Gary Korb

You’re browsing through your favorite cigar catalog or Website and words like “Pyramid,” “Belicoso,” “Torpedo,” and “Perfecto” keep jumping out at you. Originating in Cuba, these are traditional names for a variety of non-parejo (or non-straight-sided) cigar shapes referred to as “figurados.” Since some shapes are similar in appearance, the question that arises is: What’s the difference between a Torpedo, a Belicoso, and a Pyramid, or the difference between a Perfecto, a Double Perfecto, and a Diademas? More important, what’s the difference in how they smoke? As with any premium cigar, the quality of the tobaccos is what really matters, and since many figurados often tend to be wider in ring gau... (more)

The Best of the Best

As the holiday season sails into view, gift ideas are on everyone's mind. Fortunately, when shopping for the cigar smoker, there are not only great cigars to choose from, but cigar accessories, as well. Here are some outstanding gift suggestions from the four primary cigar requisites: cigars, a humidor, a cutter, and a lighter. (Hint: leave this page open in a conspicuous place so your s... (more)

Travel Humidors

Before you sail off to the next port of call with your cigars, you’ll need a travel humidor that will keep your precious cargo out of harm’s way. Whether it’s a simple pocket humidor or an elaborate attaché case, the humidor must do two things for your cigars: keep them fresh and protect them. According to Michael Chunko, President & CEO of Csonka Worldwide, one the cig... (more)

New Cigar Reviews

For this issue, I’m spotlighting two new full-bodied luxury cigars from two of the top manufacturers: Davidoff of Geneva and General Cigar Dominicana. Both made in the Dominican Republic, at the heart of these cigars are rich-tasting tobaccos from different regions of the DR, Honduras and Nicaragua. Should you be cruising the waters surrounding these countries in the coming months,... (more)

Outstanding Cigars of 2004

2004 saw the debut of some excellent cigars, and in this issue I want to share with you (in no particular order), some of the more outstanding cigars released last year. I say “outstanding” because I don’t believe any cigar is “the best” any more than I believe any one movie or record album is “the best”; each cigar is unique in and of itself, wh... (more)