Top Virtual Herf Cigars

September 2, 2020

Top 10 Virtual Herf Cigars

When the world drastically changed in March, we at Jr had to adapt like everybody else. We weren’t allowed to make videos and film in the office with it being shut down and whatnot.

What is a Virtual Herf?

So, our video production team quickly came up with a pretty successful solution; virtual herfs! You may be wondering “What is a Virtual Herf?” Well luckily for you, we wrote an article a while ago explaining what exactly a cigar herf actually is.

Since we couldn’t conduct any cigar herfs in person, we decide to take it to our YouTube page, where we hosted our very own virtual herf. Over 25 Cigar Manufacturers sat down with Nick and Greg to discuss popular cigar brands within their line.

We even hosted a virtual tradeshow, where some of the same cigar manufacturers came on to discuss new brands that will be released in the latter part of this year.

So, for this week’s Top List, we have selected ten cigars from ten companies that were gracious enough to sit down with us and be interviewed.

We were so humbled that so many manufacturers took time out of their hectic lives to chat with us for an hour each day for the last few months.

Don’t forget to get the limited time sampler below, and when we get back to hanging out with one another, check out the list of cigars you should bring to a herf!

Cavalier Black Series

We had the pleasure of interviewing a unique and special guest from Sweden, Sebastian Decoppet of Cavalier Cigars. This Swiss-based company that moved to the United States in 2018, is taking the boutique cigar world by storm.

Sebastian credits Zino Davidoff that got him inspired to dive into the cigar world. Zino contributed a lot to Sebastian’s hometown of Geneva, so it’s only fitting Sebastian leaned towards making cigars for a living.

The Cavalier Black Series in the Robusto size is the second installment under the Cavalier brand. This medium-bodied smoke has a San Andres wrapper, with a binder from Brazil, and filler tobaccos from Honduras and Nicaragua.

Some flavor notes you’ll detect while smoking the Black Series from Cavalier are cinnamon, brown sugar, and hints of spice. If you’d like to know more about Sebastian Decoppet and Cavalier Cigars, go here to check it out now!

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Crowned Heads Juarez

If you follow us, you know that our relationship with Crowned Heads is a special one. So, when we wanted to do a virtual herf series, we had to have Jon Huber on as one of our first guests.

Jon shared his journey in the cigar business, where he first started working at CAO in the 90s, to working with E.P. Carrillo, then started his own company, Crowned Heads, in 2011.

During the Crowned Heads virtual herf, Jon discussed the release of the Las Calaveras 2020 and the brief history behind the meaning of his “State Only” cigar lines.

The Juarez XX Double Shot from Crowned Heads is in the top list because of its glorious San Andres Mexican wrapper, Ecuadorian binder, and filler tobaccos from the Dominican Republic and Nicaragua.

This specific cigar was a collaboration between Crowned Heads and Tabacalera Pichardo, a small boutique factory located in Nicaragua. Some flavor notes you’ll I highly recommend checking out this virtual herf episode to get to know one of the best guys in the cigar business.

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Kristoff San Andres

We had the luxury of chatting with Kristoff Cigars vice president of sales Jarrid Trudeau. Jarrid went over some popular lines under the Kristoff brand such as the Original Maduro, Cameroon, and the “Pistoff Kristoff”.

Jarrid also discussed how his mentor at Kristoff, Glen Case, allowed Jarrid to thrive at the company due to how both of them started in the retail business instead of the tobacco industry.

The Kristoff San Andres Robusto comes in the 5.50 x 54 size with a Mexican San Andres wrapper, with an Ecuador Habano wrapper, and a Nicaraguan Habano for the filler tobaccos.

Some flavor notes you’ll taste while smoking the Kristoff San Andres Robusto are chocolate, leather, spice, and dark roast coffee. Jarrid Trudeau was a wonderful special guest on his virtual herf episode that you should go check out as soon as you can!

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Black Works Studio Sindustry

Back in May, we had a great opportunity to interview James Brown of Black Label Trading Company. Living outside of the United States since 2008, James said he created Black Label Trading Company back in 2012 when cigars didn’t satisfy his palate anymore.

Years later, James Brown started his side project with longtime friend Derek Matthews called “Black Works Studio.”

Although James Brown of Black Label Trading Company didn’t talk much about Black Work Studios.

But when he did, they discussed the Sindustry Toro, which is on our list. The Sindustry Toro has a San Andres Maduro wrapper, with a Nicaraguan Habano binder, and Nicaraguan fillers.

Some flavor notes you’ll taste while smoking the Sindustry are red pepper, caramel, cedar, and raisin. James Brown and Black Label Trading Company were such great guests, and you can tell in his virtual herf interview. Check it out now!

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Room 101 Farce

Although we didn’t have a full-on virtual herf interview with Matt Booth of Room 101 cigars, we did host a Virtual Cigar Event with Room 101. Matt Booth discussed how and when he started Room 101 cigars, the “golden age” of boutique brands, as well as talking about the newest release from Room 101, which was the Big Payback.

But today, we’re going over a cigar that came out in 2018, which is Room 101 Farce.

Wrapped in an Ecuador Connecticut tobacco, with a “Manufacturer’s Secret” for the binder, and filler tobaccos from the Dominican Republic and Nicaragua, the Room 101 Farce Robusto Connecticut comes in a delicious 5 x 50 size.

Some mouthwatering flavors that will pop while smoking the Robusto Connecticut are white pepper, sweet cocoa, and roasted cashews throughout. Check out some Room 101 Herf Samplers here as well as our first Cigar Virtual Event we hosted with Matt Booth back in May.

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Perdomo Estate Seleccion Vintage

We interviewed Nick Perdomo of Perdomo Cigars in April, where Nick shared how he and his father broke into the industry. During his interview, Nick reflected on being one of the first cigar manufacturers to grow tobacco in Nicaragua.

He stated that nobody thought growing tobacco in Nicaragua would be beneficial, but he saw something lightyears before everyone else did. We had to add the Estate Seleccion Vintage (ESV) from Perdomo due to the top shelf blending technique Nick used to create this.

The ESV in a Prestigio Sungrown has a Sungrown wrapper, with Nicaraguan tobaccos for the binder and filler. After lighting up the Prestigio Sungrown you’ll experience flavor notes of wood, pepper, and coffee that remains throughout the entire smoke.

Nick Perdomo is a very genuine and intelligent person who we loved talking to. So please go check out his virtual herf interview to find out more about one of the founding fathers of the industry.

Cohiba Royale

Lead Blender and Ambassador of Cohiba Cigars, Sean Williams, was one of our best guests on the virtual herf series. Sean went into detail about his first creation, the Atlanta Cigar Society he started back in 2005. Fast forward to 2016, Sean capitalized on the great opportunity to become one of the leaders of Cohiba. His past success with several Top 25 ratings really allowed them to make a cigar with such prestige such as the Cohiba Royale.

Produced by General Cigars, the Cohiba Royale in the Toro size has a Nicaraguan wrapper, with a Dominican Republic binder, and filler tobaccos from the Dominican Republic, Honduras, and Nicaragua.

Some flavor notes you’ll experience while smoking the Cohiba Royale are black pepper, earth, cinnamon, cocoa, and rich tobacco sweetness on the back end. We highly recommend checking out our interview with one of the coolest people in the industry, Sean Williams.

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Casa Fernandez JFR Lunatic Torch

We’ve had Terence Reilly of Aganorsa Leaf on a handful of times. The first time we interviewed him was on the virtual herf episode we did with Terence back in April.

Terence Reilly is the VP of Sales for Aganorsa Leaf, where he talked about the path that brought him to this prestigious company. Terence also broke down the meaning of the word “Aganorsa” and what it means to be a “one of a kind” tobacco.

The cigar we’re covering today is the JFR Lunatic.

The JFR Lunatic Torch Visionaries is a Nicaraguan puro that boasts with flavorful notes. Some notes you’ll experience while smoking the Torch Visionaries from JFR Lunatic are earth, pepper, dark roast, and dried fruit on the back end.

Once you’re done checking out Terence Reilly’s virtual herf episode, go over and check out his virtual blend testing he did with Nick and Greg.

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Herrera Esteli Miami Edition

Drew Estate is a powerhouse in the cigar industry due to the fact they have master blenders creating phenomenal lines under the brand’s name.

One master blender we had the pleasure of interviewing was Willy Herrera. Herrera is fortunate enough to have his own personal line under Drew Estate. He briefly discussed his collaborations with ACID Cigars and the La Coalicion from Crowned Heads. But his personal favorite that he created happens to be the Herrera Esteli Miami Edition.

The Herrera Esteli Miami Edition in the Robusto Grande size has an Ecuadorian Habano Oscuro wrapper, with an Ecuador Sumatra binder, and fillers from Nicaragua and the Dominican Republic.

The finished product is a medium to full-bodied smoke that has complex flavor notes of sweet cedar, earth caramel, and espresso. You can tell Willy Herrera was really down to earth when we interviewed him, so we highly recommend you check out his episode today!

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Foundation Highclere Castle Edwardian

One of the very first Virtual Herf episodes we did was with a close friend of ours. Mr. Nick Melillo of Foundation Cigars graced our YouTube page by skyping us from Nicaragua.

Nick discussed how he was adapting to COVID life when it first started. Nick Melillo also gave us a bevy of historical information for his newest cigar line, the Highclere Castle, which we are covering today.

The Highclere Castle Edwardian in the Churchill size is named for the set location of the popular TV show “Downton Abbey”. This top-notch cigar has a Connecticut shade wrapper, with binder tobaccos from Brazil and filler tobaccos from Nicaragua.

This medium-bodied smoke has delicious notes of citrus, pepper, leather, caramel, and oak. One would say the Foundation Highclere Castle Edwardian is fit for a king!

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