Posts Categorized: Tobacco-Cigars

Skilled hands make great cigars. Watching this torcedora at the Matasa factory in DR is mesmerizing. Her fingers seem to dance as she massages the wrapper onto the cigar. At a rate of one cigar per minute, she can crank out around 400 cigars a day. Some work even faster yielding up to 600 cigars… Read More

Cigar smoking is, like eating food, a subjective endeavor.  People’s taste preferences determine which cigars we like or hate.  But there are many variables that influence how we perceive the taste of a cigar.  Conditioning, which greatly affects cigar flavor, is crucial.  A dry cigar tastes like paper, while one that is too moist will… Read More

Cigar smoking has an arc, a trajectory.  It starts, first, with a mild curiosity.  It then leads to the purchase of our first few sticks.  Next comes a small humidor to preserve our fledgling cigar collection.  In time, this collection grows, along with our passion for cigar smoking.  Sooner or later, this passion turns into… Read More

Strong cigars present a dilemma.  On one hand they can provide intense flavor and complexity, the likes of which no mild cigar could match.  On the other hand, an exceptionally strong cigar can be a challenge to smoke, even for a cigar aficionado.  I’ve smoked my fair share of strong cigars, and have a high tolerance for… Read More

If you are a lover of boutique cigars, chances are you already know about New Havana Cigars.  Located in Columbus, Ohio (go Buckeyes [sorry Michigan fans]), NHC is my kind of store.  The owners are hardcore cigar nuts that believe Cuba no longer makes the best cigars.  I couldn’t agree more (see my article about… Read More

I am pleased to announce that the winner of The Second Great Robustojoe Giveaway is Carol, from Annandale, NJ.  She’s a nutritional and psychological counselor, who enjoys smoking cigars with her boyfriend Joe.  Although a newbie, Carol has come to appreciate the comraderie, and sense of community that cigar smoking provides.  It’s great to see a… Read More

Membership has its rewards.  One of the Newsletter subscribers has been randomly chosen as the Great Robustojoe Giveaway winner!  Upon confirmation, there will be an official announcement.  So, check your email; the winner is one of you! Happy smokes, Joe

VegaFina Sumum Edicion Especial 2010 “One man’s ceiling is another man’s floor”; or, “you say tomato, I say tomahto.  Both of these time-honored expressions serve to illustrate that all of us have our likes and dislikes.  And when it comes to cigars, we all have preferences.  Personally, I tend to like boutique cigars.  I have found… Read More

Cigar smokers are a disparate bunch.  We come from all walks of life, all creeds and colors, all shapes and sizes.  Yet despite our differences, we all have something in common: the love of cigars.  Walk into any cigar lounge and you will find wealthy bankers, out of work actors, construction workers, even doctors; all… Read More

  This Joe’s Gems column was created to feature cigars of unique quality.  In the case of the Berger & Argenti V32, just a glimpse at its unusual construction is enough to qualify it as unique.  But looks alone won’t cut it in a world where taste rules.  Would the V32 have flavor unique enough… Read More