premium cigars
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Saint Luis Rey Serie G Maduro
$147.16 – $188.44This brand started in Cuba in 1940 and is still being made there. When Cigar Giant Altadis acquired the name for the US, production went from the Dominican Republic to Honduras where it remains. As time passed the brand began to evolve attracting new smokers. Over 10 years ago the Series G Natural came to market giving folks who enjoy medium bodied cigars a treat that captured the brand’s heritage of rich taste in a slow burning, smooth stick.
Soon after, the addition of pitch black Connecticut Broadleaf wrapper on this maduro edition raised the needle of the taste meter just a bit more than it’s natural counterpart.
Origin – Honduras
Filler – Nicaraguan
Binder – Connecticut Broadleaf
Wrapper Type – Connecticut Broadleaf -
Romeo y Julieta Aniversario
$252.22 – $334.08Romeo y Julieta Aniversario is a very, very special cigar to say the least.
You’re definitely a serious shopper if you’re looking at this amazing cigar. In 2003, Altadis reached out to Master Blender Jose Seijas who is a veritable icon of the industry for over 40 years. With attention to detail, his skillful multi country blend of long fillers is encased in a dark Ecuadorian Sumatra seed wrapper. Without a doubt this produces an amazingly complex, smooth tasting medium bodied cigar. While this masterpiece took a while to get passed around, it’s eventual 92 rating is a testament of Seijas’ ability to give smokers a truly great experience.
Just so you know, along with the high score, Cigar Aficionado placed this great cigar in the top 25 of the year. If you want to see what has been pleasing discerning smokers for over twenty years, this Romeo has to be in your humidor today. Hands down!
Origin – Dominican Republic
Filler – Dominican-Nicaraguan-Peruvian
Binder – USA Connecticut Broadleaf
Wrapper – Ecuadorian SumatraSee all the Romeo y Julieta cigars available at The Cigar Thief HERE
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Omar Ortez Maduro
$76.55 – $240.68More full bodied than it lighter sister and value priced as well! If you’re a fan of robust taste and want an everyday smoke that’s budget friendly….look no more! A 90 rating doesn’t hurt either!
Origin – Honduras
Filler – Nicaraguan-Panamanian
Binder – Mexican
Wrapper Type – Maduro
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Montecristo Monte by AJ Fernandez
$54.00 – $157.19Montecristo Monte by AJ Fernandez is another fantastic collaboration between Master Blender A J Fernandez and this iconic brand. This is the fourth cigar blended and rolled by Fernández for Altadis U.S.A.
With attention to detail, this creation contains vintage Dominican piloto cubano and criollo 98 fillers along with a prime Nicaraguan corojo 98 binder. And encasing all this is a 17-year-old Ecuadorian Habano wrapper. How’s that for complexity and craftsmanship! Without doubt the blend yields a balanced, smooth medium-full bodied flavor. To say the least, this dark, box pressed cigar is perfectly made with an exceptional draw.
When renowned industry reviewer Katman rated it at 95, his description of this flavor bomb is spot on. ” This may just be the maltiest blend I’ve smoked. In addition, flavors of chocolate, caramel, creaminess, red pepper, dried fruit, roasted nuts, cedar, and toasted buttered French bread make this cigar a winner.”
If you consider yourself a fan of Montecristo and AJ Fernandez, this one must be in your humidor for sure!
Country of Origin: Nicaragua
Wrapper: Ecuadorian Habano
Binder: Nicaraguan Corojo 98
Filler: Nicaraguan Criollo 98, Dominican Republic Piloto Cubano
Factory: Tabacalera Fernandez S.A.
Blender: AJ FernandezSee all the Montecristo cigars available on The Cigar Thief HERE
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Montecristo Espada
$58.00 – $157.75Without doubt, Montecristo Espada is one of this iconic company’s best cigars ever!
The Spanish lesson for today is: Espada means sword. When the Espada appeared garnering a 92 rating and becoming one of the top 25 cigars of the year we all knew it was worth the price. What must be remembered is Espada is made in Nicaragua at Plasencia Cigars and is a collaboration between Plasencia and the Altadis blending team, Grupo de Maestros.
With attention to detail, the very rare wrapper from 2010 encases vintage Nicaraguan filler and binder tobacco from three prized growing regions. In fact, the filler and binder leaves are even older! The result is a medium bodied purebred with an interesting combination of sweetness and spice thats creamy and balanced. Cigar Aficionado describes this amazing smoke perfectly. “An exceptional smoke offering the spice of a gingersnap with touches of cinnamon that build to a sweet, spicy finish.”
It’s no surprise Espada has been pleasing cigar smokers for almost a decade and is still going strong.
Wrapper: Nicaraguan Habano (Jalapa) Vintage 2010
Binder: Nicaraguan Habano (Jalapa) Vintage 2009
Filler: Nicaraguan Habano (Jalapa) Seco Vintage 2008, Nicaraguan Habano (Jalapa) Viso Ometepe Vintage 2008, Nicaraguan Habano (Condega) Ligero Vintage 2008 -
Juan Lopez Seleccion
$30.00 – $118.98This is probably one of the best full bodied cigars you’ve never heard of. This 90 rated stick has been flying under the radar for over six years. What sets this Nicaraguan puro aside from many others is the characteristic of its blend, Soon after lighting up it hits you with a robust burst of flavor that begins to settle down with a bit of sweetness as you move along then ramps back up again. This is a very very flavorful cigar with a great aroma.
Origin – Nicaraguan
Filler – Nicaraguan
Binder – Nicaraguan
Wrapper Type – Nicaraguan -
H Upmann Vintage Cameroon
$117.75 – $158.26You found it! While most of us know the H. Upmann brand, few know the rarity of this 90 rated beauty. Yes, it’s medium to full bodied like most Upmanns are. What may folks don’t know is something I’ve talked about before. The Cameroon wrapper is amazing! It changes the character of this cigar to yield a smoother, tastier Upmann. Not that the others aren’t great! These Cedar wrapped beauties are unique and are even better if you let them age.Try a five pack for yourself.
Origin – Dominican Republic
Filler – Dominican-Nicaraguan-Peruvian
Binder – Nicaraguan
Wrapper Type – Cameroon -
Casa De Garcia Maduro Blend
$32.78 – $48.82When Altadis, the cigar giant thats brings us Monte Cristo, Romeo and Upmann….to name a few decided to create a value priced entry they didn’t take any shortcuts. These handmade sticks use Dominican tobaccos across the board with a bit of Honduran binder giving it a mild to medium bodied taste that’s smooth and mellow. The Connecticut Shade dark Maduro wrapper is a rarity in the budget friendly category. It gives this particular cigar a more robust taste without increasing its overall strength Enjoy!
Origin – Dominican Republic
Filler – Dominican-Honduran
Binder – Connecticut Broadleaf
Wrapper Type – Connecticut Broadleaf
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Alec Bradley Spirit of Cuba Habano
$67.32 – $72.00Alec Bradley produces many top rated premium cigars. Black Market, Prensado and Tempus to name a few. Spirit of Cuba is their value priced addition giving you a mild to medium bodied premium grade cigar hat can be enjoyed on a daily basis for a nominal price. This Habano is a solid medium bodied smoke.
Origin – Honduras
Filler – Colombian-Honduran-Nicaraguan-Mexican
Binder – Nicaraguan
Wrapper Type – Nicaraguan Habano
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Alec Bradley Black Market
$140.40 – $232.20Alec Bradley Black Market is one of this great company’s most popular cigars. For starters, Cigar Aficionado named the Black Market Churchill the 2022 #6 Cigar Of The Year with a rating of 94.
With attention to detail, this medium to full bodied gem encases a Sumatran binder and Panamanian/Honduran filler with a dark and oily Nicaraguan Maduro wrapper. To say the least, this is a medium to full bodied Cuban style smoking experience that’s hard to beat. In fact, when it came to ratings, Black Market beat out many of it’s Cuban counterparts! How’s that for value!
With this in mind, it’s hard to believe this terrific cigar has been around for over 10 years. If you consider yourself a discerning smoker and haven’t yet tried one, what are waiting for!
Factory: Tabacos de Oriente in Danli, Honduras
Wrapper: Nicaraguan Jalapa- Colorado Maduro
Filler: Honduran Jamastran Valley, Panamanian
Binder: Ecuadorian SumatraSee all the Alec Bradley cigars available at The Cigar Thief HERE
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AJ Fernandez New World
$151.20 – $166.32AJ Fernandez New World is another one of this company’s best offerings.
Master Cigar Maker A J Fernandez teamed up with his son Ismael to create a solid medium to full bodied cigar. With attention to detail, the company describes this cigar perfectly, “A true work of art blended with the finest tobaccos found in the four main tobacco regions of Nicaragua. The hand selected wrapper and fillers from are showcased in a beautiful medium to full-bodied box pressed cigar.”
With this in mind, it’s no surprise Cigar Aficionado rates this blend a very respectable 92. Their description says it all. ” This dark, oily box pressed cigar burns and draws well, showing a spicy and chocolate character buttressed by an earthy, nutty core and a hint of caramel before the herbal finish.”
Country of Origin: Nicaragua
Factory: Tabacalera AJ Fernandez Cigars de Nicaragua S.A.
Wrapper: Nicaragua (Oscuro)
Binder: Nicaragua (Jalapa)
Filler: Nicaragua (Condega, Estelí & Ometepe)Check out other AJ Fernandez cigars available on The Cigar Thief here!
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AJ Fernandez Last Call Maduro
$135.00 – $162.00AJ Fernandez Last Call Maduro is one of this company’s best cigars you never knew about.
This Last Call Maduro edition has all of what made the original a hit and more! More robust taste, more balanced spice and a unique sweetness that only AJ can muster up! With attention to detail, the Nicaraguan grown Pennsylvania Broadleaf seed wrapper gives this smoke a boost on all fronts.
When the highly critical folks at Blind Man’s Puff gave it a core of 94, they described it perfectly,”Overall a pretty damn good cigar. If you like dipping into the spice cabinet realm this one is for you. I detected notes all over, from cinnamon to nutmeg to all spice to cumin. Tasted like I was smoking a Thanksgiving dessert. Very warm and nice flavors. Due to the strength, I would recommend this as an after dinner smoke and pair with a bourbon or blended whiskey and a piece of pie.”
To say the least, for the price, this one is a must try!
Country of Origin: Nicaragua
Wrapper: Nicaraguan grown Pennsylvania Broadleaf-Seed Maduro
Binder: Nicaragua
Filler: Nicaragua
Factory: Tabacalera Fernandez
Blender: A.J. FernandezCheck out other AJ Fernandez cigars available on The Cigar Thief here!
