The name Montecristo resonates with cigar smokers worldwide. Their superb quality and flavor have withstood the test of time in an ever-changing industry. The Montecristo Classic Especial No. 1 holds true to this statement.

The quality of the packaging and flavor of the cigar makes for an obvious, affordable buy. The box features the brand logo, along with some new-age flare, holding 20 cigars. The cigar itself features a genuine high-grade Connecticut shade wrapper over Dominican binder and filler tobaccos. The cigar measures 44 x 6 ½ and can be described as a Lonsdale.

The cigars are firm to the touch with a little more give towards the center and foot of the cigar. The Especial No. 1 lights with ease and has good smoke output. The quality of the construction is apparent. The flavor is great right off the bat with hints of molasses, cedar, cream, and nuts. The smoke is thick and fulfilling with a perfect draw. About halfway through the cigar, the flavor shifts to have a little white pepper and grass added to the blend. The strength and flavor were both light to medium. With the smoothness and amount of flavor, this cigar could be enjoyed at any time of the day. The burn time is around one hour fifteen minutes.

This is the perfect cigar to have in your humidor that goes with any occasion and pairing.

The Cuesta-Rey Caravelle is a phenomenal value cigar with a premium presentation.

These panatela cigars are made on J.C. Newman’s iconic antique cigar machines from the 1930’s in Tampa, FL. These are hand operated machines that roll the bunch (filler & binder) while someone lays the wrapper out onto a dye. The dye uses suction to hold the wrapper tight while a blade cuts it to size. After that, it gets rolled onto the bunch. These machines are a treat to look at with nearly 10,000 moving parts. This is an old school box, that features familiar Cuesta-Rey Sally and holds 25 panatelas. Usually cigars in this price point come in a bundle instead of a box. This makes for a beautiful presentation. The cigars measure 6.25 x 34 which is an old school size. Most cigars were close to this size until the 90’s.

The Caravelle is available in three different wrappers: Natural, Extra Claro, and Maduro. All three options have a variety of aged Dominican fillers. The natural is an Ecuador Havana that is light-medium bodied. There are hints of nuts, spice, and a slight sweetness here and there. The Extra Claro Candela wrapper is mild and has a very green flavor. There are hints of sweet grass and earth. The Broadleaf maduro wrapper is medium bodied with hints of pepper, sweet hay, and earth. All three versions of the Cuesta-Rey Caravelle are super smooth with plenty of flavor.

This is a great price point for something made in the good ol’ U.S.A.

The Neos Cappuccino Cigarillo is an enjoyable little dessert cigar and a perfect companion to an hour of leisure at a European café.

Neos are made by J. Cortès Cigars in Handzame, Belgium. The company selects Ecuadorian Sumatran wrappers for their cigarillos at a Sri Lankan processing facility. The Neos use an Ecuadorian Sumatran wrapper over homogenous binder paper and a short filler blend of Burley and Virginia tobaccos. Neos are a mini cigar (3.5’ x 20) with a brown, chestnut shade to its wrapper. Neos come in tins of ten and boxes of one hundred.

Neos Cappuccino Cigarillos are Neos infused with delicious tasting notes of vanilla and coffee. The Ecuadorian Sumatran wrapper is rolled onto a tube of homogenous binder and short filler and then segmented for each cigarillo. This means that the cigarillo does not have a cap. When I opened a tin to review them, I noticed few of the cigarillos had a frayed wrapper. Overall, however, the cigarillos had a solid construction with a pleasant aroma.

Neos Cappuccino Cigarillos are a quick smoking experience of 10-15 minutes. The cigarillo’s utilization of short filler tobaccos typically used in pipe and cigarette blends gives the smoker a much milder taste than dedicated mini cigar or cigarillo brands which use darker tobaccos. The infused tasting notes of molasses, vanilla, and baking spices accompany the smoker throughout the experience.

Neos represent a unique experience for the American cigar smoker. Mini cigars and cigarillos are typically associated with European markets in the American cigar industry. If you have never tried a mini cigar or cigarillo, I would suggest picking up a tin of Neos. They truly encapsulate the cerebral relaxation of being an expatriate at a European café.

The Gurkha Ghost is very popular and well known. With a 93 rating, attractive packaging, and unique flavor it was won the hearts of smokers nationwide. It comes in a 5 pack or a full box of 21 cigars. Both of which have a sort of tribal theme featuring the name.

It stands out amongst traditional packaging in the cigar industry. The band has silver embossing and iridescence. I’m sure that if you light this cigar around friends or in public, people will ask “what are you smoking” just because of how cool the band looks.

The blend consists of a dark Brazilian Arapiraca wrapper, a Dominican grown Criollo 98 binder, and select fillers from Nicaragua and Dominican Republic. This size is called the Asura and measures 6 x 54.

The Ghost has a nice draw, maybe a bit on the tighter side but the smoke output is heavy. The strength and flavor are medium. The Ghost delivers flavors of sweet earth, charred cocoa, and wet hay. There is no sort of spice or bite whatsoever. The entire cigar remains smooth and balanced. Usually cigars with a maduro wrapper has some sort of intensity or bite, not the Ghost. If you are looking for dark flavors without all the strength, this cigar is for you. It is a nice variation from the reputation that most maduro cigars have.

With good construction and unique flavor, the price point fits the bill. See what all the hype is about and try the Gurkha Ghost.

The Montecristo White Series Toro is an excellent daily smoke and an exemplary shade wrapper cigar.

This cigar is manufactured in the Dominican Republic by Altadis USA at Tabacalera de Garcia, the largest factory in the Dominican Republic. This cigar uses an Ecuadorian Connecticut Shade wrapper over a Nicaraguan binder as well as Nicaraguan and Dominican long filler. The size is a stereotypical parejo toro (6’ x 54). Uniquely, the White Series toro comes in a box of 27. $294.60 for a box of 27 premium shade wrapper cigars is good value.

The cigar’s Ecuadorian Connecticut Shade wrapper is light brown and flawless, bearing the distinctive greenish-tan hue associated with shade tobacco. The overall construction of the cigar is perfect and, upon cutting, the smoker can see that all the pieces of long filler are well blended with no thick veins to obstruct the draw. The cold draw is subdued, bearing notes of nuts and grasses. As expected of a toro, the cigar takes a good toasting before an even smoking begins. The draw is slightly tight, but this is because of a construction that helps the cigar from becoming spongy into the latter half of the smoking experience. 

The Montecristo White Series has notes of toasted wheat, peanuts, barnyard hay, and nutmeg. The tasting notes are constant companions throughout the entire 45-75 minute smoking experience, being joined by notes of white pepper and rice in the final third of the cigar. The retrohale is creamy and smooth, providing consistent returns on enjoyment. It should be noted that this cigar is rich in the sense of smoke production. The intensity and flavor of the Montecristo White Series are mild to medium.

This is a fantastic cigar. The White Series toro is an immensely popular size, and I can vouch for its quality. Anyone who is a fan of shade wrapper cigars should pick up a box of these. In a world where genuine Connecticut Shade is increasingly elusive, Ecuadorian Connecticut Shade cigars, like the Montecristo White Series, are a godsend.

The Punch Clasico London Club is a tasteful, affordable box to have in your humidor.

This cigar is manufactured in Honduras by General Cigar Co. It uses an Ecuadorian Sumatra Wrapper over Nicaraguan, Honduran, and Dominican filler. The London Club is the name for the size, a 5 x 40 which is slightly skinnier than a standard corona size. The full box of 25 will cost you slightly more than $60 which I consider to be a steal.

The Sumatra wrapper is a dark brown color with a good amount of oil and teeth. Construction seems to be perfect with just a little bit of give when squeezed and no imperfections in the outer leaf. It holds up resiliently to a straight cut, there is no cracking. The cold draw is subtle and pleasant with hints of sweet coffee. The cigar is easily lit with an even burn throughout the entirety of the cigar. The draw is right in the sweet spot of not too tight or too loose. The intensity and flavor are both medium.

The Punch Clasico has hints of licorice, coffee, nuts, and charred wood. Those flavors remain consistent and prominent during the entire cigar. The average smoke time between 3 cigars is 25-30 minutes. Overall, this is a fantastic cigar. I highly recommend picking up a box of these. They are perfect morning/coffee cigars. I am a big fan of the size. A normal corona is 5×44, this cigar is a fair bit skinnier which shaves about ten minutes off the smoke time.

This is a quick smoke with little to no spice at all. Pick up a box from Luis Martinez and add some variety to your humidor for those days when you do not have an hour or more to spare.  

Cigars and the cigar industry have a variety of terms that are important to know and understand. At LMCigars.com, we’ve taken the top 20 terms that are searched on our site and defined them below to make things a bit easier for you when you are navigating the site.

Even the most well-rounded smoker will find information here that may make searching for and purchasing cigars and cigar accessories just a bit easier.

 
Binder: The middle tobacco leaf, wrapped around the filler tobacco, and appearing underneath the wrapper. It is the most important component in ensuring the cigar stays together and burns evenly.
 
Box Pressed: Some cigars like the Perla del Mar have an almost square appearance. This is because when the cigars are still wet, after being rolled, they are placed into a grated box. Each square of the grate fits one cigar, and the cigar takes the shape of the square it’s in as it dries.
 
Bunch/Bunching: Bunching is the step before cigar rolling. Bunchers are responsible for creating the filler blend, by taking a pre-determined recipe of different tobacco leaves. These filler tobacco leaves are bunched together, and the binder leaf is wrapped around them.
 
Canoeing: This is a non-desirable term when it comes to cigars. Canoeing is defined by the uneven burn of a cigar, when one side burns faster than the other, leaving one side longer, and the ash caking to one side.
 
Chaveta: This is a wedge shaped, handle-less knife, used by cigar rollers. The rollers use this knife to cut the wrapper tobacco into the proper shape, to create the wrapper leaf before they roll it onto the exterior of the premium cigar, such as the Arturo Fuente Hemingway.
 
Churchill: A popular cigar vitola, named in honor of the former British Prime Minister Winston Churchill, who famously enjoyed cigars. Though the actual dimensions vary by manufacturer, a common Churchill size is 7 inches long with a 48-ring gauge like the Luis Martinez Silver Selection.
 
Cigarillo: Cigarillos, such as Neos are short, slim cigars made of premium tobacco for a quicker, flavorful smoke.
 
Filler: The leaves of tobacco that make up the interior/center of the cigar. Long Filler tobacco can be long pieces, bunched together and surrounded by a binder, or can be short filler, meaning a variety of tobaccos are chopped up, blended, and then placed within the binder. A third option would be mixed or combo filler, that uses long and short filler leaves together.
 
Half Wheel: A bundle of 50 cigars. Though cigars are not sold to the end consumer this way, the cigar rollers will tie off the cigars they roll with a ribbon once they hit 50, to be taken to the quality assurance departments. A wheel is 100 cigars.
 
Hygrometer: Though hygrometers have many uses outside the cigar industry, this specific term is used to describe the device that measures humidity inside your humidor. The Diamond Crown Hygrometer we sell at LMCigars will help you successfully keep your cigars at the perfect temperature and moisture for aging and freshness.
 
Humidor: Humidors are air-tight cedar lined boxes that keep cigars humidified and fresh and assist with the aging process of cigars. We have a wide variety of humidors available on our site.
 
Maduro: The word Maduro is Spanish for “ripe” but is used to describe cigars with a darker wrapper color. While tobacco ages in barns and begins to ferment, it gets continually darker (from green, all the way to dark brown). Maduro wrappers tend to be more flavorful, and sweeter, than their lighter counterparts. If you are interested in trying Maduro cigars, a good start would be the Brick House Maduro.
 
Pilon: Pilon describes a large pile of tobacco, arranged in such a way to begin the fermentation process. Pilons are often rearranged during the fermentation process, so that the leaves on the top are moved to the bottom, to equally distribute the amount of heat, and therefore curing, that occurs on each leaf. Depending on how the tobacco will be used, this process can last anywhere from a few days to a few months.
 
Punch or Bullet “Cut”: The Craftsman’s Bench Punch cutter is a small, pill shaped tube. When exposed, one end of this cutter has a small, metal hole. By pressing this hole into the head of the cigar, you get a perfectly symmetrical “cut” to allow smoke to pass through. This cut is desirable for larger ring gauges.
 
Ring Gauge: Ring gauge is the circumference of the cigar. Measured in 1/64th of an inch in diameter.
 
Robusto: This a common cigar vitola. A robusto cigar is a short, fat cigar, and one of the most popular on our site, like the Rocky Patel Decade Robusto. Though the specific size varies by manufacturer the most widely accepted dimensions are 5 inches with a 50-ring gauge.
 
Straight/Guillotine/Double Blade Cut: The Craftsman’s Bench Double Blade cutter, also known as a guillotine cutter, is used to take just the cap off the head of a cigar. This cutter applies equal pressure to the entire diameter of the cigar, giving you an even cut for smoking. This cut is best used on a torpedo or pyramid cigar.
 
V Cut: The Craftsman’s Bench V cutter creates a wedge in the head of the cigar.
 
Vitola: Vitola is a term that defines the shape of the cigar. Some of the more popular cigar vitolas are Coronas, Lanceros, and Torpedos.
 
Wrapper: Accounting for approximately 60% of the taste of the cigar, the wrapper tobacco leaf is on the outside of the cigar: the component you see when you look at the cigar.
 

What else do you need to know about cigars?

The short answer is: a lot. There are hundreds, if not thousands of cigar terms in both English, and Spanish that describe cigars. From the flavors, to the construction, to the sizes, to the tobacco, to the seeds of the tobacco. Cigar making is a true art, and like any art, it has its own vocabulary. While the terms we’ve listed above provide a base knowledge, there are so many resources you can use to learn more!

Have questions? Feel free to reach out to us via our contact form, and someone will be back in touch within one business day!

 Brick House is one of the most popular cigar brands across all humidors in the United States. It is a quintessentially American cigar with a flavor profile most American smokers can find agreeable with either as the Double Connecticut Shade wrapper blend, natural blend, or maduro blend. Indeed when J.C. Newman Cigar Co. *re-*introduced the cigar in 2010, the brand came with the slogan, “What this country needs is a good $5 cigar!” The phrase is a callback to the words of Vice President Thomas Marshall who famously declared the country needed a good nickel cigar during the turmoil of the Woodrow Wilson administration.

History

J.C. Newman Cigar Co. dates the brand back to founder Julius Caesar Newman’s childhood home in Stary Koronch, Austria-Hungary. Born in the 1870’s, J.C. Newman’s home village did not have much. It did, however, have the common hearth of his mother’s brick house, an inn for travelers. The comfort and hospitality of the Newman home is apparent in the delightful bouquet of the cigar as the Newman family invites you into their world. Currently, however, the Brick House cigar is manufactured in Esteli, Nicaragua. The comforting aroma of baking spices and raisins is complimented by the hearty, peppery sabor of Nicaragua. The rich, tropical soil of Nicaragua makes the Brick House cigar a brand beyond reproach and one to smoke and smoke abundantly.

Construct

The Brick House natural features a blend of aged Nicaraguan binder and filler tobaccos with an Ecuadorian Habano wrapper. The Brick House maduro features a richer, darker blend of Nicaraguan ligero with a spicy-sweet Brazilian Arapiraca wrapper. The Brick House double Connecticut, however, is the most authentically American of the brand’s lineup. An earthy, sweet Connecticut Broadleaf binder embraces the aromatic, bold Nicaraguan filler tobacco. Finally, the powerful blend is topped with a genuine Connecticut Shade wrapper. Connecticut Shade, known the world over for its exquisite nutty and grassy flavor, complements the blend well. Connecticut Shade is still grown in the Connecticut River Valley, a tradition which goes back 300 years! The tobacco is cultivated under large cheese clothes which block out the sunlight and create a smooth, nutty wrapper.

This cigar consistently wins praise from Cigar Aficionado and Halfwheel for its smooth to medium-bodied blend which conjures emanations of vanilla, caramel, cinnamon, honey, wheat, and hazelnuts. Even for the experienced cigar smoker, accustomed to the richer aromas of sungrown or maduro, the Brick House Double Connecticut is one for the books. It is the only industry cigar currently available with both an authentic Connecticut Shade wrapper and Connecticut Broadleaf binder. Other cigars in the Brick House Double Connecticut’s weight class boast Shade wrappers but often use Ecuadorian or Nicaraguan imitations of Connecticut’s unique Windsor soil and climate. Accept no substitute, true aficionado. To boot, the Brick House Double Connecticut is a value-oriented cigar. You get twenty-five cigars in a box for less than $250!

“Brick House Double Connecticut is rolled with the same highly-acclaimed Brick House filler blend with a genuine Connecticut Shade wrapper and Connecticut Broadleaf binder. Fewer and fewer cigars are being made with genuine Connecticut wrapper because many cigar manufacturers have found it to be more profitable to take Connecticut seeds and plant them elsewhere, like Ecuador or Honduras. J.C. Newman takes the use of genuine Connecticut tobacco by using it both in the wrapper and binder.

The result of this combination is a very spicy and peppery rich flavor- one not only unlike regular Brick House- but one unlike any other cigar on the market today. Using both Connecticut Shade wrapper and Connecticut Broadleaf Binder is what makes this new Brick House Double Connecticut such a truly unusual and unique cigar.”

Brick House Double Connecticut Toro Review

The Brick House Double Connecticut Toro is available as a box of twenty-five cigars. The cigars themselves are a typical toro shape, that being a Parejo/roundhead cigar 6.25”x52. The cigars take about an hour and forty-fives minutes to smoke. From the experience of the reviewer, these cigars burn evenly but take a good toasting in order to light up properly. Cigar smokers should be wary of having their torch flame turned up too high as the wrapper easily scorches. The cigar generates a nice aroma of caramel and marzipan, somewhat akin to J.C. Newman Cigar Co.’s chief Shade wrapper cigar the Diamond Crown Classic.

The cigar generates a nice, white ash usually able to hold to a length of two or three inches. The ash on this cigar is solid white with light gray veins running through it. Mirroring the ash, the wrapper is also aesthetically pleasing. As expected of Connecticut Shade wrappers, the cigar bears a honey wheat wrapper the color of peanut butter. It does not bear the same oil content as a natural or maduro wrapper and, as a result, lacks that sheen. Instead, the wrapper has a smooth, tan appeal. Regardless, these cigars are worth salivating over. The cigars bear the typical Brick House band with a secondary foot band guaranteeing the authenticity of each Connecticut Shade Wrapper. These cigars are the real deal!

The first thing to appreciate about the Brick House Double Connecticut is the pleasant aroma of cinnamon, wheat, and hazelnuts emanating from the cigar and strongly pronounced in the cold draw. I have encountered issues with the Brick House Double Connecticut where the color sorting of the cigars might be off or the band takes off a piece of the wrapper upon removal, but the cigars never have issues with burn or draw. The cold draw of the cigar is aromatic and enjoyable, allowing one’s anticipation and appetite to build prior to the first lighting of the cigar. As mentioned previously, the cigar takes a good toasting before it can produce its ember or “cherry.” Once lit, however, the cigar rarely burns out during the smoke.

The cigar generates a considerable amount of smoke and every puff illuminates the room with notes of cardamom, vanilla, and caramel. These flavors mingle with the existing notes of cinnamon, wheat, and hazelnuts and produces a one-of-a-kind smoking experience. The retrohale is smooth and even enjoyable, immanentizing the cigar’s extraordinary profile.

In the second third of the cigar, the earthiness of the Connecticut Broadleaf binder becomes more pronounced. This sweet, earthy flavor serves as an excellent backdrop for the cigar’s movements, now orchestrated into a full ensemble.  Finally, the Nicaraguan becomes apparent in the final third of the cigar, causing an explosive and peppery finale to a phenomenal cigar. The cigar does build in heat and intensity towards the finish, but it is never enough to cause the cigar smoker to put it down.

Final Thoughts

Many cigar smokers, experienced with a wide variety of wrappers and blends, might assume this is your everyday Connecticut Shade cigar. It is not. This cigar has a profile in a league of its own. The quality of the smoking experience together with the quality of the tobacco, not to mention its value pricing and wide availability, make this one of the best cigars in J.C. Newman Cigar Co.’s portfolio.

Buying cigars online has continued to become more commonplace. As the world moves toward online sales for just about everything – clothes, groceries, even prescriptions – cigars are not omitted.

The conflict for many, however, is the missing element of the cigar buying experience. Being able to touch, to feel, to smell the cigars before you purchase was a large part of cigar culture until recent times. Buying cigars online delivers a unique experience all together. So how can you be sure the cigars you’re buying online are fresh and smoke-able? We have some answers and tips.

Buying Cigars by the Box, Bundle, or Pack

LMCigars.com sells cigars in many different packaging formats to cater to your needs. You can rest easy knowing that each cigar will arrive fresh and in excellent condition. Every cigar sold comes directly from the manufacturer and are sent to you in the exact condition that the manufacturer wants you to receive them at some incredible savings. We are simply the middle-man.

Free Shipping

LM Cigars, always offers various free shipping promotions across a wide range of products. Because of this, you know that even more savings are available to you from LM Cigars. Your shipment comes direct from our properly humidified warehouse straight to your door. They will arrive to you fresh and ready to smoke.

Watch for discounts

The common misconception is that discounts mean cigars have been sitting on a shelf somewhere for far too long without proper humidification and that is why they are priced so low. On the contrary. At LMcigars.com, our discounts apply to cigars that we WANT to sell more of – these are brands or manufacturers we believe in, and we want to see their products excel.

To make sure you’re getting updates on the latest discounts, be sure you sign up for our newsletter!