internet only CigarJULY 26, 2011 n VoL. 16, noInsider. 14 n From THe PubLiSHer oF CIGAR AFICIONADO maGaZine CLICK HERE TO SUBSCRIBE IN THIS ISSUE: FEATURED CIGAR TASTING REPORT: MONTECRISTO VERTICAL BRAND TASTINGS: no. 2 cuba n PRICE: £18.60 n BODY: medium 92 PoinTS n Don Diego Fuerte By Omar Ortez [page 2] For a full tasting, see page three. n Alec Bradley American Classic Blend [page 2] CURRENT SIZES: BEST CIGARS THIS ISSUE n H. Upmann No. 2 [page 3] n Montecristo No. 2 [page 3] H. Upmann No. 2 Cuba 92 Montecristo No. 2 Cuba 92 SPECIAL REPORT— NEW CIGARS OF 2011 (PART ONE) Don Diego Fuerte By Omar Ortez Belicoso Nicaragua 91 n Alec Bradley Cigar Co. [page 4] Alec Bradley American Classic Blend Robusto Nicaragua 89 n Altadis U.S.A. Inc. [page 4] Alec Bradley American Classic Blend Torpedo Nicaragua 89 n A.J. Fernandez Cigars [page 5] Don Diego Fuerte By Omar Ortez Robusto Nicaragua 89 n Ashton Distributors Inc. [page 5] n Augusto Reyes Cigar Co. [page 5] Don Diego Fuerte By Omar Ortez Toro Nicaragua 89 n Beach Cigar Group Inc. [page 6] n Berger & Argenti [page 6] n C&C Cigars LLC [page 7] n Curivari Cigars International LLC [page 7] SWISS SHAKEUP n Davidoff of Geneva [page 7] DAVIDOFF, one of the giants of the cigar world, n Di Fazio Cigars [page 8] has new management at the top. CEO Reto Cina retired in May, then top Swiss executives René Hollenstein and Hanspeter Hagmann left the com- CIGAR NEWS pany in June. New president and CEO Hans-Kristian Hoejsgaard named James Young U.S. president in July, n Big Changes at Davidoff [page 9] replacing Peter Baenninger. For more, see page nine. THE NEW SMOKES OF SUMMER: IPCPR ROUNDUP NEW CIGARS ARE HEADING YOUR WAY, AND WE HAVE THE INFO. Our editorial team has returned from the International Premium Cigar & Pipe Retailers (IPCPR) trade show in Las Vegas with piles of information about the new cigars heading to cigar shops around the United States. Ashton Distributors Inc. has a new Ashton VSG, which is round, rather than box pressed. Alec Bradley has made a cigar with 10 different tobacco leaves known as Fine & Rare. Altadis has created an all-Corojo version of the A. Turrent brand (and reblended and renamed H. Upmann). A.J. Fernandez has created an unusually shaped smoke called San Lotano Oval from Nicaragua. For news on those brand new cigars and many, many more, turn to page four. To SubScribe Go To www.ciGarinSider.com Cigar Insider CLICK HERE TO SUBSCRIBE CORONA TASTING REPORT 87 PoinTS n 5 1/2" x 44 n $5.00 Rolled with a soft head and veiny wrapper. It smokes evenly, starting with sour apple and woody flavors that turn a bit waxy on the finish. body: Medium to Full DON DIEGO FUERTE BY OMAR ORTEZ BRAND SUMMARY: Don Diego has historically been a mild- to VERTICAl bRAND tasting medium-bodied cigar. Don Diego Fuerte by Omar Ortez is the Country: Nicaragua brand’s first step into the full-bodied arena. Altadis U.S.A. Inc. Maker: Agros Tabacos Industriales introduced the line last year, turning the project over to cigar Distributor: Altadis U.S.A. Inc. maker Omar Ortez in Nicaragua. The smokes are made at his Filler: Dom. Rep., Nicaragua Agros Tabacos Industriales factory, and feature dark, Cuban- seed Ecuadoran Habano wrappers blended with a Nicaraguan binder: Nicaragua binder and Dominican and Nicaraguan filler tobaccos. All the Wrapper: Ecuador cigars come packaged in wood boxes of 27 and are reasonably Release Date: August 2010 priced. While none of the cigars in the portfolio are completely full bodied, we did find most of them to register in the medium-to full-bodied range. The most impressive was the Belicoso, a toasty, BELICOSO nutty cigar that scored 91 points. 91 PoinTS n 6" x 54 n $6.50 n Humidor Selection Average Rating: 88.8 points This well-formed torpedo has a lush draw that imparts a toasty, cedary smoke tempered by touches of sweet- ness, nuts and black pepper. body: Medium to Full ROBUSTO 89 PoinTS n 4 3/4" x 54 n $5.50 ALEC BRADLEY AMERICAN CLASSIC BLEND A meaty, substantial cigar with plenty of smoke to the draw. Cedary notes come through before the slightly NEW RElEASE—VERTICAl bRAND tasting spicy aftertaste. Country: Nicaragua body: Medium Maker: Segovia Factory Distributor: Alec Bradley Cigar Co. TORO Filler: Nicaragua 89 PoinTS n 6" x 54 n $6.00 Wrapped in a dark, toothy leaf, this cigar starts out a binder: Nicaragua touch oily tasting, but mellows to show a spicy and Wrapper: Honduras woody flavor profile. Release Date: May 2011 body: Medium to Full CHURCHILL ROBUSTO 88 PoinTS n 7" x 54 n $6.50 89 PoinTS n 5" x 50 n $4.50 n best buy Dark and oily with an uneven cap. It starts out sweet A veiny cigar that draws and burns very evenly, offering a and woody in character, picking up touches of earth and sweet and nutty flavor profile with hints of dried orange mineral notes. peel. A creamy pleasant smoke. body: Medium to Full body: Medium 95-100: Classic n 90-94: Outstanding n 80-89: Very good to excellent n 70-79: Average to good commercial quality Below 70: Don’t waste your money n N/A: Not Available Note: Prices are manufacturers’ suggested retail, before taxes. 2 To SubScribe Go To www.ciGarinSider.com July 26, 2011 Cigar Insider CLICK HERE TO SUBSCRIBE TORPEDO MONTECRISTO 89 PoinTS n 6 1/8" x 52 n best buy A skillfully crafted torpedo with a very pointy tip. The CURRENT RElEASE initial wheatiness and citrus notes strengthen to show Country: Cuba touches of cocoa. Maker: N/A body: Medium Distributor: Habanos S.A. Filler: Cuba CHURCHILL n best buy binder: Cuba 88 PoinTS n 7" x 48 n $5.00 Speckled and veiny in appearance, this large cigar is Wrapper: Cuba essentially sweet with some herbal qualities and hints of box Date: February 2011 leather and nuts. body: Medium to Full NO. 2 92 PoinTS n 6 1/8" x 52 n £18.60 n Humidor Selection TORO A nutty pyramid that gains intensity as it smokes, pick- 88 PoinTS n 6" x 50 n $4.75 n best buy ing up coffee bean and earthy flavors. The aftertaste is This cigar is covered in a veiny wrapper, but smokes sweet and woody. evenly. It is primarily a woody, cedary smoke with some body: Medium herbal notes that linger on the palate. body: Mild to Medium GORDO H. UPMANN 87 PoinTS n 6" x 60 n $5.50 CURRENT RElEASE A thick cigar with an even draw that tastes of oats, cereal and some dry wood flavors. Sweetened coffee Country: Cuba notes come through intermittently. Maker: N/A body: Medium Distributor: Habanos S.A. Filler: Cuba BRAND SUMMARY: According to Alec Bradley Cigar Co.’s binder: Cuba owner Alan Rubin, the Tampa-style cigar of the early 20th Wrapper: Cuba Century was affordably priced, smooth, sweet and complex. box Date: June 2010 So he’s offered his retrospective interpretation of this idea with the Alec Bradley American Classic Blend, a brand that hit retail shops on Memorial Day Weekend. The cigars try to recapture the NO. 2 old-world spirit with Nicaraguan filler, Nicaraguan binder and a 92 PoinTS n 6 1/8" x 52 n £17.50 n Humidor Selection Connecticut-seed Honduran wrapper. “Since there are so few peo- Well made with consistently even combustion. Light ple around who would remember what this kind of cigar would tea notes and woody intonations become heavier with have tasted like, it was a real challenge for us,” said Rubin. The chocolate, nuts and a bracing black pepper finish. brand was intended to be a wallet-firendly, mild- to medium-bod- body: Medium ied smoke. The American Classic lived up to its claim as no cigars in this tasting exceeded the medium-bodied range on the strength scale and most are priced at $5 or less. The two standouts were For the latest from Cigar Aficionado, the Torpedo and Robusto, both of which scored 89 points, retail- follow us on Twitter: ing for $4.50 and $5, respectively. twitter.com/CigarAficMag Average Rating: 88.2 points 95-100: Classic n 90-94: Outstanding n 80-89: Very good to excellent n 70-79: Average to good commercial quality Below 70: Don’t waste your money n N/A: Not Available Note: Prices are manufacturers’ suggested retail, before taxes. 3 To SubScribe Go To www.ciGarinSider.com July 26, 2011 Cigar Insider CLICK HERE TO SUBSCRIBE names and signatures of the rollers, the factory supervi- sor, and Alec Bradley top brass Alan Rubin and Ralph CIGAR NEWS (Rafael) Montero. What makes it special: A cigar made from 10 different tobacco leaves is very rare. “There’s not enough room on SPECIAL REPORT: the rolling table,” said Alan Rubin. The torcedore “reaches NEW CIGARS OF 2011 PART ONE to the next table for some of the tobaccos.” by GreGory moTToLa, andrew naGy and daVid SaVona AlEC bRADlEY blACK MARKET f you work in the premium cigar industry in the United Made by: Tabacos de Oriente (Nestor Plasencia), Honduras IStates, summer means one thing—it’s trade show time. Wrapper: Nicaragua When the days begin to swelter, the companies that make Binder: Indonesia cigars by hand gather to show their latest wares to their Filler: Panama, Honduras customers at the annual International Premium Cigar & Price: $6.75–$8.00 Pipe Retailers (IPCPR) trade show.