Origin : Dominican Republic
Format : Proprietary Kanú (based on perfecto)
Size : 6 x 54
Wrapper : Brazilian Maduro
Filler : Dominican
Binder : Their binder is proprietary and they simply refer to it as ‘MBC’
Hand-Made
Price : ~$10

This new and unique shape by Iconic Leaf, the Kanú, was inspired by a Kayak boat. Iconic Leaf sent me a couple samples last autumn for review along with some promotional material. I wanted to give these cigars some resting time and as our winter hit early, I decided to put off smoking them until the time was right.

All of Iconic Leaf's cigars are produced in their factory; Tabacalera Leyendas Cubanas in Santiago de los Caballeros, Dominican Republic. They roll all of their cigars entubado style and every leaf in the Recluse is fermented for two years.

At first glance the cigar resembles a box-pressed perfecto but to my eyes it actually resembled an Italian made 'Toscano' in a larger, more refined format. Don't snip it in the middle though as you would a Toscano! (*wink*) Thankfully the company offers instructions on where to snip the cigar in their boxes. I did not get these with my two review samples and as such I found the draw on the first one quite tight. I did snip more off the second one and found the draw much improved.

The function of a perfecto is that the different components from wrapper to filler allow for the cigar to go through subtle flavor transitions. Iconic Leaf Cigars advises that by developing this one of a kind shape the smoker is able to get a slow, cool burn as a result of the benefit of pressing along with flavor transitions. Iconic Leaf refers to their process as "specific and unique; a one of a kind process". Their company literature provides that "Every cigar has a story to tell. You have to read this book page by page. This one will not allow you to jump chapters. It is a novel."

Remember I rated their Recluse Toro higher than the Alec Bradley Prensado in flavor so I was more than curious as to how this shape would fare and whether it would alter the flavor profile at all.

The promotional material shipped with the cigars indicated that the cigar has "subtle cornering and is aerodynamic in fashion. It was a painstaking process to perfect this new shape but we have mastered it. The shape smokes razor sharp with a full easy compliment of flavorful smoke on the draw. It is a masterpiece!". Let's put this to the test shall we?

Read the full review of Recluse Kanu 1 Maduro...

Origin : Dominican Republic
Format : Corona Gorda
Size : 5 5/8 x 46
Wrapper : Dominican Republic
Filler : Dominican Republic
Binder : Dominican Republic
Hand-Made
Price : ~$15 each
More info about purchasing Davidoff Puro d'Oro cigars...

Launched back in late April of 2010, the Davidoff Puro D’Oro Series is credited to the famous Hendrik Kelner. According to the April 13, 2010 issue of Cigar Insider the wrapper leaves for these cigars are “grown in Yamasá, an area of the Dominican Republic north of the capital city of Santo Domingo and far from Santiago and its surrounding tobacco fields.” This cigar by far bears the darkest wrapper in the Davidoff Collection (minus the maduro line). Also, worth noting is that at that time the Puro D'Oro was the first new Davidoff release in more than 10 years (since then, the brand released many more new blends).

These cigars are available in four different vitolas: Magnificos 5 1/8 x 52 (review by Ed); Sublimes 4 ½ x 38; Deliciosos 4 7/8 x 43 (review by Inspector) and the Notables 5 5/8 x 46 which I am reviewing today.

The packaging is in the old Cuban style of slab boxes with 25 (cigar wheels) wrapped in a yellow silk band bearing the name Davidoff.

Read the full review of Davidoff Puro D’Oro Notables...

Origin : Dominican Republic
Format : Robusto
Size : 4 3/4 x 52
Wrapper : Ecuador Havana
Filler : Dominican Republic
Binder : Dominican Republic
Hand-Made
Price : $10.80
More info about purchasing Diamond Crown cigars...

Coming from the oldest premium cigar company in the United States, the J.C. Newman Cigar Company is responsible for the production of many familiar brands such as Diamond Crown, Cuesta-Rey, Brick House, and El Baton. In the summer of 2012 the bilingual magazine Cigar Journal published an article/interview with Eric and Bobby Newman, owners of the J.C. Newman Cigar Co. According to the Cigar Journal ‘quote’:

This line (Diamond Crown Julius Caeser) of super premium cigars was created in 2010 to honor the founder of the J.C. Newman Cigar Company’s 135th birthday and the 115th anniversary of the company. Julius Caeser Newman’s likeness appears on the cigar label.

Read the full review of Diamond Crown Julius Caeser Robusto...

Origin : Nicaragua
Format : Corona Gorda Extra
Size : 6 3/4 x 46
Wrapper : Nicaragua
Filler : Nicaragua
Binder : Nicaragua
Hand-Made
Price : $12 each
More info about purchasing Illusione Epernay cigars...

We are glad to welcome Kaleehb, our new reviewer, to the CigarInspector.com community!

Released in 2010, the Le Matin is the first size in the Epernay line to be box pressed and offered in boxes of 25. After seeing the discontinued M-7 boxes lying about the factory floor, Dion Giolito decided to put them to use in making a cigar with balance and elegance. By perfectly blending Nicaraguan Criollo and Corojo tobaccos and topping it with a Rosado wrapper Dion was able to create this newest member of the Epernay portfolio.

On to the review…

Read the full review of Illusione Epernay Le Matin...

Origin : Cuba
Format : Grand Corona
Size : 143 x 18.26 mm (5.6 x 46)
Ring : 46
Wrapper, Binder, Filler : Cuban
Hand-Made
Price : $15+- each
More info about purchasing Ramon Allones cigars...

If I am not mistaken, the La Casa Del Habanos exclusive releases were started in 2004 and this is the 6th one of the series. There were originally 5,000 unnumbered boxes produced but I am sure they rolled another batch of these as they are quite popular. I am a big fan of the Ramon Allones marca and of the grand corona vitola. It was only right for me to do a review of this cigar.

Read the full review of Ramon Allones Superiores...

Origin : Cuba
Format : Sublime
Size : 6.5 (164 mm) x 54
Release : 2012
Hand-Made
Price : ~$50 each
More info about purchasing Vegas Robaina cigars...

Back in November I attended the famous Partagas festival in Havana, Cuba along with the Toronto contingent. This was my first time going and I must say I am now hooked. After a few days of hunting in every cigar store in town, I was invited by the good people at the Montreal branch of the Casa Del Habanos to a pre-launch tasting of this year’s Edicion Regional Canada, the Vegas Robaina Aniversario XV Exclusivo Canada. Vegas Robaina is not a marca I particularly appreciate but I am more than ready to have my mind changed.

Read the full review of Vegas Robaina XV Aniversario Pre-Release (Canada RE)...

Origin : Cuba
Format : Petit Robusto
Size : 119 (4.7'') x 20.64 mm
Ring : 52
Hand-Made
Price : In Cuba $18.50 (Other Parts of the World, $30.00 -$45.00)
More info about purchasing Cohiba cigars...

In 2010, Cohiba officially unveiled perhaps one of its more exclusive cigars ever. The cigar received extensive reviews at the time of release ranging from over-priced to the best cigar the reviewer had ever tasted. I understand that whenever a cigar is priced in the highest end of the price range for a particular product, there will often be resentment associated with that. However, the fact they are priced in the “exclusive” end is perhaps why they are consistently sold out even two years after their release. Although we can still call this cigar new to the scene, it really isn’t all that new to the aficionado anymore because anyone with a passion for Cuban cigars knows very well about the story behind these cigars and their desire among smokers and collectors alike. One of the best cigars to come out of Cuba in a long time is also one of the most, if not THE most expensive to come off the Island and as a result, people will have varying opinions, often wrongly, because of that price tag.

What makes the Behike so special is that unlike many other Cubans, this cigar, for all intent and purpose really needs no aging in large part due to the fact that the cigar is essentially constructed with aged tobacco. For example, the filler is made up of tobacco known as medio tiempo which is a sun-grown leaf that grows at the top of tobacco plants. Not all tobacco plants produce this leaf though but it is known to be full-bodied and loaded with coffee-like flavors with a very creamy texture to the smoke. Essentially, this leaf has elements of tobacco leaf that has already been aged and, even with young medio tiempo, one can detect the same creamy, earthy and coffee-like flavors of a well-aged cigar. The BHK comes in 52, 54 and 56 which corresponds to their respective ring gauges and, once stabilized for humidity, can be smoked “out of the box”.

I’ve been lucky enough to obtain 2 boxes both from Cuba and at Cuban pricing. The first one, bearing a box date of October 2011, was brought back for me in early December of 2011 from a vacationing friend. At 180 Cuban Pesos per cigar, the 10-count box worked out to 18.00 Cuban Pesos per stick. With an exchange rate to the Canadian dollar being almost equal, we can fairly say that these cigars were roughly $18.00 each. The second box was purchased for me in June of 2012 and they carried a box date of May 2012. Again, I placed the order through a vacationing friend and that second box cost me 183.00 Cuban Convertible Pesos or roughly $185.00 Canadian dollars for a 10 count box ($18.50 each cigar).

These cigars sell out fast wherever they are, indicating that the price is not keeping people from indulging in the pleasure. I’ll comment some more about this later. First, however, let’s talk about these cigars of which I have 1 box left, having smoked the last one out of my first box just a few weeks ago.

Read the full review of Cohiba Behike BHK 52...

Origin : Honduras
Format : Various
Size : N/A
Wrapper : Ecuadorian Habano Maduro
Filler : Honduran Corojo & Dominican Piloto
Binder : Honduran Corojo Seco
Hand-Made
Price : $12.50+

We are back with another exclusive to one of the best cigar shops/lounges around… The Cigar Inn. The cigar line that we are reviewing is the O.S.O.K. (One Shot One Kill) 212 NYC Limited Exclusive. And we have made yet another addition to our fine group of reviewers. Now joining my Father Nick Sr., Neal and myself (Nick Jr.) will be Ricky in his very first official review with us. Now a little O.S.O.K. history…

The O.S.O.K. 212 NYC is an addition (though a limited exclusive) to the original O.S.O.K line. The O.S.O.K. line is a spin-off/addition to the Room 101 line (a joint venture between Camacho Cigars and Pete Johnson of Tatuaje Cigars). The Room 101 brand is owned by Camacho Cigars which in turn is now owned by The Oettinger Davidoff Group (Zino Davidoff Cigars). Got all that? But this is all about the O.S.O.K. 212 NYC. Only 3,000 cigars in 10 count boxes are being produced across the 4 vitola line which shows just how limited this stick is! The 212 series, (212 is the area code in Manhattan. A tribute to New York City.), consists of two diademas (commonly referred to as salomons) and two parejos (standard vitola shape).

The Cigar Inn has been working very hard to provide only the very best to its clientele. Through very careful and thorough screening they have decided that the O.S.O.K. 212 NYC was the perfect cigar to represent the Cigar Inn name. Matt Booth, founder of Room 101 has also expressed his excitement in bringing this unique stick to The Cigar Inn. It is a top shelf stick that belongs in a top shelf shop, and Mr. Booth has found that in The Cigar Inn and its owners, the Fakih brothers: Billy, Bass and Gus. And you will never meet a nicer bunch of guys!

Now, on to the reviews…

Read the full review of Room 101 OSOK 212 NYC Edition...