Coronas - part one
Coronas are the most popular size of the world’s cigars and usually, in Cuba at least, refer to a 40 to 42 ring gauge by about 5 to 5 and a half inches in length. Before 1980, when all Cuban vitola sizes produced by different factories were simplified and.....

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Dutch Cigars
Dutch cigars may now be an integral part of the culture of the Netherlands but it was not until 1896 when the Dutch started making cigars using tobacco from their Far Eastern Colonies. Today, many Dutch cigars, especially machine-made, are among the world.....

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Issue 8 New Releases
In this issue we review new releases (including cigarillos, minis and flavoured cigars), non- Cuban coronas, and Dutch cigars. All the larger cigars (red heading) have been tasted by Cigar Buyer’s chief taster, James Leavey, and are scored out of 10 in si.....

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Belicosos
Ashort, thick cigar with a rounded head instead of a pyramid cigar's point. The belicoso (plural: belicosos) is usually about five to five and a half inches long by 50 or less ring gauge, but sizes do vary greatly from country to country. This satisfying,.....

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Ecuador wrapped cigars
Some people say that the wrapper can produce as much as 30 per cent of a cigar’s flavour. The key to a good wrapper leaf is its elasticity and absence of veins. Wrapper leaves are usually matured from one year to three years; the longer they’re aged the s.....

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Issue 7 New Releases
In this issue we review new releases (including cigarillos and flavoured cigars), belicosos, and Ecuador-wrappered cigars. All the larger cigars (red heading) have been tasted by Cigar Buyer’s chief taster, James Leavey, and are scored out of 10 in six ca.....

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Cigars in the best possible taste
Most cigars come with an builtin flavour all of their own; sometimes it’s great, sometimes not. But there have long been smokers who dip the head of their cigar into their favourite drink, and enjoy the resulting soggy combination. Such people tended to d.....

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Issue 6 New Releases
In this issue we review new releases, petit coronas, aromatic cigars and small cigars or 'minis'. All the larger cigars (red heading) have been tasted by Cigar Buyer's chief taster, James Leavey, and are scored out of 10 in six categories: appearance, com.....

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Petit Coronas
The typical petit corona is five and one eighth inches x 42 ring gauge, but sizes vary slightly from brand to brand, and from country to country. Sometimes known as a Mareva, this is by far one of the most popular sizes. Its 42 ring guage allows all three.....

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American cigars - part two
You’ve seen them in Hollywood movies and The Sopranos – now they’re here. At last, some of the most popular and impressive cigars on sale in the United States have found their way to Britain. They’re actually the product of Nicaragua and the Dominican Rep.....

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Figurados and double figurados
A figurado is an irregularly shaped cigar pointed at one end, like a torpedo. The classic double figurado is pointed at both ends. It appears to be growing in popularity in Britain, perhaps because it looks and feels different, and is very tactile. It's b.....

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Issue 5 New Releases
In this issue we review new releases, figurados, double figurados and American cigars. It being a quiet time of the year for many cigar companies, all the new releases this issue come from Davidoff. All the cigars have been tasted by Cigar Buyer’s chief t.....

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American cigars part one
Most of the fine handmade cigars currently sold in the United Kingdom are Cuban, together with a small but select number of fine cigars from the Dominican Republic, Honduras and Nicaragua. The reverse is true in the USA – America has the widest selection .....

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Issue 4 New Releases
In this issue we review new releases, tres petit coronas and American cigars. All the larger cigars (red heading) have been tasted blind by Cigar Buyer’s chief taster, James Leavey, and are scored out of 10 in six categories: appearance, combustion, draw,.....

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Tres petit coronas
Ashort, slim, elegant, handmade cigar – typically four or four and a half inches x 40 ring gauge – which seems to vary in length and width depending on the country of origin. Generally speaking, the quality of most tres petit coronas currently available i.....

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Coronas Gordas
Sometimes called a toro and steadily growing in popularity, possibly because it's a slightly longer and chunkier version of the corona and many of today's cigar smokers seem to want more oomph for their money. The corona gorda's traditional measurements a.....

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Issue 3 New Releases
In this issue we review new releases, Corona Gordas and Nicaraguan cigars. All cigars have been tasted blind by Cigar Buyer's chief taster, James Leavey, and are scored out of 10 in six categories: appearance, combustion, draw, flavour, aroma and balance......

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Nicaraguan
The UK cigar market is notoriously conservative and has long been dominated by Havanas, with only a few of the finest Dominican brands getting much of a look in. Indeed, we see only a tiny proportion of the enormous range of premium cigars currently avail.....

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Churchills
Romeo y Julieta commemorated Sir Winston Churchill’s visit to Cuba in 1946 by placing his name on the cigar band of what has since been described as that marques’ most famous size, i.e. seven inches by 47 ring gauge, which became known as the ‘Churchill’......

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Issue 2 New Releases
In this issue we review new releases, Churchills, and small cigars or ‘whiffs’. All the larger cigars (red heading) have been tasted blind by Cigar Buyer’s chief taster, James Leavey, and are scored out of 10 in six categories: appearance, combustion, dra.....

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Small Cigars
The quality small cigar or ‘whiff’ can be defined as weighing between 1.2 and 2.5 grammes in and are various lengths. They are generally aimed at two groups, the so-called cigarette refugees or those who want to give up cigarette smoking for an alternativ.....

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Issue 1 New Releases
In each issue there will be three tastings: new releases and two special tastings. Here are this issues 'New Releases'......

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Minis – coffee break cigars
What’s the difference between a mini and a whiff? The answer is probably ‘zero point nothing grammes of tobacco’. For each miniature or mini cigar, and that’s what we are really talking about, usually weighs no more than 1.2 gms of tobacco, while whiffs r.....

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Robustos
Smoking a hand-rolled, long filler robusto is rather like going to bed with a medium height, well-proportioned woman – it gives you something substantial to hold on to when you’re having fun. Some of my female friends have admitted that the same principle.....

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