Welcome to August where it’s hotter than Georgia asphalt. One of most sultry months, no doubt, but also a sobering reminder that summer is halfway over. It won’t be long til we’re trading shorts for sweaters and tucking our grills in the shed for the long winter’s nap. That’s why I urge you to use your remaining warm weather wisely. Eat, smoke, and be merry. For tomorrow it snows.
But don’t just smoke anything; have an adventuring spirit. Try something fresh. A new cigar. Out of all the sticks that have come across my desk this week, three standouts emerged: Check out my reviews of Punch Golden Era, Rojas Los Tejanos, and La Aroma de Cuba Connecticut. I’ll talk about what you expect and why they should make your short list before summer’s end!
As always, if there’s a new blend you’ve been smoking—and loving, let me know in the comments below!
Wrapper: Mexican San Andres
Binder: Somoto Valley Nicaragua Corojo
Filler: Somoto Valley Nicaragua
A collaboration between Noel Rojas and Edgar Hoill of OSOK fame, Rojas Los Tejanos pays tribute to Mexican immigrants who settled in Texas. The blend burns full-bodied and impresses as much as Rojas’ previous releases, like this shameless plug of my Rojas Street Tacos review. Yet interestingly, there are some nuanced differences between sizes—and for more reason than just their ring gauge and length. Los Tejanos cigars are made in two factories: the Lancero, made at Rojas Cigars in Richardson, TX, and the Mareva and Toro vitolas, at Nicaragua’s Tabacalera Flor de San Luis. I sampled the Toro and found salty-sweet notes of coffee, earth, and bread, with an aromatic floral finish. Rojas has yet to disappoint and Los Tejanos adds to a flawless portfolio.
Wrapper: Honduras Corojo
Binder: Honduras Corojo
Filler: Honduras Habano & Corojo
Yet another collab, Punch enlisted Christian Eiroa from C.L.E. cigars to add some authentic Cuban flavor to their latest blend, Golden Era. But with that pesky embargo in place, how exactly did they do it?
Before true Corojo went virtually extinct due to disease susceptibility, in favor of disease-resistant hybrids, Christian Eiroa brought Cuban Corojo seeds with him to Honduras, where he now painstakingly grows them in controlled conditions to minimize losses. “The Eiroa family has perfected Corojo tobacco, and we are excited to bring it to life with Punch Golden Era,” wrote John Hakim, brand manager for Punch in a press release.
To my palate, the blend allows you to jump back into tobacco’s halcyon days and indulge in mouth-watering notes of coffee, cinnamon, and bold spices. Golden Era is perfect for mid-summer evenings on the patio. Smoke one or two and let me know if you agree!
Wrapper: Ecuador Connecticut
Binder: Nicaragua
Filler: Nicaragua
La Aroma de Cuba is still one of the best-kept cigar secrets. While everyone else lauds the bigger names, La Aroma chugs along with huge demand thanks to a simple formula: quality flavor and construction without having to sell your plasma to afford it.
And now, it comes in Connecticut! Perfect for lazy summer mornings before the heat stacks up, La Aroma CT dishes out flavors of sweet cream, cedar, almond, and a dash of earthy spice from every puff—all at under $8 a stick. Not too shabby!
Features Editor, Jared Gulick, is a Certified Tobacconist, nerd of all things science, musician and serial abuser of the Oxford comma. He made his way to the Famous Smoke Shop retail store in 2018 and joined the Advisors when it was discovered that he could locate the shift key. Prior to his work in the cigar industry, he was a recording studio engineer, songwriter, and a journalism major at Northampton Community College.
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