If you're looking to be young, hip and trendy,
Zino Cigars are for you. Or at least, the company is marketing them to your demographic.
The
Zino Platinum Scepter Series is a partnership between the Oettinger Davidoff Group and the marketing folks. It's chasing the young hip-hop crowd, and though the marketing jargon can be painful to read (check out their website and you get text like:
"The campaign 'Long Live De Can! – His Majesty's Smokin’ Dawgs' is inspired by the fact that 'dog' is pronounced 'dawg' in hip-hop slang and constitutes a term of endearment rather than an insult."
Don't be quoting that like when you're smoking one of these at the club. You will sound like a dork. Using the word "dork" also makes you sound like a dork, but I make no pretense of being cool anyway.
But you will definitely enjoy these cigars whether or not you're actually a young man who loves to smoke and has money to burn. Because the thing is that when you chase that market, you have to come with a strong product. Nobody buys bottle service or pays more than ten bucks a cigar for something mediocre -- the entire point is that you want and deserve the best.
The
Zino Platinum Scepter Series bears the signature blending style of Hendrik Kelner, and this is one of the best
Dominican cigars around. It has earned a 90-plus rating and rave reviews, exactly what you'd expect from this brand -- and these marketing folks.
Let's be honest:
Fore cigars could be awful and I'd still have to have them in my humidor just because of the name. Fortunately for me, they are actually very good
cigars available here at less than two bucks apiece.
Fore cigars take the time-honored connection between cigars and golf to a new level. The name is the popular golf term that I yell about a dozen times per round, and there's the golf ball and clubs on the radio for anyone for whom that wasn't obvious. It looks, honestly, like some novelty you'd give out as a joke on the first tee at the start of a round, and when you do that odds are good that any cigar aficionado in the group would smile, say "that's cute," and put it away in favor of whatever he brought himself.
But in this case, they'd be making an unfortunate decision.
Fore cigars aren't some random collection of leftover leaves packaged to make a quick buck. They're straight from the field and factories of Augusto Reyes, with Dominican Olor and Piloto Cubano mixed fillers topped off by a Connecticut wrapper. It's an excellent handmade
Dominican cigar at a bargain price.
When I yell "Fore" on the golf course, odds are about 95% that it will still be because I've hit a golf ball into the next fairway (or in one memorable case, directly over the head of my wife's uncle on the adjacent green, which made for an awkward moment at the 19th hole afterwords). But at least now, there's a chance I'll be calling for one of my
Fore cigars instead.
For whatever reason,
Miami Suites cigars remind me of a bygone era, in which men and women went out on the town (both wearing hats, naturally) and had their martini glass in one hand and a
premium cigar in the other.
Well, the martini has long since come back into style, although it looks a bit different. Now they're trendy and come in a thousand different flavors, and whether the martini you get is something great or a $12 dud depends largely on the recipe behind the mix and the skill of the bartender making it.
Flavored cigars occupy a similar position. Everyone seems to be trying their hand at augmenting their tobacco with some sort of flavoring to make it more appealing to folks who like something a little different. Some do it well, but the tobacco itself is second rate so the mix doesn't work. Others start with premium tobacco but don't have the right recipe to make something worth smoking. And then there are those who get both parts of the equation wrong. Better not to even discuss those.
Miami Suites cigars do this well, particularly for a short cigar that finishes quickly.
Thompson Cigar has these
cigarillos in Rum and Irish Cream flavors, and if you want a nice little flavored cigar to go out on the town with, these can make you feel as trendy as one of those 1920s starlets at the coolest club in town.
If you're looking to get a gift for a cigar lover and don't know what their tastes are,
cigar accessories always make a safe gift. In particular, I'd like to extol the virtue of
cigar cases as excellent options for when you are in doubt about what to get.
First, the caveat. You're very unlikely to be getting the recipient the first cigar case they have ever owned. Odds are good that they already have one or more lying around. If the only purpose of a case was to transport a cigar from the humidor to the smoking location, they would be purely functional objects that would sell for pennies and that nobody would care about.
But most
cigar cases aren't like that. They're designed not just to serve and protect
premium cigars, but to carry them around in the style that they deserve. Let's be honest -- whipping out a cigar from a
Xikar Envoy Single cigar case is a lot different than breaking something out of a tubo. The latter is purely something that keeps a cigar fresh, while the former is designed to impress as much as the smoke that comes out of it.
That's why the cigar smokers I know tend to accumulate cases like golfers do golf towels or extra clubs. Just because you have a little bit of something doesn't mean that you don't want more, and that's particularly true with goods like
cigar cases that come in so many different colors, sizes, and styles. It doesn't matter whether the person you're buying a present for already has a dozen cases ... he still will want more, and he'll realize that as soon as he opens the gift.
The weather is turning chillier on the East Coast, and soon we'll have the frozen turf of another winter. Hopefully, we at least won't have another three months of blizzards, but the cold is pretty certain to return.
You might think that would cause the golf clubs to be put in the garage until springtime. But if you did, you clearly don't know me very well. My father-in-law will golf in any weather, and many of my friends are not far behind in their desire to play, which is why I have cold-weather gear for when we hit the course on some December morning.
I also have cold-weather
cigars for the golf course. In fact, I have two types.
When the weather is frigid but dry, I like something intense like a
Gurkha Master Select Maduro Toro. I can feel that one in my bones, which takes the place of the cold air and warms me up as much as my weatherproof parka. And since I tend to play better in the winter -- my topped drives and iron shots get that extra roll on the frozen fairway -- there is less concern about keeping it lit between strokes.
We also sometimes play when it's cold and damp, on mornings when the smarter 95% of the population is still under the covers. Those are the times I break out something like the
White Horse Maduro Toro. They are good and powerful smokes, but they also are cheap enough that I'm not going to be irritated if they get ruined by the wet weather. I can smoke them as long as they last, and if they become too soggy to deal with, any money wasted is a lot less than what I am likely to give away on my golf course bets anyway.
If you're a newer
cigar smoker, you may be approaching the time of your first big humidor purchase. The holidays are a great time for a
cigar humidor upgrade, since everyone is in a giving mood and it's a great excuse for treating yourself -- or having someone else treat you, which is even better -- to something that's worthy of your growing collection.
But if you're new to the game, here's some advice. Get a bigger humidor than you think you need right this second.
I don't get any commission from selling
large humidors over small ones. But I do know from first-hand experience that getting something that seems "just right" right now means needing to buy another one sooner rather than later.
First of all, humidor capacity often isn't what you think. The maximum number of cigars that will fit in each depends on different variables, like the size and gauge of each. Besides, you don't really want your cigars jammed to the brim of the humidor -- it doesn't look as nice and it makes it easier to make a mistake and leave it open a crack at the end of the night.
Also, you'll find that you tend to acquire cigars much faster than you think, particularly once everyone knows you smoke. Unless they really know their stuff, most folks won't give you single cigars as gifts -- you'll get
cigar samplers, or
Cigar of the Month Club offerings. Those can pile up in a hurry, and you'll need to store them somewhere until you get a chance to enjoy them.
You may want to consider something like the
Lucky 7 humidor. It holds more than 200 cigars plus all the accessories you'll need, and even if you can't fill it right away, don't worry. It will be crowded soon enough.
Julieta from Danville, CA reviewed the SAMPLER OF THE MONTH 3 MONTHS
I gave this product as a gift and they ended up sharing with me. I love the accompanying literature that gives you the background on each cigar. THis has helped me as we've smoked each new cigar. Not all the cigars are of my personal liking though. A risk you take with a sampler of course. Newsletter even provides you with a place to rate your cigars. Nice for future purchase records.I only purchased the 3 month sampler this time. Next order I will select a different sampler for a gift. I love to share!
Bottomline: Yes, I would recommend this to a friend
Rating: 
Pros: Easy To Light, Good Draw, Great Flavor, Undamaged Wrapper, Well Constructed
Cons: Firm Draw
Best Uses: Educational, Everyday, Gifts, Special Occasions
Describe Yourself: Aspiring Aficionado
Cigar Club 3 Months! Give yourself or a cigar loving friend a monthly journey of learning about and enjoying premium hand rolled cigars. This membership is for both cigar novices and cigar experts; it allows you to taste some of the best cigars the world has to offer.
Each monthly package will be delivered with an informative newsletter. This newsletter will not only explain the cigars you received in great depth, but also offer great cigar advice, terminology and discounted products. And best of all, FREE SHIPPING!
There's a new Internet celebrity in town, even if nobody seems to knows his name. Instead, they call him by an obvious nickname: "Cigar Guy."
He's obviously a golf fan who came to the attention of the world thanks to Daily Mail photographer Mark Pain. Pain found himself in the line of fire from an errant Tiger Woods shot at the Ryder Cup, and kept shooting even as the ball was rocketing towards him. The picture itself is fantastic, but most eyes are drawn to the distinctive-looking gentleman to Woods' left, gleefully smoking a
cigar and presumably looking forward to the photographer getting whacked with the ball. Search for "Cigar Guy Ryder Cup" and you'll see what I mean.
Ever since that picture hit the web, creative Photoshoppers have made him the star of numerous other famous scenes, from the cover of Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band to a classic Muhammad Ali knockdown pose. Nobody may know who he is, but he's now one of the most famous faces on the Internet, at least for the next 15 minutes.
There's also no word on what cigar he was smoking, but whatever it was I'm sure he could
buy cigars online right here that are worthy of his newfound fame. And, if you want, take one of your
quality cigars to the next big sporting event and get yourself into the ranks of modern celebrity as well.
I've had terrible luck in the past joining clubs. The automated shipments seemed impossible to change, they kept sending me things after I requested them not to, and it often seemed impossible to quit. I still have books on my nightstand that were sent to me in error, a prime reason why I am no longer a member.
However, the
Thompson Cigar Club has been great. I get my favorite
cigars on a regular basis, so I never run low (or, perish the thought, run out entirely) at an inopportune time. For someone like me who can be scatter-brained about all other topics when I’m on a work deadline and am focusing on that 24/7, this is a nice safety net to have.
I love the
discounts, but just as important I love the convenience and the flexibility. I can delay or cancel a shipment with just a week's notice, something I just had to do because of a vacation. And there's the money-back guarantee, so I could send it back if I ever got a bad batch.
It’s a
cigar club I’m proud to be a member of, and the cigars
Thompson Cigar sends me are a lot more useful than those books were back in the day. And of course, they don’t last nearly as long.
The Murcielago Robusto Maduro is a great cigar of renowned artisanship - And that's probably not news to you as it's made by 601. If I had to give you one sentence about 601 it would be this - they are meticulous and 
perfectionists about their cigars, the The Murcielago Robusto Maduro included. This exotic smoke will keep you satisfied and begging for more. 601 is a brand many aficionados have made their primary cigar; you might join the club if you give this stick a try. Full bodied and totally immaculate from the first draw, it's a real jewel rated 90 by Cigar Aficionado.
Hearty Nicaraguan Long Filler, creamy, flavorful Mexican binder. The most unique aspect of this Murcielago is the its wrapper. This wholly unique wrapper is grown on the cone of Mount Tilted in Veracruz, Mexico. This glorious combination results in a complex , bold, and engaging cigar. I simply cannot compare this cigar to another because it is simply in a league of its own.
At
Thompson Cigar, we strive to give our customers the best deal possible; this is why we created the Thompson 250
Cigar Club.
There is no membership fee and no cost to join. Just pick your cigar selection from the many cigars offered on our site and we'll send it to you on a regular basis. Once you have reached the 250 mark, it's smooth sailing. Plus
you'll get ten percent off of every item you purchase FOR THE REST OF YOUR CIGAR MEMBERSHIP. If you're worried about the committment, rest assured because you have the ability to change your cigar preference whenever you want (you may select from one of the many hundreds available for club shipments).
Plus, simply instruct us to ship your factory-fresh cigars as often as every two weeks or as infrequently as every 7 weeks. Delay or change the next ship date with only one week notice and best of all take full advantage of our 87-year-old Money Back Guarantee!
Father's Day is coming up and I always find myself panicking a little. What am I going to get my Dad for Father's Day that he doesn't already have AND that I can afford! (Anyone know where I can get a good deal on a Ferrari?) I'm sure it comes as no surprise that every year I
get my Dad a great
Cigar Sampler; it's one of the perks of working for a cigar company! And every year he gets excited, acts surprised and the whole process reminds him that indeed, he does have a favorite kid. This year I've decided that I'm going to 'up the ante' (just in case my sister was thinking of trying to out do me...) by getting good ol' Dad not just one cigar sampler but six cigar samplers! That's right, I signed my Dad up for a
Cigar of the Month Club; quite possibly every cigar smoking man's dream! Each monthly package will be delivered with an informative newsletter. This newsletter will not only explain the cigars in great depth, but also offer great cigar advice, terminology and discounted products. And best of all, FREE SHIPPING on all shipments plus Dad will get a great selection of the top brands like Cohiba, Arturo Fuente, Gurkha, CAO cigars, Punch and so many more!
Obviously this is a great gift because its on auto-pilot.
Thompson Cigar will ship the samplers for FREE and do everything to get it out for Dad (or whoever, it makes a great gift for any cigar smoker) for Father's Day. If you're on a stricter budget and want to send someone the Cigar of the Month Club for 2 months, 3 months, 5 months, whatever, that's fine because they have every possibility you could want that fits every budget. Check it out!
