When the highly critical folks at Cigar Coop rated this complex cigar at 92, they said it best,”This cigar delivered excellent flavor and had a nice amount of complexity. I also found the medium to full strength and body of this cigar clicked with the flavors perfectly.” Combine this with Cigar Coop’s similar ranking describing it as follows,” Flavor triumphs complexity here, with big, bright, lively notes of citrus, cedar, buttered nuts, and pour-over coffee leading the charge.” And you have a winner for sure! No doubt that the soft box pressing provides an enhanced draw allowing everything this great cigar offers to envelope your palate totally.
If you haven’t tried the Camacho Ecuador Box Pressed, grab at least a five pack to taste the meaning of complexity for a truly enjoyable smoking experience.
Wrapper: Ecuadorian Habano 2000
Binder: Brazilian Mata Fina
Filler: Honduran Corojo | Honduran Criollo Ligero | Dominican Pelo de Oro | Pennsylvania Broadleaf
Factory: Diadema Cigars de Honduras, S.A. (Honduras)
Unlike its pale, mild to mellow flavored white boxed sister, this edition is medium to full bodied in taste.
Origin – Nicaragua
Filler – Nicaraguan
Binder – Nicaraguan
Wrapper Type – Habana 2000
Montecristo Pilotico is a very special edition from this long storied brand.
This 2017 creation has an interesting heritage. It turns out that around 50 years ago, Jose Pepe Mendez came upon a region in the Dominican Republic that proved to be perfect for growing tobacco leaves. It was here where he planted what is known as his Pilotico seeds. As time passed he also gained a reputation for establishing many growing techniques and grading guidelines that still exist today in the industry. The master blenders of Montecristo decided to pay homage to Mendez and his seeds by creating this three country blend that yields a sweet kind of medium bodied taste.
To put in another way, Blind Man’s Puff rated this one at 90. Cigar Coop gave it a 91. Without doubt, Pilotico is a must try for aficionados everywhere!
Country of Origin: Nicaragua
Wrapper: Ecuadorian Sumatra
Binder: Dominican
Filler: Dominican Pilotico, Nicaraguan
Factory: Tabacalera de Garcia
Blender: Grupo de Maestros
See all the Montecristo cigars available on The Cigar Thief HERE
A long time ago, a very wise and wealthy old man told me something I never forgot, ” When you learn how to do something right, do just that over and over again and you’ll eventually succeed.” This great brands original edition offered here has been satisfying discerning smokers for over 20 years. While their price has risen over the years like everything else, they remain well made, consistent and balanced medium to full bodied sticks. The pure Dominican fillers and binder are perfectly blended within a USA grown Connecticut Broadleaf Maduro wrapper create a rich flavorful cigar that has stood the test of time. I highly suggest a five pack of your preferred size to see for yourself.
Origin – Dominican Republic
Filler – Dominican
Binder – Dominican
Wrapper Type – Connecticut Broadleaf Maduro
Crowned Heads Four Kicks Original is the one that started it all in 2011!
This cigar was the first collaboration between Jon Huber and Ernesto Perez-Carrillo Jr. This is a classic medium strength cigar that still appeals to a wide range of cigar enthusiasts.
This premier signature blend has remained a favorite for over a decade. Twelve years after its initial release Cigar Aficionado still rated it at 90. Their words for this masterfully blended medium to full bodied jewel are short and sweet. “A light beginning of herbs, anise and botanicals becomes richer with notes of raisin, malted chocolate and ground red pepper before an earthy finish. It draws and burns evenly.”
If you haven’t tried a Four Kicks yet, here’s your chance!
Origin: Dominican Republic
Wrapper: Ecuadorian Habano
Binder: Nicaragua
Filler: Nicaragua
Blenders: Ernest Perez-Carrillo Jr. and Jon Huber
See all the Crowned Heads Cigars available at The Cigar Thief HERE
Crowned Heads Four Kicks Maduro is a unique follow up to the brand’s original blend. In fact, the release of this cigar was delayed by Ernesto for an additional 6 months to let it age.
This dark cloaked gem embraces a Connecticut Maduro wrapper showcasing a lesser-known Connecticut Habano varietal (rather the more popular Connecticut Broadleaf). The vintage filler and binder leaves are from Carrillo’s premier farms. The result is an amazingly complex tasting cigar via a superb draw.
Without a doubt, the folks at Cigar Dojo were among the first to rave about it with a score of 90. “This cigar quickly presented a bevy of delicious flavors and an incredible smoke output. The core flavors transitioned from sweet to savory, and back again, with complexity showing throughout with new and surprising flavors popping in to keep it interesting to the very end. It’s like a roller coaster—thrilling.”
Add that to The Cigar Authority’s 93 rating and you know this is not just another Maduro. They emphatically state, “Never judge a book by its cover, because chances are if I saw this cigar on the shelf I might just overlook it. Once you light it up, it’s a delicious cigar.”
Don’t be afraid of the dark…..enjoy a Four Kicks Maduro today!
Wrapper: Connecticut Habano Maduro
Binder: Nicaraguan
Filler: Nicaraguan
Factory: Tabacalera La Alianza, S.A. (Dominican Republic)
Blenders:Ernest Perez-Carrillo Jr. and Jon Huber
See all the Crowned Heads Cigars available at The Cigar Thief HERE
Origin – Dominican
Filler – Dominican icaraguan
Binder – Dominican Republic
Wrapper Type – Honduran
Shipping Restrictions:
These items cannot be shipped to Massachusetts addresses
Shipping Restrictions:
These items cannot be shipped to Massachusetts state addresses
Origin – Nicaragua Filler – Nicaraguan Binder – Nicaraguan Wrapper Type – Maduro
Origin – Nicaragua Filler – Nicaraguan Binder – Nicaraguan Wrapper Type – Corojo
If you have a chance, click the “Ask Richie” icon at the top of the page and check out my “Bundles of Joy” article. The short version is that many of the world’s greatest cigar companies are making value priced bundles of premiums to offer their customers good quality, affordable everyday sticks. Casa Fernandez is one of the biggest and best. New Cuba is their entry into this growing category giving you their signature taste in a $2 stick. Great humidor stuffers and dog walkers! The Connecticut version listed here is mild to slightly medium bodied in taste.
Origin – Nicaragua
Filler – Nicaraguan
Binder – Nicaraguan
Wrapper Type – Ecuador Connecticut
This edition is yet another wonderfully balanced Nicaraguan puro. This perfectly made stick is a slow burning, super smooth and creamy medium-bodied joy to behold. It’s rare when you find such an enjoyable cigar that goes as well with a morning coffee as it does with cognac and Coke! The tiny bit of spice combined with the blend’s complex velvety taste is totally unique. I recommend a five pack of Torpedos to get the full experience.
Wrapper: Nicaraguan Corojo ’99
Binder: Nicaraguan Corojo ’99 and Criollo ’98
Filler: Nicaraguan
Factory: Sabor Aganorsa S.A (SABOR)
Blender: Arsenio Ramos, Eduardo Fernandez, Max Fernandez
Out of all the Aganorsa editions offered, this one has the “secret sauce”! We know that the specifics of the fillers and binder are not really disclosed, it is widely known that Aganorsa only uses the finest vintage leaves. The Ecuadorian grown Connecticut seed wrapper gives this stick a unique twist. While Connecticut usually means mild to mellow in taste, this cigar’s coat combined with the inners yields an extremely flavorful, medium bodied smoke with the signature character the company is known for. This is a wonderful smoking experience in the morning as well as a satisfying nightcap.
Wrapper: Ecuadorian grown Connecticut
Binder: Nicaragua (Aganorsa)
Filler: Nicaragua (Aganorsa)
The “Back2Back” brand was launched by Davidoff in 2018 as a fairly priced “Meat and Potatoes” smoke. My only issue with the company was only offering them in huge boxes of 50 sticks. This dark and oily Nicaraguan puro is a smooth, flavorful medium bodied cigar. This well made stick is balanced and consistent with pleasant notes of coffee and spices. While the overall taste increases slightly in intensity as you move along, it remains balanced and enjoyable to the finish.
Origin – Nicaragua
Filler – Nicaragua
Binder – Nicaraguan
Wrapper Type – Nicaraguan
The “Back2Back” brand was launched by Davidoff in 2018 as a fairly priced “Meat and Potatoes” smoke. My only issue with the company was only offering them in huge boxes of 50 sticks. In short, they’re well made mild to slightly medium-bodied cigars with a pleasant complexity. Even the enormous Gordo remains consistent with its smaller siblings yielding a slight sweetness and balanced, mellow smoothness. If you enjoy tamer tasting cigars, this is a good one to try. The Nicaraguan contents contribute a brighter character without being overpowering. Pick a size and try a five-pack.
Origin – Nicaragua
Filler – Nicaragua
Binder – Nicaraguan
Wrapper Type – Ecuadorian Grown Connecticut
This is my favorite offering from Southern Draw. It’s also one of their best sellers for all the right reasons. Habano-Rosado wrappers are rarely used let alone being double fermented as these are. I feel this contributes greatly to how the sweet and spicy notes from the Cuban seeded fillers and binder remain so crisp and balanced. This solidly medium bodied stick is a joy to behold for seasoned smokers as well as newcomers.
Origin – Nicaragua
Filler – Nicaragua/Dominican/Panama
Binder – Ecuador
Wrapper Type – Mexican
Origin – Nicaragua
Filler – Nicaragua
Binder – Nicaragua
Wrapper Type – Nicaragua
Origin – Honduras
Filler – Dominican Republic/Honduras/Nicaraguan
Binder – Honduras
Wrapper Type – San Andreas Mexican Maduro
This edition is a prime example of why this brand is so well loved. Not only are all the fillers, binder and wrapper aged four years before production, after the cigars are made they are allowed to sit for another year. Add in rarely used Panamanian leaves to the fillers and you have a truly unique stick. Falling within the medium to full bodied range this cigar is a balanced combination of natural tobacco flavors with a sweet and spicy edge that burns slowly and cool. Bravo!
Origin – Honduras
Filler – Honduras and Nicaragua
Binder – Nicaragua
Wrapper Type – San Andreas Mexican Maduro
Country of Origin: Dominican Republic
Wrapper: Mexican San Andrés Oscuro
Binder: Ecuador
Filler: Nicaragua
Factory: Tabacalera La Alianza S.A.
Blender: E.P. Carrillo
When you have a chance, click the “Ask Richie” icon on the upper left hand side of the screen and check out the “Bundles of Joy” article. It was just a matter of time before Ernesto Carrillo joined the club of offering hand made premium cigars for around $3 that we could readily enjoy every day without guilt. This edition is just that. The difference between this value brand and many others is the Master Blender behind it. This five country blend produces a complexly balanced medium bodied stick yielding a great aroma, easy draw and wonderful taste. Thank you Ernesto for thinking about us mere mortals! Pick you favorite size and you’ll see what I mean. PS, let them age and they get even better!!
Origin – Dominican Republic
Filler – Dominican – Ecuadorian – Mexican – Nicaraguan – United States
Binder – Ecuadorian
Wrapper Type – Ecuador Habano