The Cabañas brands dates back as far as 1733 and each cigar in the line up is either individually tissue-wrapped or cedar-wrapped. The dedication to quality apparent in the presentation is also evident in the cigars themselves. The Torbusto featured this month is a chunky figurado shape that's really a hybrid of a torpedo and a robusto. It's hand rolled in Romana, Dominicana Republica. It's rolled with a Dominican binder and Brazilian and Dominican filler tobaccos. Cabanas wraps it up with a Nicaraguan grown Sumatran wrapper.

Panel Review:
Immediately note a handsome, oily H-2000 wrapper, a hybrid leaf that combines the characteristics of both Cuban and Connecticut shade tobaccos. Note a very full, rich and bold flavor in this very well constructed smoke. It burned nicely and held its ash well. Overall, a fun shape, great taste and full flavored. Pair it up with a thick Irish Stout.

Panel Review:
You'll note a very smooth, pleasant and extremely mild flavor largely due to the CT broadleaf wrapper. Although we found it quite mild, it had a very nice creamy texture about it and very pleasant aroma. Construction is wonderful. Perfectly rolled. No soft spots and a nice gentle draw. We thought that it paired nicely with a meaty Chardonnay.

In our humble opinion the Double Happiness and Fighting Cock lines are the only cigars worth smoking that hail from the Philippines. It's mild character is accented nicely by a silky smooth Connecticut wrapper. The binder and filler tobaccos are both grown in the Philippines. Each cigar is slightly box-pressed. The box art and band are replicas of original Filipino art.

Panel Review:
Look for an exotic blend offering a very smooth, mild taste and incredibly easy draw. We found the blend simple, yet intriguing, as we don't often enjoy Philippine tobacco. The Double Happiness blend offers the smokers a light-bodied, yet very distinct and pronounced taste that should please novices and seasoned smokers alike. Consider pairing it with a peaty scotch ale or bourbon.

The Free Cuba brand is hand made in the Dominican Republic by the makers of several well known lines such as Havana Classico, Calle Ocho, Domino Park, Celestino Vega, and the full bodied Regalos. Free Cuba's Robusto was 1st introduced in 1996 by the Caribbean Cigar Company. Rolled with a blend of Cuban seed Dominican filler and binder tobaccos, the Free Cuba Robusto featured this month has been reviewed quite favorably and our panel enjoyed each sample reviewed. It was difficult to choose just one!

Panel Review:
Immediately note a ruddy, rustic, oily colorado brown Sumatran wrapper that just begs you to light it. We found it to burn well and offer and easy draw. Look for a medium-to-full-bodied smoke with evidence of cocoa and sweet spice flavors. We found the finish slightly sweet and woody.

Produced by General Cigar, a company that has been cranking out fine smokes such as Bolivar, Cohiba, Cifuentas, Punch, and Partagas among others, the Macanudo line has been widely appreciated since 1848. The Robust line, however, was recently introduced in December of 1998 with the immediate success you'd expect from such a solid brand. It was in development for just over four years! The stronger character comes from a hearty blend of the richest Dominican Piloto Cubano tobaccos and a Havana seed binder grown just for the line in the Connecticut River Valley.

Panel Review:
A truly smooth, yet full flavor comes from the darkest and most thoroughly aged Connecticut shade wrappers. The line was was designed to please those in quest of rich, full-flavor coupled with the consistency and quality we've all grown to expect from Macanudo. Overall, expertly constructed, a spicy full body and great taste. Pair it with a Sauvignon Blanc.

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