Tag Archives: Best Cigar Prices

by Craig Vanderslice | September 1, 2023 · 5:57 pm

News: Best Cigar Prices Announces Dakine Cigars with Hawaiian Tobacco

Here’s some interesting news from my friends at Best Cigar Prices to start off the holiday weekend. I’ve been following BCP since they were doing business as New Global Marketing and advertised on the weekly Fujipub email listserv. It used to be a really long list off specials, usually following the Gig Harbor, Washington weather report. Anyway, this is a pretty cool sounding project and I know Laura has been invested in this for a long time.

Leading online cigar retailer Best Cigar Prices is proud to introduce a new cigar line themed for its inclusion of rare Hawaiian-grown tobaccos.

Taking its name from the all-inclusive Hawaiian colloquial term “Dakine,” the DakineTM cigar line encompasses eight unique premium cigar blends, each featuring Hawaiian tobacco leaves grown especially for the creation of this new brand.

“We are extremely excited to bring this innovative new series to our customers” said Greg Fox, President & CEO of Best Cigar Prices. “Dakine cigars awaken a dimension of the palate that other cigars simply do not. The authentic Hawaiian tobaccos expertly blended into this premium collection create a truly original smoking experience. These eight blends are among the most unanticipated pleasures of my 20 years in premium cigars.”

“Laura Barlau (Purchasing Director at Best Cigar Prices) and I have been friends for a few years and share an affinity for good cigars and innovation,” said Chris Weber, Owner of Tabacalera Nuevo Nica and blender of Dakine. “When she told me she’d always wanted to blend a cigar with Hawaiian tobacco, I told her of some leaves I’d been growing as an experiment at home inHawai’i. Fast forward to now, and the outcome is nothing short of amazing. Mahalo Nui Loa to Laura, Greg and the BCP team for the confidence in us to bring this project to light for them.”

Each of the eight different blends in the Dakine cigar line is themed for a different Hawaiian island and uses its own distinct blend recipe to offer a unique tasting profile. Each island is also represented individually by its art and packaging design, name, culture, and personality. The blends are as follows:

The Big Island

The Big Island spins a burly Broadleaf wrapper around a balanced mix of Ecuadorian, Nicaraguan, and Hawaiian tobaccos to deliver an earthy and spicy smoke representing the island’s famous black sand beaches and volcanic soils.

The Target Isle

Wrapped in hearty Habano, The Target Isle completes its tasty kick with an Ecuadorian binder and a bold mix of Hawaiian and Nicaraguan filler leaves.

The Valley Isle

An earthy smoke with layered flavors, The Valley Isle cigar nestles its smooth blend of Nicaraguan and Hawaiian fillers within the confines of a sturdy Ecuadorian binder and dense Connecticut Broadleaf wrapper.

Lānaʻi

A unique and subtly-sweet smoke, the Lānaʻi employs a special candela wrapper leaf grown by the Plasencia family in Honduras to cover its lively mix of Nicaraguan binder and Nicaraguan and Hawaiian fillers.

The Friendly Isle

The Friendly Isle cigar gets its mellow and welcoming vibes from a smooth and silky blend of aConnecticut wrapper over Nicaraguan and Hawaiian interior tobaccos.

The Gathering Place

The Gathering Place cigar’s warm and inviting tones come courtesy of a Habano wrapper leaf over a Nicaraguan binder and Nicaraguan and Hawaiian filler tobaccos.

The Garden Isle

Cloaked in mouth-watering Mexican San Andrés, the Garden Isle’s lush, vibrant, and relaxingcharacter is derived from its exhilarating blend of a Mexican San Andrés wrapper over an Ecuadorian binder and Nicaraguan and Hawaiian filler leaves.

The Forbidden Isle

The Forbidden Isle cigar piques your curiosity – what wonders will be revealed through its exotic blend recipe of a Cameroon wrapper leaf over Nicaraguan binder and Nicaraguan and Hawaiian filler tobaccos?

Cigar lovers are sure to be impressed with the striking flavors and aromas of this unprecedented collection. To further quote Fox, “Dakine cigars are like a Hawaiian vacation for your taste buds!”

Each Dakine blend is available in Robusto (5 x 50) and Toro (6 x 50) sizes in boxes of 20 cigars with MSRPs ranging from $185.99 to $222.99.

Dakine Cigars are blended and handmade in Nicaragua at Tabacalera Nuevo Nica.

About Tabacalera Nuevo Nica:

“We specialize in quality over quantity as quantity will grow with time. We focus on sourcing the best materials from our favored suppliers. We are small, but we are focused. We are unique, but we stand by our product. In the end, as we say, we make Ferraris.” – Chris Weber, Owner.

About Best Cigar Prices:

Best Cigar Prices is the premier online retailer of premium cigars and cigar accessories, offering a wide selection of handmade cigars, machine-made cigars, cigar humidors, lighters, cutters, and more at discount prices. Best Cigar Prices also offers weekly email deals, free monthly catalogs showcasing their latest products, cigar samplers, and specials, and customer support seven days a week.

About Cigar Hub:

Cigar Hub is the wholesale sister company of Best Cigar Prices, providing retailers with a full spectrum of cigar products from the world’s top brands at the greatest value possible. Stocking over 900+ brands and 9,000+ products in our state-of-the-art humidified warehouse, Cigar Hub is a one-stop wholesale shop that requires no minimum order and offers same day shipping on in- stock items.

For more information on these new releases:
Consumers: please visit www.BestCigarPrices.com or call 1-888-412-4427
Retailers: please visit www.CigarHub.com or call 1-888-392-4427

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Tagged as BCP, Best Cigar Prices, cigar, cigars, Dakine

by Craig Vanderslice | July 14, 2021 · 10:06 pm

Contest! A 90+ Rated All-Star Sampler

I’ve been lazy, and haven’t smoked anything new to write about over the last few days. So the obvious solution is to give some cigars away. I recently updated the Best Cigar Prices Ad on the site, and I immediately purchased the deal, which I, for some reason unknown, I almost always do. Like I need more cigars! So I figure I would turn around and give that sampler away! It’s not that I wouldn’t smoke any one of the five cigar, I was eyeing them tonight, but opted for something else instead. You see, I could mooch cigars to give a way, but over the last few years the FDA has made it illegal for cigar companies to give away cigars. There’s nothing that says that I can’t give away my own cigars though! So the deal is really good, if you don’t win mine, go buy them from Best Cigar Prices! Here’s the Sampler:

A Montecristo Platinum Toro, an Oliva Serie G Churchill Cameroon, a Romeo Y Julieta Habana Reserve Toro, a Rocky Patel Sun Grown Robusto, and an Alec Bradley Project 40 Robusto. You also get a Best Cigar Prices Double Blade 80 Ring Gauge Cigar Cutter. Like I said, it’s a nice little sampler, I would have ordered two, but it’s one per household and I couldn’t get away with it! Usual rules apply, leave a comment on this blog post to enter, nowhere else. You must be of legal age in your jurisdiction and able to provide proof, and Mitch Smith isn’t eligible because he just won the last contest! Good Luck and I’ll select a winner next Wednesday, July 21, 2021.

That’s all for tonight, until the next time,

CigarCraig

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Tagged as Best Cigar Prices, cigar, cigars, Contest

by Craig Vanderslice | July 1, 2020 · 9:34 pm

Best Cigar Prices Grand Exhibition Cigar Line

After my recent visit to the Best Cigar Prices shop up in Drums, PA, Jason there sent me a few of their latest exclusive Altadis series, the Grand Exhibition line. I figured I’d give them a smoke this week and see how they were. Here’s what he wrote about them on the BCP site:

Cigars have been showcased at World’s Fair Exhibitions dating back to the 1800s. Commonly featured in the agricultural exhibits of various nations, these displays often gave the public their first look at real tobacco leaves, demonstrated the care and expertise involved in crafting fine cigars, and were even judged and awarded medals based on quality and workmanship. Indeed, the same passion and pride of cigar making that we know today was in full force at these international conventions held hundreds of years ago.

Paying tribute to the historic presence of cigars at the World’s Fair, The Grand Exhibition cigar line presents three opulent Nicaraguan blends from a trio of the most well known and respected brands in the world – all of which were once celebrated at World’s Fairs. The celebration now continues in your humidor with the introduction of the world-class flavor of Grand Exhibition cigars.

I decided to start with the H. Upmann Grand Exhibition Toro. As a general rule, the regular Altadis H. Upmann line is not a flavor profile which aligns well with my own preferences. This is made in Nicaragua, and is listed as a Connecticut wrapper, which is very dark for a Connecticut shade leaf. It’s certainly Connecticut shade and not broadleaf as it has a very clean appearance, and tastes nothing like broadleaf. The Toro is 6” x 50, and was well made, with a free draw and perfect burn. It had the classic H. Upmann flavors of the Upmanns I remember from years ago when I smoked the brand. There was a slightly sour, leatheriness that some folks love, but isn’t among my favorites. It wasn’t totally off putting, and the smoking experience overall made up for the flavors not being totally up my alley. For a cigar in the $6-7 price range, it’s a good buy if you’re an H. Upmann Fan. Anymore, the only Upmann I really enjoy is the newer H. Upmann by A.J. Fernandez.

Next up I smoked the Romeo y Julieta Grand Exhibition Magnum. This is the 6” x 60 Gordo in the line. These are also made in Nicaragua with a Habano wrapper, and are priced in the $7-$8 range. I haven’t smoked Romeo y Julietas in a while, save for the infrequent RoMEo, so nothing really to compare this to. Again, the construction was perfect. I’m one of the odd ones who doesn’t mind a cigar of this size, and it performed very well. It was very flavorful, rich, creamy smoke with nice tobacco flavors. It has some of the spice and sweetness I like and was enjoyable to the end. I was quite pleased with the RyJ.

Tonight I smoked the Montecristo Grand Exhibition, which is the premier offering in the Grand Exhibition line, carrying the highest price tag. They are in the $9-$10 range. The Montecristo also has a Habano wrapper, and is made in Nicaragua. Again, excellent construction, perfect burn and draw, an absolute pleasure to smoke. I smoked the 6″ x 52 toro, and I love toros. I have a feeling that Jason at BCP knew my Toro preference when he chose the cigars to send. It should be noted that all of these are available in Robusto and Churchill as well as the Toro, with the Upmann and Romeo lines having a 6″ x 60 Magnum and the Montecristo substituting a No. 2 Torpedo. The Montecristo had a really nice, well balanced flavor. I nice spice, some sweetness, and on the stronger side of medium. It was certainly my favorite of the three, although all were very good. I followed it up later with an Espada with a few years age on it with was also very nice, and compared favorably.

Thank you to Jason for sharing these fine cigars with me! If you find yourself in Drums, PA, which is near Wilkes Barre, you need to stop in to Best Cigar Pub for a bite and a cigar. It’s a great place and they have a great selection of cigars. That’s all for today, until the next time,

CigarCraig

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Tagged as Best Cigar Prices, cigar, cigars, Grand Exhibition, H.Upmann, Montecristo, romeo y julieta

by Craig Vanderslice | June 17, 2020 · 10:24 pm

A Visit to Best Cigar Pub and Best Cigar Prices Exclusive Rare Select Cigars

Pic from PCB’s website

Yesterday my wife and I took a drive to Scranton to pick up a cool cigar lamp that she won in an auction, so on the way back we stopped in to Best Cigar Pub in Drums, PA for lunch. I had visited here briefly over the winter and gotten a tour and had a cigar (you can read about it here), today we enjoyed a meal at the pub. They had just re-opened last Thursday, and were observing all of the precautions we need to become accustomed to. Fortunately it was a beautiful spring day, and they had copious outdoor seating, even extending into the parking lot. My first stop was into the retail shop, masks required, with only three patrons allowed in a a time and no handling the product. Charlie was very helpful, recognizing me behind my cigar mask (which coordinated with my shirt, I’m a dork). I picked up some of their exclusive 601 Pennsylvania Toros and joined my wife outside. The Pub has an excellent menu of fresh food, My wife had a Cuban sandwich, and I had a Short Rib with Provolone sandwich and both were delicious served with potato chips made there. I enjoyed one of the 601 Pennsylvanias while we enjoyed the views. Kyle was our server and did an excellent job, everyone there was very friendly and accomodating, although I am having trouble getting used to hearing people speaking through masks. I have enough trouble hearing as it is. I really like the 601 PA Edition, by the way, but it was a bit breezy and I had trouble with the burn, leading to a bit of a tunnel. Best Cigar Pub is a destination, I can imagine when restrictions are lifted it will be a great place for events, or just to hang out and have a nice meal.

Papier-mâché cigar lamp

By the way, here is the cool lamp we picked up. While we were eating, Charlie from the humidor came out and very kindly handed me a bag with one each of their Rare Select series from General Cigar. I selected the CAO Rare Select when I got home for my evening walk. After spending the day in the car I needed to stretch my legs. The CAO Rare Select was a 6″ x 50 toro with a Sun Grown Honduran wrapper, Honduran binder and Honduran and Nicaraguan fillers. I’ll preface this by saying there are some CAO cigars I like, and some I don’t, and the ones I don’t are typically the Criollo and Gold series. this cigar performed very well, and was not a bad cigar by any stretch of the imagination. It was a medium bodied cigar, with flavors on the leathery side, not a lot of sweetness. It was a good smoke, and I enjoyed it, and I think if you like cigars that fall more on the floral/leathery side, this is a cigar you’ll like.

Today I selected the Macanudo Rare Select. I was surprised by a Macanudo with a Sumatra wrapper as opposed to a shade wrapper. I wonder about the through process here, I see that green Macanudo band and I expect a Connecticut Shade Wrapper over a Mexican Binder. In this case, we have an Ecuador Sumatra wrapper over a Nicaraguan binder with fillers from the DR, Nicaragua and Jamaica. I was also expecting a milder cigar than I got, this was a medium bodied cigar with some interesting flavors. Again, the construction was right, the burn and draw were perfect. The Jamaican tobacco adds a little something interesting to the blend. I’ve had a Macanudo in the past couple years with Jamaican tobacco, one of the Estate Reserves I think, but prior to that I have to go back to the 90s when I had a box of Price Philips from Jamaica. Considering those had the Connecticut wrapper, there’s no way to make a comparison, not sure why I mentioned it. This was a pretty good smoke!

Tonight I smoked the Punch Rare Select. Looking at this, I knew I was in for a treat. The Connecticut Broadleaf wrapper was dark and oily. It has a Nicaraguan binder, and, get this, fillers from Brazil, Mexico, Nicaragua, and the Dominican Republic! I didn’t have to light it and the flavor on the lips made me happy. It had a nice, chocolaty taste, and when I lit it those flavors intensified. This is a hearty cigar, loads of flavor and good to the last drop. All those great tobaccos combined to make for a delicious cigar, and the whole Rare Select series is very reasonable priced, making these a great bargain. Punch is another brand that I’ve enjoyed for a long time, almost always in the darker expressions. I can’t tell you how many maduro and double maduro Rothschilds smoked in the 90s. This one competes favorably, and it’s a cigar I’ll smoke again. I smoked it to a finger-burning nub and was sad when it was finished. Thanks to Charlie at Best Cigar Prices shop for sharing these three cigars with me!

That’s all for today, until the next time,

CigarCraig

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by Craig Vanderslice | February 16, 2020 · 10:18 am

A Visit to Best Cigar Pub, Blackbird Cigar Co. Cigars and Video and Contest Winner

Yesterday I found myself wandering much further north in PA than I usually find myself. There was a seminar on Bees and Chickens that my wife and I attended, and I snuck off during the second half to do some of my own research. Twenty minutes away from the venue where the seminar was held happened to be the brand new Best Cigar Pub, and Best Cigar Prices headquarters. I figured this would be a good place to visit. Fortunately, the purchasing manager, Chris O’Neill, managed to arrange a tour for me. Katie (Katy? I forgot to clarify), the Finance/HR director, gave me a tour of the entire facility. Why do small companies always saddle the Finance director with HR responsibilities? Like they don’t have enough to worry about? I digress. I had already given myself a tour of the retail humidor, which has a very nice selection and courteous service. Katie showed me the bar, pointed out many of the little things like custom tables with actual tobacco leaves under acrylic, art on the wall done by a local artist, all of the ashtrays made by a local craftsman. She pointed out the excellent menu as well. She then waled me through the Best Cigar Prices operations, all of the offices, warehouse, shipping and all of the stuff I enjoy seeing as a guy who’s spent his professional career in operations. They run a very clean and efficient pick, pack, and ship operation from what I can see. All of the marketing, customer service, web design is all done there in Pennsylvania. I was quite impressed with the operation. I’ll get back to the Pub, which was even more impressive. Upstairs is a lounge with TVs and comfy chairs, wait-staff is attentive and the air handlers replace all the air in the place every three minutes, so it’s not smokey at all. They even have a coat closet in the entry that has an ozone generator so that your coat doesn’t smell smokey. They’ve really thought of everything to make this not just a place to come have a cigar, but a place that smokers and non-smokers alike can enjoy a meal or a beverage together. I enjoyed a 601 Pennsylvania Edition, which is an Espinosa exclusive for BCP. Chris happened to join me and interrupted me while I was taking in the museum portion of the upstairs lounge, which is an educational feature they’ve added. It has the origin story of cigars with a timeline and facts about cigars, infographics about the tobacco plant, how cigars are made, every conceivable detail. Chris tells me they plan to have monitors with video loops of various processes playing included in the wall as well. Best Cigar Pub is a beautiful place, it’s easy enough to find, although not exactly in the middle of anything. I can see it being amazing in the summer with the outdoor patios and putting green and nobody around to really complain! Certainly worth a visit if you are anywhere near north-east PA.

I had heard of Blackbird Cigar Company, but hadn’t seen the cigars any where. When I walked past the booth and they weren’t busy, it seemed like a great time to stop in and see what it they were all about. Imagine my surprise when the owner and founder of the company, Jonas Santana, looked at me and said “I know who you are”. It seems he used to work for another company, and struck out on his own to start Blackbird. I think it was on CigarProp’s youtube channel that I remember hearing about the brand. Anyway, I asked Jonas to share the story of the brand with me on camera. have a look:

Over the course of the past several days I smoked a few of the Blackbird cigars offerings. I would have lined to have smoked them all, but I just couldn’t get to them. They have six cigars in the portfolio, and I can’t run down my smoking experience for six cigars in one post. They very cleverly make the bands on the cigars easy to remove, which is good because they are large bands and doo need to be removed to fully enjoy the cigar! They have two Sumatra wrapped offerings, and, as I’ve been on a Sumatra kick lately, and I smoked the Sumatra Rook with them at the TPE and really enjoyed it, I smoked the Finch this week. This was another excellent Sumatra wrapped cigar. It had the nice, sweet Sumatra wrapper flavor and a well-balanced core of tobacco goodness withinThis has an Indonesian binder, and Dominican and USA fillers. It was solidly medium bodied and a very nice cigar. Next I went with what you’d expect from me, the San Andrés wrapped Crow. It was Valentines Day, and I figured the red band would be appropriate. This cigar had a closed foot, and a dark, oily wrapper. The flavors were earthy and bakers chocolate, perhaps espresso, without sweetness. The internals on this one include a Habano binder and Nicaraguan, Pennsylvanian, and Corojo and Criollo 98 fillers. Very enjoyable. Finally, last night after a long day trip, I unwound with the Unkind, a Brazilian Cubra wrapped cigar. This was also a maduro cigar, and, like the rest, a 5″ x 50 robusto. The binder on this one is from the DR, with Criollo 09, HBA (not sure what this means), Corojo and Pennsylvania. One thing I can say about all of the Blackbird cigars I smoked was that that all were well made and burned right, an important consideration. It’s possible that the PA tobacco was a common flavor component that I picked up though the few cigar I smoked this week. You’ll see if you watch the video that some thought went into the brand, and the same attention went into the quality of materials and manufacture as well. The Unkind had a unique flavor, also an earthy maduro, not really sweet. It was very good though, I enjoyed it completely. I still have the Connecticut Jackdaw and Criollo Cuco yet to smoke, I kind of like those two wrapper varieties more in warmer weather for some reason. I’ll get to them and let you know.

Contest!

OK, so after a lot of money and aggravation, my site is clean. It’s time to pick a winner of the sampler of some of my favorite cigars, Don Juan Calavera, Flor Maya and Marchetti cigars from Danli Hondura Tabaco, and I had to collect entries from two different places. After collecting all of the names, and putting them into a bowl (OK, I put them into a spreadsheet and randomized the list to mix them up and assign them numbers), the random number generator picked Anthony C as the winner. Please email me your coordinates and proof that you are 21 or older so I can get these goodies to you. I have a KMA Talk Radio hat and shirt and a Stage V Clinger cigar holder to add as well (it’s a big shirt, do with it what you will, I take no responsibility. If it fits, great!).