Balmoral Anejo XO Gran Perfecto FT is the 2018 limited edition from Balmoral. Back then, Balmoral Anejo XO was the flagship of Royal Agio Cigars and made in the Royal Agio factory in the Dominican Republic. A year later, Royal Agio was bought by the Scandinavian Tobacco Group. The first thing STG did was remove the brand from the American market, and there hasn’t been a limited edition release since. Will Balmoral be the next brand that is killed by STG after acquiring it? The cigar is made with aged tobacco, long-aged tobacco from the big tobacco library that Royal Agio used to have. Ever si ..read more

The WiseMan Maduro is an offshoot of the El Gueguense by Foundation Cigar Company. And Foundation Cigar Company is the company of the chief of the broadleaf, Nick Melillo aka Nick R. Agua. He is the former Drew Estate Vice President of International Operations and was involved in blending cigars such as Liga Privada, but also responsible for purchasing tobacco. When he left Drew Estate, he founded the Foundation Cigar Company. The Wise Man Maduro Robusto is a 5½x50 Robusto made at Tabsa, the factory of Aganorsa Leaf. It has a San Andres wrapper from Mexico with Aganorsa’s famous Corojo 99 fro ..read more

Hoyo de Monterrey Hermosos #4. In 2011 Habanos SA released select range of aged regular production cigars. The cigars were aged between five and ten years and were identified by the addition of a special Anejados band. The cigars were only available in Cuba, in fairly limited numbers. But in 2014, Habanos released the Habanos Anejados globally, with two aged regular production cigars annually for the first 2 years, bringing it down to 1 release, and not even annually. The Anejados for 2015 were the Partagas Corona Gorda and this Hoyo de Monterrey Hermosos #4. The latter is a 5×48 Robusto, and ..read more

Ezra Zion Razorblade 2020. Now I have seen Ezra Zion before, but this is my first ever Ezra Zion cigar that I smoked. Thanks to a friend, Dogan Biyikli, who send me a sample of Ezra Zion cigars. Their production is so low, all releases are small batches and only available in the USA. How Dogan got them, I have no idea as he’s not USA-based. But I’m glad he shared some with me. Especially after learning that only 330 of the Ezra Zion Razorblade 2020 Torpedo cigars were made due to the rareness of some of the tobacco. Now that rareness could be a marketing trick, as I heard that Ezra Zion somet ..read more

Alec Bradley Filthy Hooligan Shamrock 2021. This isn’t the first time I have written a review of the Alec Bradley Filthy Hooligan. I reviewed the original 2013 release a few years ago, but that was when the Filthy Hooligan was an all Candela cigars. After two all-green editions, Alec Bradley changed the blend to a barber-pole-style cigar. And since a year of three, Alec Bradley is also releasing the Alec Bradley Filthy Hooligan Shamrock. That’s a barber-pole-style cigar with three different wrappers. The filler is from Panama and Honduras, with an Ecuadorian Sumatra binder. That goes for the ..read more

Alec Bradley Project 40 Maduro Toro. This is the follow-up of the Alec Bradley Project 40, which is based on a scientific principle that certain products can have a positive influence on the body and mind. Alec Bradley founder Alan Rubin says cigars are one of these products. After the success of the Alec Bradley Project 40, the American cigar manufacturers created a Maduro version. As I didn’t like the Alec Bradley Project 40, I hope that the Maduro is different and better. The cigars are made at the factory of Jesus Fuego in Esteli, Nicaragua. Most Alec Bradley cigars come from Raices Cuban ..read more

Don Kiki Gold Label Robusto. Another creating of Enrique ‘Don Kiki’ Berger and his lovely wife Karen Berger. Made in the factory that Don Kiki started in Esteli, Tabacalera Esteli. Now, to be honest, I have no idea if Don Kiki Berger was still alive when this blend was released, or if its a creation of Karen Berger to commemorate her late husband. It is not the first Don Kiki I reviewed for cigarguideblog and it won’t be the last. I also smoked several K by Karen Berger cigars, and a few reviews of her cigars will follow as well. The Don Kiki Gold Label Robusto is a Nicaraguan puro with most ..read more

Perdomo 20th Anniversary Maduro Robusto. Nick Perdomo started his Perdomo Cigars in 1992, so in 2012 it was time to release the 20th anniversary. And as with most of Perdomo’s releases, it came in a variety of sizes but also with three different wrappers. Connecticut Shade, Sun Grown (aka Habano), and Maduro. And almost a decade later it is still one of the best-selling Perdomo series in the company’s portfolio. The cigar is all Nicaraguan. With tobacco from Tabacalera Perdomo farms. The wrapper gets to age 8 years before use. The robusto measures 5×56 and thus is thicker than the classic Rob ..read more

Stallone Zaino Broadleaf Robusto. Part of the Stallone Cowboy series, and one of the stronger blends. Stallone is the brand of Italian American Tony Barrios, a rodeo cowboy with a love for cigars and stallions. That’s why he went for the name Stallone, which is Italian for stallion. There is no connection between these cigars and world-famous actor and cigar enthusiast Sylvester Stallone. The Zaino Broadleaf is one of the seven blends in the Cowboy series. I reviewed the Castano San Andres and the Alazan Corojo before. The cigar is a 5×50 Robusto but there is also a 6×52 Toro. The production ..read more

Diplomaticos Nortenos exclusivo Canada. The release for Canada from the 2018 Regional Edition program from Habanos. The cigars were released in late 2018. There were 6000 boxes of ten cigars available, as they went fast. Habanos collectors already knew the cigars, as the marca in this size was available before. In 2015, the same cigar was the Cuban exclusivo under the Excelencia name. Diplomaticos is a post-revolution brand. It emerged in 1966, mainly for the French market as a milder and cheaper alternative for Montecristo. Diplomaticos is still a small marca in the Habanos portfolio, but it ..read more