halfwheel
Blog
halfwheel.com launched Jan. 1, 2012. Its content includes the archives of TheCigarFeed.com and SmokingStogie.com, sites previously published by co-founders Charlie Minato and Brooks Whittington. It combined the obsessive industry news coverage of TheCigarFeed and the in-depth reviews of SmokingStogie into a singular place for those passionate about cigars.
For 2014 our goal is simple: we want to be the place where people in the cigar industry turn to daily. There are plenty of shop owners who start their day with coffee, a cigar and our daily morning emails—this year is all about growing that audience.
We believe that by providing a combination of in-depth news, high-quality reviews and editorial content we can easily become that site. More importantly, we believe that we will reach the most coveted end consumers on the market by becoming the site known as the blog where people in the industry find their news. Source
Actions
Media Outlet details
| Scope | Trade/B2B, Consumer |
|---|---|
| Language | English |
| Country | United States of America |
Similarweb UVM
|
Request pricing |
Comscore UVM
|
Request pricing |
Recent Articles
Search ArticlesJFR 20th Anniversary Gordito
Last year, AGANORSA Leaf celebrated two decades of its JFR brand by releasing a new line with the somewhat obvious name of JFR 20th Anniversary. JFR is short for just for retailers, and the brand debuted in 2011 as a value cigar to be sold exclusively by brick-and-mortar retailers. Over the years, the brand has become known not only for its wallet-friendly prices but also for its range of larger ring gauge cigars, including 8 x 80 and 7 x 70 vitolas.
Weekly News (Sept. 21, 2026)
Altadis U.S.A, one of the largest cigar companies in the U.S., has announced a variety of changes that amount to a mixed bag for retailers, though likely no relief for consumers. The headline is that Altadis US.A. is refunding the surcharges the company charged retailers for the IEEPA-related tariffs. Stores that paid tariff surcharges up to Feb. 23, 2026 will receive a refund via an account credit by Oct. 1. There’s also a new price increase.
InterTabac 2026: Thursday
Greetings from Dallas. After a quick turnaround, I’ve gone from 15C to 97F. Also, where did the sparkling apple juice go? InterTabac 2026 has come and gone. After some sleep, I’ve got some additional takeaways from the trade show fair in Dortmund, Germany. Picking up where Wednesday’s post left off, the other part of the China discussion.
Artista Cigars, China National to Collaborate on New Line
At last week’s InterTabac 2026 trade fair, Artista Cigars and China National Tobacco Corp., the world’s largest tobacco company, announced that the two companies had signed a new cooperation agreement that includes the creation of a new line called Taishan · Artista. Unlike most cigars, Taishan · Artista will be produced in two different factories. El Artista will produce a toro in the Dominican Republic, while China Tobacco Shandong Industry Co., Ltd. will produce a pyramid version.
Perez-Carrillo Ascend Ridge
Earlier this year, Casa Carrillo announced a new regular production line named Ascend, which the company says was inspired by the idea of progression. To that end, the blend was created to feature an evolution of flavors from the beginning to the end, while the three vitolas are named after basic landforms in mountain topography that describe the shapes of hills and mountains from shortest to tallest.
Montecristo Espada Conquistador Ricasso
For decades, the non-Cuban Montecristo brand was known as being a Dominican cigar, made at Tabacalera de García in La Romana. After Fidel Castro nationalized the Cuban cigar industry in 1960, Alonso Menéndez and Pepe Garcia left the country for the Canary Islands before ending up in the Dominican Republic in the 1970s.
Drew Estate Ships Four-Pack Petacas for Six Liga Privada Cigars
A new portable packaging option for six different Liga Privada cigars is on the way to retailers.
Costa Rica Getting New Edición Regional This Month with El Rey del Mundo Tico
A new Edición Regional is coming to Costa Rica this month in celebration of the 15th anniversary of the distributor Cruz Canela & Trust G.B. It’s the El Rey del Mundo Tico, a robusto extra that measures 5 9/10 (150mm) x 54 and is known as the Geniales vitola in Cuban cigar parlance. It’s a popular size for special releases, but is also used for the regular production Montecristo Open Eagle and Hoyo de Monterrey Le Hoyo de San Juan.
InterTabac 2026: Wednesday
This will probably be the last InterTabac 2026 post for at least a few days, though it’s not the final one. As I type this, Brooks is unaware of another onslaught of pictures to edit, once again thanks to European companies and their cigar accessories. Unfortunately, my train out of Dortmund leaves in about 27 hours, and I suspect that I won’t have another dispatch from InterTabac 2026 until I’m back stateside.
Stolen Throne Highway Drifter Showing Up at Stores
The first release from Stolen Throne Cigars to be made with a shaggy foot is starting to hit retailers’ shelves. Highway Drifter is a 6 x 52 toro made up of an Ecuadorian habano wrapper covering a binder and filler blend grown in Nicaragua. The cigars are made at the Rojas Cigar Factory in Nicaragua. Each cigar has an MSRP of $13, and it is packaged in 10-count bundles. A total of 10,000 cigars are being released.