"As soon as I lit this cigar, I could taste sweetness and roasted nuts. Almost like honey roasted peanuts. As I continued to indulge, a little white pepper was introduced, adding a little complexity to the cigar. The sweetness eventually gave way to the pepper notes, only to return as the cigar began to wind down. Would I smoke this cigar again? Absolutely! I enjoyed the experience so much I would have immediately smoked another one upon setting this one down. " -Jai P. (Jai)
"I don't usually go for the bigger cigars but this was excellent start to finish. The sweet cocoa at the beginning that morphed into buttered toast and warm cinnamon at the midway point was perfectly balanced by charred oak and black pepper on the retro. The final inch or so got a little heavy on the wood notes but I would definitely smoke this one again after a big dinner with a nice rye to pair." -Vance T. (Vance)
CAO Blender and Brand Ambassador is stepping down after more than 20 Years with General Cigar. The move is effective April 29, 2022.
General Cigar's Punch is adding another cigar to their Chinese New Year Series: Punch Fu Manchu. This cigar celebrates the Year of the Tiger following 2021’s Kung Pow!, 2020’s Chop Suey and 2019’s Punch Egg Roll. This makes the fourth entry in the series.
"This cigar was very good at the beginning and very good at the end. Those two experiences were somewhat polar opposite of each other but tasty in their own ways. The middle of the cigar fell flat for me but again, not so unpleasant that I would never smoke it again. I’d love this cigar in a corona or Corona Gorda size. It’s a great cigar for fall mornings and would pair nicel with some pumpkin coffee to compliment the sweet cream of the cigar." -Diana (ArmyRN)
General Cigar and Espinosa Cigars have announced a new, and final size in their Warzone line. This marks the fourth vitola to be available, following the original (2020) Robusto and Toro, and 2021's Short Churchill. This new size is one of Espinosa's signature sizes, the Rabito, a 6” x 46 corona gorda.
"Overall, this was a solid straight-shooter flavor-wise. Comprised of mostly leather, brown sugar, white & black pepper with some wood notes, this cigar meandered from medium to full body while it burned down. While it didn’t absolutely thrill me, it was an okay cigar that is sure to please somebody!" -John A. (Bostoneo)
Last year, General Cigar and their Cohiba brand launched a new line, Serie M. This was the first Cohiba cigar made in the United States and none other than the famed El Titan de Bronze factory. At launch, it came in just one size, a toro. Now, that line gets a new size in 2022, a Corona Gorda. You can read our review of the original here.
General Cigar has announced that they are bringing back the Cohiba Spectre for a third release. The Spectre is one of the most expensive cigars ever released by General Cigar and uses four varietals of tobacco, each paying homage to the growing regions, soils and microclimates from which they were harvested.
Scandinavian Tobacco Group (STG), the parent company behind General Cigar, The Forged Cigar Company, and Cigars International, have announced that Justin Andrews, senior brand manager for Diesel, is getting a promotion to New Business Development Manager of their North American Branded and Rest of World divisions, effective November 1, 2021.