If 2023 is anything like 2022, I’ll just charge my Flux Capacitor.
While there doesn’t seem to be much positivity on the horizon these days, one silver lining is a fresh conveyer of new cigars hitting the Famous shelves in 2023. Among them are blends from Rocky Patel, Rick Rodriguez, and five flavored cigars from a brand that pleasantly surprised me with its originality. Check out the reviews below…and as always, drop me a comment about what new cigars you’re smoking below!
Wrapper: Ecuador Sumatra (aged 10 years)
Binder: Honduras Habano
Filler: Honduras and Panama
The demand on Rocky Patel Edge 20th Anniversary was so great, we almost had to wait until the 21st anniversary to try them! The Edge was a watershed cigar not just for RP, but the entire industry. It helped shape the fuller-flavored profiles we enjoy today. Rocky wanted to use the original Ecuador Sumatra wrapper that made the brand famous, so chose one that had been aging for a decade. The rest of the blend has been tweaked in celebration. I find the smoke nutty in character with full-bodied spices and a semi-sweet disposition. Consider this box to start your new year right.
Wrapper: Mexican San Andres
Binder: Nicaragua Condega
Filler: Nicaragua Condega and Esteli
With box art honoring his cigarmaking grandfather, Rick Rodriguez returns with West Tampa Tobacco’s sophomore release: Attic Series. The blend’s backstory is interesting, but I won’t ruin the fun; each stick has a QR code on the foot band that will tell the tale. Flavor wise, though…I’m all spoilers. Expect a sweet and savory medley of spices, earth, coffee, and molasses. And plenty of pepper to boot. This full-bodied smoke follows Rick’s initial release of West Tampa White & Black and I have to admit—I think he’s giving his former CAO team a run for their money.
Wrapper: Honduras
Binder: Undisclosed
Filler: Undisclosed
Know why actors like Ryan Reynolds and Keanu Reeves are so universally loved? It’s because they don’t take themselves too seriously. Neither does FLVR cigars…I mean how can you when you’re naming a blend Yacht Rock?
No, these aren’t the type of smokes that’ll bring you bragging rights at the local longue, but they do one thing very well. Deliciously off-the-wall flavored cigar profiles. FLVR cigars comes in five varieties that taste like no other. Here’s the inside baseball:
Fist Bump: Tastes like vanilla cake—actually more like the icing. Delicious.
Space Ranger: Reminds me of mint chocolate chip with some fruity undertones. Big ice cream vibes.
Unicorn Tears: Think maple and brown sugar oatmeal cookie.
Ski Chalet: Probably the closest I’ll ever get to anything pumpkin spice. Put some cinnamon on a butterscotch and that’s what this cigar tastes like. Lots of wintery flavor.
Yacht Rock: If a rum and coke were a cigar (Steely Dan tickets not included).
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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I am smoking an E. P. Carrillo, Allegiance, and it’s a great cigar.
Excellent choice, my dude! Enjoy :)