Sidebar Sidebar Sidebar

Cigar Guide – Top Boutique Cigar Brands of 2019

Posted by Tyler Enos on 30th Dec 2019

Hey, what's going on everyone? This is Gerard, mardocigars.com. So 2019 is coming to a close and we are looking forward to what 2020 has to bring. In this video, we're going to talk about the top boutique companies that we adopted and we put into our portfolio. But before I get started, I need you guys to click on that subscribe button and click on the bell to be notified every single week of new episodes on Mondays with Mardo. So without further ado, I wish you from Mardo Cigars and the whole entire staff to your family a Merry Christmas and happy holidays and a happy new year in 2020.

Okay, so I have the cigars in front of me and before I get started, I'm going to ask you guys to watch the video it's entirety so you'll know what special we're giving away. And there are no ratings on these cigars, I'm just going off of what is in front of me. 

Aladino

First one I'm going to pick up as Aladino Corojo Reserva under JRE Tobacco. JRE Tobacco sold their brand, which was Camacho, to Davidoff and they had a five year non-compete contract. So for five years, the owner of JRE didn't make any cigars. But in the United States, when he came out with something, Aladino Corojo Reserva, he did a very, very good job and we adopted this into our portfolio. So one of the top brands that we started carrying is Aladino.

Jeremy Jack

Next up is Jeremy Jack, a company based out of San Diego. I met Brady through a friend of mine, which is Kay. And Kay, it's really funny, big Samoan guy, very, very intimidating looking. However, he is just a straight teddy bear. He had been telling me about Jeremy Jack. And when I went to the trade show, I gave it a try, and you know what? I loved it because it has that spice with the raisin in there and it's got that sweetness, and I think Brady the owner's a really cool guy. We've met, he came up here, we had pictures, cigars, we had the whole shebang. So Jeremy Jack is another one on our list. We definitely want to try it as a boutique cigar.

Blackbird

And next on our list is Blackbird Company, which is a really cool name. And this one is the Crow, which has a San Andres wrapper on it. And they're out of Tamboril, so I definitely have a soft spot for Dominican companies out of Tamboril. But however, the reason why I chose to go with Blackbird is when I tried it, it had a very good full body, good pepper, lots of flavor and the people were just down to earth and I heard quite a bit of a buzz about this brand. So I went about it and I took a chance and we are selling these things like hotcakes. So look for Blackbird Crow.

Southern Draw

Number four on our list is Desert Rose. This is a spinoff of the Rose of Sharon from Southern Draw. This is a new cigar brand that we adopted this year in our portfolio. And this comes in a bundle of 10. However, we do have them broken up into five packs in singles. So look for Southern Draw Desert Rose, which is a spinoff of the cigar that was rated 100, Rose of Sharon.

Rojas Cigars

Okay, so next is Noel Rojas. And how I got introduced to Noel Rojas is through social media actually. Some of my followers, Trip and Richard, had been talking to me about Noel Rojas and he sent me one to try out. And immediately when I tried to Lancero, I was just blown away at how good the cigar was, very full, lots of flavor. Noel Rojas comes from a Cuban family and he kept the tradition going and when he went to Nicaragua he started making cigars, but now he has a factory in Texas and two brands he came out with this year is the Statement and the Bluebonnet or Bluebonnèt. Anyways, you definitely want to try Noel Rojas. This guy is no joke, very boutique, good stuff, look for it.

Dapper Cigars

All right, so next on the list is El Borracho from Dapper Cigars. And how I came across this is actually when I was at the trade show during the summer in Vegas, when I was talking to my buddies and my buddies are the ones that either have shops themselves or they're manufacturers, they kept on bringing up Dapper El Borracho, and I was just like, "Really? That just sounds odd for a cigar name." So when I went to go to their booth, and Ian Reith is the owner Dapper, we started talking. I lit up a cigar and I was really, really impressed of how good the flavors are and I learned a lot about Nicaraguan tobacco, especially Ometepe. And El Borracho is definitely a buzzword that goes around a trade show. And as a matter of fact until today, I hear a lot of people say that El Borracho is straight fire. So look for this one right here.

Cavalier Genève 

Next step, we have Cavalier White Series, owner is Sebastien Decoppet. These are made out of Honduras. Actually, he was the one who had recommended El Borracho, and he said, "It's straight fire." This is a very nice, mild, creamy cigar with a lot of body to it. His motto is, "Stay gold, smoke gold." It's got the gold diamond right in the middle of the cigar. This cigar is truly, truly boutique, and we're doing very well with it and Sebastien's a hell of a guy to work with. So look for Cavalier Genève out of Honduras.

Crux Cigar

Crux Cigar, it has been totally revamped this year in 2019, and I think they've done a very, very good job. When we went to their booth, we tried their cigar. We were very impressed, very happy with their new packaging and their new look. If you're not on Instagram, I highly recommend you get on Instagram and go to Crux, start following them. They have some really cool videos and a lot of great production that is bringing up the brand and giving it it's well-deserved status. So I think Crux is a very good brand. You guys should definitely look at that as well. And we're going to go onto the next one.

Casdagli

Next up is Casdagli. This is formerly known as Bespoke. However, in the United States, Bespoke is Oregon trademarked, so Casdagli had to change it, and the owner is Jeremy Casdagli and he named the cigar Casdagli in the United States. And this is the Basilica. They also have the Daughters of the Wind. These cigars are made by the Kelner family, I believe Hendrik Kelner's son and his daughter are the ones that are the masterminds behind the Casdagli brand. Very good cigar, I love this brand and you should look for it, Casdagli.

Sinistro

All right, last but not least, we're going to talk about Sinistro, the Last Cowboy Cabo Maduro in particular because it's been selling like hotcakes. I have a huge grin on my face because owner James and Coleman have been so impactful for us here at Mardo Cigars in 2019. He's the one who actually inspired us to go down to the Dominican Republic, and we went there six times in 2019 and thus we started embarking on all kinds of newer projects. We especially have a limited edition Last Cowboy 2018 that we did a project with them. So if you haven't tried the Last Cowboy Maduro, I highly recommend it, and that's going to end our entire list of our top picks for 2019. Again, this was not a rating at all. It was just picking up whatever I had in front of me and telling you guys a little bit about it. So I'm truly excited. 2020, here we come baby.

Come Join Us

All right, everyone. This is where I say thank you for watching this video. Scroll all the way down to the description to click on that link for your special. However, before you go, I want you to follow us on Instagram, like us on Facebook and subscribe to our YouTube channel. This is Gerard, I'm saying, "See you, and welcome to 2020."