Tag Archives: General Cigar Co.

News: General Cigar and Espinosa Cigars Release Final Warzone Expression

Here’s some news from General Cigars.  I think I have one of the original Warzone cigars around someplace, but this Rabito size is very interesting. It’s a little bigger than a lonsdale or Corona Gorda, actually, it’s about the best of both vitolas!  Sounds like another good one!

 

General Cigar and Espinosa Cigars will release the third and final expression of the critically-acclaimed Warzone trilogy with “Warzone Rabito.” 

 

Fusing the respective styles of General Cigar and Espinosa Cigars, Warzone Rabito uses wrapper tobacco from General Cigar, along with binder and filler tobacco from Espinosa. 

 

Erik Espinosa said, “Warzone has been a very successful collaboration, so it should come as no surprise that Justin Andrews and I wanted to end the trilogy on a high note, so to speak. And since Team Espinosa blended our first Cameroon-wrapped cigars with Justin under Warzone, we agreed that we would take Cameroon to another level with our final release. There was no question when we had the blend that embodied our vision…it was like the lights turned on for all of us…we instinctively knew it was right.” 

 

The four-country blend calls upon a rich, five-year-aged Cameroon wrapper, a Honduran binder and filler tobaccos from Nicaragua and Columbia to deliver a savory cigar that balances creaminess and spiciness and produces an enticing aroma. 

 


As with previous Warzone releases, the cigars are “soft box pressed,” calling upon an old-world Cuban method in which freshly-rolled cigars are placed inside the box to form their shape.

 

Warzone Rabito (6” x 46) is now available in all channels and is being sold for a suggested retail price of $9.19 per cigar. Only 1,500 boxes have been made, and each contain 20 cigars. 

 

Warzone is handcrafted at Espinosa Cigar’s La Zona Factory in Esteli, Nicaragua. The line launched in November 2019 with a Robusto and Toro and was followed up by a Churchill released in 2020. The collection has received multiple 90+ ratings and numerous accolades to date.  

 

ABOUT GENERAL CIGAR COMPANY

General Cigar Co. is a leading manufacturer and marketer of handcrafted cigars for the premium market in the US. The company is owned by Scandinavian Tobacco Group.

Committed to delivering cigars of the finest quality, General Cigar’s skilled artisans produce Macanudo®, Cohiba®, La Gloria Cubana®, Partagas®, CAO®, Punch®, Hoyo de Monterrey®, Excalibur® and several other leading premium brands in the company’s Dominican, Honduran and Nicaraguan factories.

In addition, the company cultivates proprietary tobacco which is used exclusively in its blends and has a dedicated R&D practice that develops new varieties of tobacco and revitalizes vintage seeds.

Based in Richmond, VA, General Cigar sells through wholesalers and retailers in the US. General Cigar also operates Club Macanudo®, a cigar bar in New York City.

Read more: www.cigarworld.com.

 

 

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Contest! Drew Estate Swag and Some Cigars From My Humidor

OK, I’ve been teasing a contest for too long, and it’s been way too long since I’ve had a giveaway! So it’s time! I’ve had some goodies here that My friends at Drew Estate were kind enough to provide for me, and I’ll scrape together some Drew Estate cigars from my humidor to add as well. I’m sure I’ll find some more to throw in as the week goes by too! As it stands, here’s the stuff!

 

 

There’s the Freestyle Live Travel Humidor, Xikar cutter and torch lighter! I’m also including a cool pair of cigar socks courtesy of Groovy Groomsmen Gifts! These are the “Sock it To ‘Em” style socks and are very nice socks! I’m also including a selection of cigars from my humidor, a bunch of my favorites, from La Sirena, Danli Honduras Tobacco, Joya de Nicaragua, General Cigar and J.C.Newman, as well as others to be added later, and at my whim. 

 

As with all my giveaways, the rules are simple. First, you need to be of legal age in your jurisdiction, and willing to prove it if you win. To enter, simply leave a comment on this blog post, one per person. No Facebook or Twitter comments will count, just comments on this blog post! I’ll select a winner next Wednesday, June 16, 2021. That’s it, easy stuff. Good luck!

 

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

 

CigarCraig

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CAO Bones and Pilón Cigars

I received some samples of the new CAO Bones cigars from General Cigars last week, along with some Pilóns too. I smoked the Pilóns when they came out in 2015 and wasn’t awfully enamoured with them, which isn’t really unusual for the CAO line, it’s one of those brands where I either really like a marque or I don’t. It’s like the Amazon series, I really like the Fuma and Anaconda, but not so much the Basin and Orallana. I have been smoking a lot of CAOs recently, probably because I bought a bunch from CigarThief, then Bones came along. A happy coincidence. By the way, I had a job interview this morning, I think it went well, I start Monday! LEt’s start with the Pilón. The reason this one has renewed interest is that the French Magazine L’Amateur de Cigare just named it cigar of the year. Here’s the press release that I didn’t post when it came out:

 

CAO Pilón Named Cigar of the Year by L’Amateur de Cigare

 

CAO Pilón was named “Cigar of the Year” by celebrated international cigar magazine L’Amateur de Cigare.

The magazine’s prestigious tasting panel rated a total of 450 cigars, with Pilón ultimately winning out against the finest cigars available in France, one of the world’s leading markets for handmade cigars. 

Regis Broersma, president of General Cigar said, “We are extremely proud that CAO Pilón received this honor from such a distinguished and respected international publication. When we created Pilón, we developed the brand according to a 19th-century Cuban fermentation technique, so it is ironic that Pilón beat out the best of the best cigars from Cuba, as well as other top cigar-producing countries.”

L’Amateur de Cigare described Pilón as “elegant” and hails its “great complexity and agreeable persistence,” while praising Pilón’s “satisfying finish” and “excellent value.”

CAO Pilón was introduced in the U.S. in 2015 and launched in France in 2018 at an exclusive event in Paris at the DuPont headquarters. 

Handcrafted in Nicaragua at STG Esteli, Pilón was created by Rick Rodriguez and the CAO blending team who utilized the labor-intensive pilón process of natural fermentation to maximize the flavor and color of the Cuban seed Ecuadoran wrapper, delivering a taste and appearance unattainable through other methods. The blend consists of spicy Nicaraguan filler and binder leaves from the distinctive growing regions of Esteli and Ometepe. CAO Pilón bears a deep, rich color and an incredible depth of flavor, featuring notes of wood, spice and a touch of sweetness.

CAO Pilón is available in the U.S. and in select markets worldwide in these formats:

Churchill 7x 48 – SRP per cigar $8.49

Robusto Extra 5 x 52 – SRP per cigar $7.49

Corona 5.5 x 44 – SRP per cigar $7.09

Toro 6 x 58 – SRP per cigar $8.49

Torpedo – 7 x 54 – SRP per cigar $8.89 

 

I smoked one that they just sent, and pulled one that I found buried in the humidor from 5 years ago. I didn’t get around to smoking the older one, I decided to celebrate landing a job after nine months of frustration with a Sin Compromiso instead, sorry Ricky! I have my reasons. Anyway, the Pilón still doesn’t really do it fr me. It’s the wood, maybe mushroomy lack of sweetness that doesn’t endear it to me, but must be something the French appreciate! I suppose I can see how a palate that’s used to Havana cigars would appreciate it. I think it’s appropriate now to move from the old to the new!

 

Bones! As you’ll recall from the press release I posted a couple weeks ago (here), CAO Bones pays homage to dominos and dice games. If you buy a box, it comes with a pair of dice. When I took a pic for Instagram, I asked my son if he had an interesting die I could include in the pic, as much as I love the Cigar Props, it gets a little boring seeing the same poses in the IG feed! Corey came through with his bag of dice, which I thought made for a neat shot. Anyway, this is one of the CAO cigars that hits me right. The Connecticut broadleaf wrapper combines nicely with the Connecticut shade binder  and Honduran, Nicaraguan and Dominican filers to make a very enjoyable smoke that’s, in my opinion, on the stronger side. General almost always sends robustos to sample, in this line they call it the Chicken Foot, which is a dominos game I’m to understand (I’m ignorant in the way of dominos, unless it’s delivered, or comes in a bag, ie. sugar). That means I’m going to be forced to go buy the other sizes to sample. There is a creamy sweetness that is just beneath the surface, barely there, but noticeable under the heavy espresso- cocoa of the Broadleaf. I smoked a second one while watching Ricky and Doug (whom I’ve yet to meet) on a Zoom presentation about Bones last night, rarely do I smoke two of the same cigar on consecutive days, but this one is a good one, I can’t seem to get enough (although it apparently isn’t good enough to celebrate finally getting hired after a nine month search, is it?). I look forward to trying the other sizes especially after Doug and Rick built up the larger sizes on their show. I don’t have a problem with large cigars anyway. I don’t think I’ll be smoking as many in the coming weeks. Anyway, good cigars, good news in a weird year filled with uncertainty. Now, I have 4 days to wrap up some projects! 

 

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

 

CigarCraig

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News: CAO Launches Bones Game Themed Cigar

Here’s a new cigar coming from CAO, and I’m generally (no pun intended) a fan of CAO, as evidenced by my last post and past history. The thought of another Broadleaf cigar from Ricky has my mouth watering. I recently gave the Session another try and was quite happy with it! So I look forward to this. My only thought is the gimmick with the dice thing. Earlier this year we saw another brand come out with a box that included a dice game, so I can’t help but wonder about the copycat factor. I know concepts are months, sometimes years, on the drawing board, and coincidences happen, it’s just too strange…Will it work? Gimmicks can be a crapshoot! (groan).

 

CAO LAUNCHES BONES

 

Full-time collection celebrates dominoes, dice and great times with great smokes

 

CAO presents “Bones,” a collection made to celebrate the memories that are made when a great cigar is lit and the games begin. Bones was named after dominoes and dice, the deeds that are best done with a cigar in hand and in the company of friends old or new.

 

CAO’s blender/brand ambassador Rick Rodriguez said, “Bones is about kicking back with your friends with a cold beer in your hand, playing a game, smoking, grilling, talking a little trash, and having the time of your life. And that’s what CAO is about, too. It’s about being yourself, enjoying the people you’re with and not having a care in the world while you’re having your cigar. Most of us need a break right now and Bones is just the cigar for that.”

 

Rick and the Nicaraguan-based CAO blending team set out to make a medium-to-full-bodied smoke that could easily be the topic of conversation or take the backseat during a game night or any smoking occasion with fellow cigar smokers.  Rick and the team also developed the blend to complement a wide range of libations that go hand-in-hand with a handmade cigar.

 

Bones features a four year old Connecticut Broadleaf wrapper over a Connecticut Shade binder. The blend is comprised of two varieties of Honduran tobacco from Jamastran and La Entrada, along with Nicaraguan Estelí and Dominican Piloto Cubano. Bones is a meaty smoke that delivers bold notes of wood, nuts and vanilla. 

 

Bones is a full-time addition to the brand’s top-rated lineup and is handcrafted in Nicaragua at STG Estelí. The brand will ship on August 4th to cigar retailers across the country and will be available in four sizes, each named after classic games of dominoes. Each box contains 20 cigars, comes with two standard 16mm dice and is outfitted with a felt-covered inside lid which is a suitable surface for playing dice.

 

Chicken Foot (Robusto):  5” x 54 – SRP per cigar $7.49

Blind Hughie (Toro): 6” x 54 – SRP per cigar $7.99

Matador (Churchill): 7.25” x 54 – SRP per cigar $8.49

Maltese Cross (Gigante): 6” x 60 – SRP per cigar $8.99

 

 

For more information about CAO Cigars, please visit www.caocigars.com.

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News: General Cigar Co. Announces Cohiba Royale

Here’s some news from the folks at General Cigar. There hasn’t been a lot of news coming out recently. I find it interesting that this is being made in Honduras. I’m not sure why this is significant, or if it is. Maybe it’s a matter of factory capacity, I’m not sure. It kind of looks like a (ahem) “budget” Spectre. I smoked a Spectre on the first day of my last job, I hope I get to smoke another one soon! 

 

The artisans of Cohiba are proud to present COHIBA ROYALE, a super-premium collection that joins the Cohiba portfolio as the brand’s fullest-bodied expression to date. Cohiba Royale also marks another important milestone for the brand, as it is the first Cohiba line to be handcrafted in Honduras.

 

Cohiba Brand Ambassador Sean Williams said, “Cohiba Royale was created with the cigar connoisseur in mind, bringing to life the microclimates and fertile soils of the Caribbean and Central America in a way that is unique to the brand. All of the tobaccos that comprise Cohiba Royale are hand-selected and deeply aged, representing the best of the best tobacco growing regions in the world. The result is a cigar that is as bold as it is refined, befitting of the Cohiba name.”

 

A dimensional, multi-country blend with tobaccos from Nicaragua, Honduras, and the Dominican Republic, Cohiba Royale provides the most profound smoking experience of the renowned Cohiba brand.

 

Cohiba Royale begins with a lustrous, sun-grown wrapper from Nicaragua’s celebrated Jalapa Valley. In a nod to Cohiba’s Dominican roots, the Jalapa wrapper crowns a Dominican Piloto Cubano binder which sits atop a quintessential selection of tobacco from Honduras’ Jamastran valley and the Nicaraguan valleys of Jalapa and Esteli. Each leaf of the blend has undergone intensive aging for five to six years before being deemed worthy of inclusion in Cohiba Royale. 

 

The result is a balanced cigar that is best described as sublime, as notes of leather and spice mingle with nuances of earth and cedar.

 

Cohiba Royale is handcrafted at General Cigar’s HATSA factory in Danli, Honduras, where a special team of artisan cigar makers was selected to produce this full-time addition to the Cohiba portfolio. 

 

Available in these three sizes, Cohiba Royale will ship to retailers in April. The line will be available in both 5-count and 10-count boxes.

 

Gran Royale (4.5” x 52): SRP per cigar $23.99

Robusto Royale (5.5” x 54); SPR per cigar $25.99

Toro Royale (6” x 50); SPR per cigar $28.99

 

In support of Cohiba Royale, Sean Williams will visit fine cigar shops nationwide to share the blend with discerning cigar smokers. 

For more information about Cohiba, please visit www.cohiba.com.

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