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4 days ago | 
cigaraficionado.com | Gregory Mottola
When you combine the Turkish word for “dark” (kara) with Indonesia’s Lake Toba, you get the portmanteau “karatoba,” which is also the name of newest brand from OZ Family Cigars. Karatoba is the most full-bodied blend from OZ Family yet, and it’s on its way to retailers now.
So why Lake Toba? This body of water happens to sit atop a caldera formed by an old super volcano that was responsible for one of the biggest blasts in our geological timeline.
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2 weeks ago | 
cigaraficionado.com | Gregory Mottola
Dominican cigarmaker Eladio Diaz will be releasing his second regular-production cigar line next month called La Diana, and the brand is a tribute to his first cigar mentor.
Diaz is well known throughout the industry and spent most of his career working for Davidoff of Geneva at the Swiss company’s factory in the Dominican Republic. When he left Davidoff in 2021, he opened a factory of his own and started slowly, making contract brands and limited editions.
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1 month ago | 
cigaraficionado.com | Gregory Mottola
The IM Corona Double Corona butane lighter is back. After an absence in the market, Illinois-based Arango Cigar Co. has revived these durable, dual-flame lighters and they’re shipping out to retailers today.
IM Corona’s Double Corona lighters have always been a bit of a contradiction, as they were known for having both rugged construction as well as elegant finishes—two traits that are seldom found in one unit. This is due to the patented manufacturing process.
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1 month ago | 
cigaraficionado.com | Gregory Mottola
More than two years ago, Habanos S.A. announced an expansion to its Montecristo Open line: a new size called Slam. In mid-May, Hunters & Frankau, the importer of Cuban cigars into the United Kingdom, presented the cigars at the IGNITE 2025 tobacconists trade show held in Northamptonshire, England. They began sending them out to shops shortly after, and last week, U.K. retailers started receiving the first shipments of this long-awaited smoke.
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1 month ago | 
cigaraficionado.com | Gregory Mottola
Two former competitors are now allies. Online and catalog retailer Best Cigar Prices, which is based in Drums, Pennsylvania, has merged with Alliance Cigar, a wholesale distributor from Hauppauge, New York. Alliance now operates as the B2B wholesale division of Best, while Best concentrates on consumer sales.
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1 month ago | 
cigaraficionado.com | Gregory Mottola
The Alma del Cielo from Plasencia Cigars was unveiled with some velvet-roped fanfare at last month’s PCA trade show in New Orleans. After an eloquent introduction by Nestor Andrés Plasencia—and a live performance by R&B artist October London—the cigars were ceremoniously lowered from the ceiling as though descending from the sky. Now, they’re shipping to retailers all over the United States and internationally.
A heartfelt introduction.
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1 month ago | 
cigaraficionado.com | Gregory Mottola
It seems as though every birthday and anniversary in the cigar industry is worth celebrating, no matter the year. Take Eladio Diaz for example. He’s the Dominican cigarmaker who worked for many decades at the Davidoff factory before going off on his own and opening Tabacalera Diaz Cabrera (TDC) in the Dominican Republic. Last year he released a cigar for his 71st birthday, and next month, he’ll be launching one for his 72nd.
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1 month ago | 
cigaraficionado.com | David Savona |Gregory Mottola
Blake James • Director of Athletics, Boston College • Hoyo de Monterrey Double Corona
Blake James is a seasoned veteran of college sports. For the past two-and-a-half years he’s been the William V. Campbell director of athletics for Boston College, and before that he served as director of athletics for Miami University, where he spent 11 years. While athletic director, the “U” won five NCAA championships.
He’s a busy man, but he makes time for great cigars.
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1 month ago | 
cigaraficionado.com | David Savona |Gregory Mottola
Dirk Benedict • Actor • My Father Cigars
As Lt. Starbuck on the TV series “Battlestar Galactica,” he was a sci-fi superstar of the ’70s. In the 1980s, Dirk Benedict became a pop-culture icon when he portrayed Templeton “Faceman” Peck on the hit action show “The A-Team.” Decades later, even millennials know the theme song, and being inextricably linked to the franchise still gives Benedict a thrill. If you remember the show, you’ll recall that it was another character who smoked cigars on screen.
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1 month ago | 
cigaraficionado.com | David Savona |Gregory Mottola
Stew Leonard Jr. • CEO, Stew Leonard's • Padrón 1964 Anniversary No. 4 Maduro
Just about anyone who grew up in Connecticut knows the magic of visiting Stew Leonard’s, with its singing animatronic characters, petting zoo and ice cream. It began in 1969 as a dairy store with seven workers and today it’s a $550 million business.
