture, was little more than meh/average, so I honestly didn’t have high hopes for Ordained once acquiring a tin upon release.  Let me just go on record saying, I’m very glad I tried this one. From the tobacco reviews website: “Matured bright Virginia flakes ..read more

Made at the Plasencia factory in Nicaragaua, the Montecristo Espada Guard is certainly a cigar with style and class. Available in beautiful 10 count boxes, the Montecristo Espada is part of the ever-growing Altadis USA portfolio. From the Altadis USA website:  “Constructed with 100% vintage Nicaraguan tobaccos specially aged by the Plasencia family and expertly blended by the world famous Grupo de Maestros, Espada by Montecristo offers a bold, spicy and deeply satisfying smoke. Espada, which means “sword” in Spanish, is the first Montecristo with all of its tobacco coming from Nicaragua ..read more

Have you ever felt drawn to one form of tobacco over another?  Or, to put the question straight forward, do you ever find yourself having stretches where you gravitate more toward cigars, or more toward pipe smoking, or even periods of dry nasal snuff use?  Without a doubt, I do.  In fact, 2022, for the most part, has been a cigar smoking year for me.  Why?  I don’t know, however, as of the writing of this piece, I have smoked over 197 cigars since April 2022.  That roughly equates to approximately 5 cigars per week for 37 straight w ..read more

To be completely honest, Cornell & Diehl has been very hit or miss with me over the past year or more.  Some of their blends are very enjoyable, however, the ones that miss, tend to miss big.  Specifically, I am referring to most of their Small Batch and special release series.  Understanding this to be the case, I opted for a regular production blend that I’ve been wanting to try since the start of the year.   This blend came across my radar after seeing the well-known Mike Murphy from the Pipe and Tamper podcast blast rave reviews about it along w ..read more

Created by Kyle Gellis, in collaboration with Cornell & Diehl’s Jeremy Reeves, Warped Cloud Hopper Pipe Tobacco was resurrected from the well-known Warped Cloud Hopper cigar brand, blended and produced by Gellis at the El Titan de Bronze factory in Miami and Casa Fernandez’s Tabacos Valle de Jalapa S.A. in Nicaragua. Originally coming onto the market in 2109, Warped Cloud Hopper is the pipe smoker’s rendition for the love of travel and adventure Gellis and his brother enjoy embarking on.  According to the smkoingpipes.com website, “Cloud Hopper pipe tobacco features AA-grad ..read more

Created to celebrate Rocky Patel’s 60th birthday in 2021, the Rocky Patel Sixty pulls out all the stops to honor the man, myth, and legend in the cigar industry, Rocky Patel.  Aged a minimum of 2 years in the Rocky Patel headquarters after being rolled, these cigars are said to have some of the oldest tobaccos in the Rocky Patel warehouse portfolio.  For detailed information and videos of Rocky and his team creating the Sixty line of cigars, visit the Rocky Patel website at: https://www.rockypatel.com/cigar-campaigns/sixty-by-rocky-patel/   On to the re ..read more

Aladino Corojo Reserva Robusto Sometimes you happen upon a diamond in the rough.  Indeed, that is the case for me and the Aladino cigar line.  I cannot recall exactly when, or where, I saw the brand for the first time, however, admittedly, the simple labeling and packaging reminded me of some familiar Habanos S.A. brands for a time long gone (old Montecristo bands).  Anyhow, I decided to pick up a few different options of the Aladino line at my local tobacconist and give them a try.  Before going any further, let me be clear, I have yet to be disappoint ..read more

Pappy Van Winkle Tradition Happy National Cigar Day!  Or at least I think I read that somewhere… Even if it’s not, we have beautiful weather in my part of the world, and a lazy Sunday calls for a good cigar.   Most of us probably associate Pappy Van Winkle as one of the most sought-after, high-end bourbons in the world.  Admittingly, I have had the fortune of sampling some 10-year-old Pappy and although it was very smooth, it’s by far, not the best bourbon I’ve ever had.  As we will note later in this review, don’t get caught off guard by the hype assoc ..read more

Top 5 Pipe Tobaccos of 2021 Another year has come and gone.  It seems as though the older I get, the faster time passes.  Of course, when reflecting on the past 365 days, I am not shocked by the reality of accomplishing less than I set out to accomplish at the start of the year.  Without making excuses, the continued threat of COVID does not always make endeavors easy, however, it appears this virus is here to stay.  Thus, we must now work to live with it, not just around it.     With all of this being said, I was able to enjoy sever ..read more