Padron

Visiting with the Padrons we got our first look at the 40th Anniversary 1926 Torpedo.  A gorgeous cigar celebrating their 40th year in business.  The total production of this cigar will only entail 400 humidors of 40 cigars each.  Marcos Padron, a 5th generation Padron, introduced us to the new 6000 Torpedo in Maduro.  A solid addition to the "1000" line.  The 6000 seemed to have a hair more spice than we are used to in this line.

Padilla

One of the hottest new brands in the industry is Padilla Cigars.  Padilla has received some good reviews in the press lately.  Three lines of Dominican manufactured cigars, the Hybrid Series, Maduro Series, and the Connecticut Series.  Rob and I were given a sample of each, that we hope to enjoy later this evening.

Puros Indios

The long awaited Cienfuegos...is still being awaited.  This cigar was introduced last year, and has yet to reach the general public in any quantity.  The hope at the Puros Indios booth was that they would be receiving some later in the day.  We plan to stop back Wednesday in the hopes of trying one.

Oliveros

An interesting conversation was with Rafael Nodal, the President of Oliveros.  The Oliveros name was purchased by Nodal, and a slew of interesting new cigars are being introduced.  If you have not seen, oliveros is also the company selling the "Bush" and "Kerrey" cigars...you can cast your vote by buying one or the other!  New lines from Oliveros include the "Habana Cuba Premier Collection", "XL for Men" and Oliveros Grand Reserva.  The XL for Men line is built for those loving a large ring gauge cigar.

Cusano

At Cusano cigars we had the chance to talk with Joseph Cusano, the brother to Michael.  We sampled the new Cusano 10, a cigar in celebration of Cusano Cigars 10th anniversary.  The 10 only comes in a corona size and is packaged in serialized boxes of 10.  We thought the 10 to be a good medium bodied cigar.

Bucanero

Barry at Bucanero Cigars was in his usual good spirits.  Bucanero is releasing the Don Douglass cigar, a mild bodied smoke that both of us liked.  Bucanero has also redesigned all their boxes.  Bucanero let us in on a little secret, a Costa Rican puro they plan to release in the upcoming months.

Gran Habano

Another real up and comer is Gran Habano.  We spoke at length with George Rico, the founders son.  The T25C Review Database has received numerous rating of late on these cigars, and we were curious to hear their story.  The people behind Gran Habano have been tobacco growers for the last ten years, supplying to other manufacturers.  The Gran Habano line is their first foray into building their own brand with estate grown tobacco.

Puros do Brasil

The "Boys from Brazil" are the guys at Puros do Brasil.  Two lines of Brazilian puros have been released, including the Caravelas and Delectados.  The Delectados was mentioned in the most recent James Bond film.  While we did receive some samples of both lines, we have not had the chance to smoke them, and look forward to trying them later tonight.

Thanks for reading!

Paul Shoberg
Rob Shibata