CA Report: Top New Cigars (July 22, 2024)
Freshly Picked Premiums from CAO, Romeo y Julieta, & Don Pepin Garcia!
What a summer it’s been. For many, the hottest on record. Ever. As the mercury rises, most of us high tail it to any respite we can find. Whether yours is under the umbrella on a sun-soaked beach, a refreshing dip in the pool, or merely a porch and a rocking chair, I’ve got three new cigars that’ll make your time in the shade worth braving the heat.
Check out my quick reviews on the latest cigars from CAO, Romeo, and Don Pepin to see why I think they’re worth your time smoking in the seasonal sauna.
And don’t forget to tell us which new cigars you’ve been smoking via our social media links below!
CAO FASA Sol
Wrapper: Honduras Olancho San Agustin
Binder: Cameroon
Filler: Nicaragua Estelí, Condega, & Jalapa
With a name that signifies the sun, CAO FASA Sol may be the most fitting midsummer entry to this week’s Top New Cigars. The blend’s smoke reveals a chorus of nuts, spices, and a refreshing zesty sweetness that tops out at medium-bodied plus, so it won’t be too heavy a hitter in the mid-afternoon hours. And once the sun goes down, you can light up Sol’s sister blend, FASA Noche. It’s the same core blend but sports a Connecticut Broadleaf wrapper that propels it into full-flavored nightcap territory. There’s no wrong choice. Just a flavorful trip from dawn to dusk!
Romeo y Julieta 1875 Vintage Lote
Wrapper: Nicaragua Habano 2000
Binder: U.S. Broadleaf
Filler: Dominican Republic & Pennsylvania Broadleaf
Aged six years and blended by the Grupo De Maestros to honor the brand’s beginnings, Romeo y Julieta 1875 Vintage Lote is a love story in and of itself. The 1875 line is one of the most popular blends of all time and often how new smokers dip their toes into the world of smoking. But that 1875 name—that’s where the similarities end.
Vintage Lote is more about complexity, aging, and the refined flavor of well-married tobaccos. Thanks to its diverse array of leaves, Lote smokes sweetly, with a well-rounded foundation of earth, cocoa, spices, and warm pepper. What better way to celebrate one of the most storied blends of all time than by raising the bar?
Don Pepin Vintage Edition
Wrapper: Nicaragua Corojo ‘99
Binder: Nicaragua
Filler: Nicaragua
The latest in Don Pepin’s flurry of 20th Anniversary cigars, Vintage Edition sports a throwback to one of the company’s earliest bands—and that’s only the beginning of what’s to come. The already-90-rated blend plays to Pepin’s strengths. It’s a Nicaraguan puro that red lines on flavor without doing so on strength. The result is a blend that emits flavors of cedar, earth, pepper, and caramel, with the tobaccos’ signature spicy sweetness. Simply put, Don Pepin Vintage culminates two decades of excellence into an end-of-day masterpiece that your taste buds deserve to experience.