Weekly news week 34 2020. Cigar rings are an important, yet underrated part of the cigar industry. And cigar rings are used to fight counterfeits. Several techniques are used to make it harder for counterfeiters to scam people. In our third article about Vrijdag Premium Printing, we explained some of those techniques. And the latest episode of The Philip and Ferdy Cigar Show is published. A Cuban cigar with a Scottish whisky. The Juan Lopez Seleccion No.1 with Mortlach 18. What a nice pairing.

Reviews 

We reviewed two cigars as usual. The first one is from one of our favorite master blenders, Steve Saka. And made at one of our favorite factories, Fabrica de Tabacos Joya de Nicaragua. The Muestra de Saka Nacatalame scored a high rating. The second cigar is a vintage Bolivar. Habanos released the Bolivar Libertador in 2007 as a regional edition for the French market. The cigar later returned as a La Casa del Habano exclusive cigar. But we reviewed the original French exclusive.

Cuban news

A lot of news from Habanos this week. Habanos made the headlines four times. Once with the review mentioned above. But Jose L Piedra sees the birth of a new size. The revamped packaging that was released last week also brings the new Petit Caballero. A second La Casa del Habano opens in Berlin. Stocking the new shop in the midst of a worldwide pandemic was tricky. But the German Habanos distributor 5th Avenue thought outside the box and made it happen. And there is also a new Cohiba Atmosphere. The luxurious lounge concept from Habanos expanded its presence in Asia. Beijing, China’s capital now has a Cohiba Atmosphere as well.

Amsterdam sees a new shop as well. Not exclusively for Cuban cigars, but they do have a good selection from Habanos. And an even bigger selection from Arturo Fuente. It’s the fourth shop under the Van Dalen Cigars umbrella. It’s less than 100 meters from Cigaragua and 200 meters from La Casa del Habano Amsterdam. Xikar releases limited-edition camouflage print cutters. Daniel Marshall starts a Modern Day Campfire membership with all kinds of perks. And the last news this week is the release of another Davidoff Vintage Blend Series. The Robusto Intenso comes back, 15 years after the initial release. Just as back in the day, it is a limited edition.