We've moved!

Check out our new cigar blog at blog.thompsoncigar.com. See the latest and greatest cigar news and cigar deals.

Eat, Drink, and Smoke Like a King – 3 Quick Tips

Many of us have enjoyed the tasty sensations that a meal paired with the right drink can develop. Now, imagine a third element being introduced that transforms that after meal enjoyment into a truly euphoric experience. What is this magical element you ask? Well, it’s nothing more than a simple cigar. The tips below are designed to help you jump in and enjoy the wonders of mixing food, drink, and cigars in true “kingly” fashion, while avoiding the pitfalls of incorrect chemistry among these three elements.

Tip 1: If you’re eating rich, drink rich and smoke bold.
Generally, the heavier the meal and stronger the flavor, the stronger wine or beer you can enjoy with it. If you’re heading into a heavy meal, pair it with a bold cigar and you’ll likely find that elusive pot of gold at the end of the rainbow. If you’re keeping things light, think that way for your cigar choice.
Check out these medium to full cigar samplers.

Tip 2: Decide when you’re going to smoke.
Smoking before the meal and after the meal are two VERY different things. If you indulge in a cigar before the meal, you’re likely to smear your taste buds into oblivion, making it difficult to taste that food you want. However, as we mentioned above, a premium cigar after the meal will work well.

Tip 3: Follow your instincts/taste buds.
It’s that simple. Everyone is different and you’ll have to do some experimenting to find out just what tastes work best for you. Follow these simple tips and use a little logic with your choices and you’ll likely come across a magic combination of your own!

TGIF

Thank God It's Fuente! Looking forward to enjoying these this weekend!

Arturo Fuente

New Thompson Cigar Blog

Checkout the new Thompson Cigar blog for the latest & greatest news on cigars.
New Blog

Best Dog Walking Cigar

A friend of mine always has a clever way to critique his cigars. The other day he commented that his favorite "dog walking cigar" is the Acid Blondie. Who knew there is a perfect dog walking cigar?!? Well, it's my assumption there is a perfect cigar for every little thing we do each day!

Smoke 'Um if you got um!

Stan the cigar man.

Cigars that come in metal tubes will retain their moisture for a month or two. It is best to keep them in your humidor! Cheers, Al

91 RATED SMOKES!!!

One of the precious few cigars to make it into the hallowed inner circle of 91-rated smokes as adjudged by Cigar Aficionado. Augusto Reyes Nativo takes its rightful place among the elite. The all-Dominican blend, delivers a rich and flavorful medium bodied smoke. Check out what cigar expert, Al Remp has to say about these premium cigars.

Click Here To Order: 16 Premium Cigars for $39.95, Compare at $208

3 Regular Guys Review: Cohiba Extra Vigoroso

Cohiba seems like it has been a staple on the scene even longer than it may have even existed. We all know the original origin of the brand, blended specifically for Castro, Fidel not Raul, to hand out as diplomatic gifts, but the Cohiba brand we’re concerned with is General Cigar’s Cohiba manufactured in la Republica Dominicana.

The standard Cohiba, sometimes called a red dot because of the red circle inside the “O”, entered the market in 1978. That specific cigar was the one that established the name and defended the mystique of a Cohiba brand cigar.
As seems to be the case with most things, tastes changed, and in response the Cohiba was re-blended in the 1990s to craft a slightly more rich and robust cigar.

The Red Dot was not destined to be alone for long though and now has three siblings: the Cohiba Black is wrapped in a Connecticut Broadleaf Maduro wrapper; the Cohiba Puro Dominicana is as it sounds, a purely Dominican cigar; and the cigar the 3 Regular Guys reviewed, the Cohiba XV.

The Cohiba XV gets its acronym name from eXtra Vigoroso, because cigar legend Daniel Nuñez blended the XV to be the fullest bodied Cohiba to date. So, we gave it a shot and found out for ourselves just how tough the XV can be.

Seemingly true to any cigar that has ever donned the Cohiba band, they are all visibly attractive cigars. The XV has a beautiful wrapper leaf that is well-cured and displays veining that reminds you this is a natural product made from the leaf of a tobacco plant. Colm debated with himself if it was a Spanish Rosado leaf or a Sumatra, and, allegedly without looking it up, settled on the Sumatra diagnosis. He is entirely correct, as this is an Ecuadoran grown Sumatra leaf and bears that leathery color and shading so typical of this plant. We all remarked on the good looks of this cigar.

Corona Chris enjoyed the pre-light aroma and Scott noted that the cigar seemed very well constructed with a clean cap. The cap held up well to the cut; or even two cuts. Colm thought the initial draw on this stick was a bit too tight so he re-cut and resumed smoking. The second cut did the trick and mostly alleviated the difficult draw. This is also a lesson that, while you don’t want to make a habit of it, it is safer to undercut a cigar and then touch it up with a sharp cutter than to cut too deep and be smoking through a straw.

Taste-wise we had some disagreements on our experiences. Corona Chris noted some surprise that the XV was as mellow and smooth as it was with an almost Maduro flavor, but a quick check of the ingredients list will identify that flavor as coming from the Connecticut Broadleaf binder. Scott’s and Colm’s take on it was a bit more trying. The XV started out quite strong. We were open to this since it has a Sumatra wrapper and Ligero filler. However there was a harshness to the otherwise citrusy taste. After the first half-inch the cigar mellowed and smoothed out considerably as the blend seemed to come together.

The 3 Regular Guys all found some issues with the consistency of the flavor to the XV being too variable. When the Cohiba XV is smoking steady through the middle ¾ of the stick it is a fairly bold cigar. Be mindful that there is a heavy flavor to the aftertaste, but having smoked these on the job we lacked the option of strong libations. When smoked with a heavy dose of Cuban coffee or something with a nice proof-rating, like Lagavulin, you might actually be grateful for that strength of finish to stand up to your drink.

Cohiba XV is definitely extra strong compared to the Red Dot you know so well. Just the contrast of a Sumatra wrapper compared to the old standby sweet and smooth Cameroon sets those two cigars apart. But, if you are a true Cohiba fan you have little option other than to buckle up and give this stick a try. An aggressive cigar might appeal to you quite nicely otherwise it’s not a bad thing to give your tastebuds some zesty variety. Go smoke it yourself!

Click Here To Order Cohiba XV!

The SCHIP Tax of April!

2009 is now a part of everyone’s conversation, however, early reports, as of May 14th, 2009, prove that “Lovers of the Leaf” remain loyal to the pleasure of smoking a cigar!

Has there been some slowing in sales, yes, but a percentage can be attributed to a buying frenzy before April 1, 2009.

Regardless of the current economy and SCHIP combined, we love our cigars, enjoy the discussions, read and study cigar periodicals, and this 500 year-old product (The only product with that lineage.) will be our celebration of the day.

By Al Remp, product specialist and trainer, Thompson Cigar

Arturo Fuente- A True Work Of Art!

When I look back at the last 8 years of my cigar-smoking journey, I can’t help but remember a number of amazing blends crafted by Tabacalera A. Fuente. It all started when a good friend of mine gave me an Arturo Fuente Hemingway Signature Cameroon. At the time, the Hemingway I smoked took me deeper into my fascination with cigars. I thought the Signature was the ultimate mild to medium bodied blend, and I still feel that way today. Throughout the last 8 years I have had the opportunity to smoke some truly exceptional blends from the Arturo Fuente portfolio. Brands like Arturo Fuente Don Carlos, Fuente Fuente Opus X, Cuesta-Rey Centenario Coleccion, and of course Ashton VSG. All of them continue to a have a steady rotation in a number of my humidors. Carlito Fuente Jr. and Don Carlos Fuente Sr. have built a loyal fan base like no other. The Fuente family knows that their massive fan base crave limited, and hard to find blends year after year. They have practically built another market around their rare smokes. I for one have always kept my eye out for the limited released 8-5-8 Sungrown, and Hemingway Signature Maduro. In 2005, I even tracked down some Ashton VSG Estate Reserves (A special VSG only released in 2001 with an Opus X wrapper.) for my wedding. The Fuente family knows that avid cigar smokers are “collectors”, and they have continued to offer their fans some of the rarest, and highest quality smokes on the market. These fantastic works of art will always be in demand, and some will never be made again. If you have never really tapped into the entire Tabacalera A. Fuente line of cigars, I highly urge you to start.

Click Here For Arturo Fuente!

Product Review by Corona Chris, Thompson Cigar product specialist.