Blog | cigartipsters

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Jan 13
4 min

Torcedor Talent

Over the past century or so, premium cigars have evolved into different shapes and sizes (or vitolas). There is also a much larger catalo...

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Ben Balliro

Jan 13
3 min

I Bid You, the Audew.

In the spirit of holiday gift giving for a divorced man, I decided to buy something for myself; the Audew JC-48A Thermoelectric Humidor. ...

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Ben Balliro

Sep 18, 2020
2 min

64ths of a Topic

There has been a question that has been puzzling me for the past week or so and it has to do with a cigar’s ring gauge. If you smoke prem...

17 views0 comments

Ben Balliro

Sep 17, 2020
3 min

Want vs. Need

Most of the time when I’m trying to catch up on the latest cigar news, I find myself wondering how can something so simple, become so com...

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Ben Balliro

Jul 29, 2020
3 min

Where Are We?!

I don’t know about you, but I’m getting annoyed by the amount of conflicting information I’m receiving all over the internet. You can smo...

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Ben Balliro

May 9, 2020
3 min

Active vs. Passive Humi.

There are pros and cons for both active and passive humidification systems. Before we delve into which system is better, it’s important t...

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Ben Balliro

Apr 25, 2020
2 min

Make the Most of It

These past few months have been a nightmare with lockdowns, curfews, an irrational economic frenzy of stockpiling paper products and flou...

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Ben Balliro

Feb 9, 2020
2 min

Cigar Ratings and Public Opinion

Do you believe in cigar ratings? Does your opinion change based on cigar ratings? This is a huge topic of debate because of our favorite ...

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Ben Balliro

Jan 28, 2020
3 min

Money is Not Everything

During our last Cigar Tipsters Episode Mark Jr. and I discussed the topic of the PCA Trade Show and how some of the biggest names in ciga...

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Ben Balliro

Dec 11, 2019
4 min

What is a Boutique Brand Anyway?

Some say it’s based on the number of cigars a company produces and the exclusive choices of cigars to choose from. Others say it’s how lo...

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Ben Balliro

Aug 7, 2019
2 min

Emotional Taste Perception

Emotional Taste Perception. Sounds intriguing doesn’t it? Whether you are a novice or a veteran cigar smoker you have run into this topi...

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(My Father) Don Pepin Garcia Cuban Classic

Ben Balliro

Aug 7, 2019
2 min

(My Father) Don Pepin Garcia Cuban Classic

The Don Pepin Garcia Cuban classic was the first blend developed in the Garcia Factory in Esteli Nicaragua. It uses all Nicaraguan tobacc...

10 views0 comments

Ben Balliro

Aug 7, 2019
4 min

If It Costs More, It’s Better Right?

“Yes, if it costs more it means it’s a better cigar right?....WROnG!”. You’ve read this online before and heard this argument a million t...

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The Fields are Alive with the Sound of Lobbyists

Ben Balliro

Jul 25, 2019
2 min

The Fields are Alive with the Sound of Lobbyists

Marco Rubio is a (R) Junior U.S. Senator from FL, whom you may remember ran in the 2016 Republican Primaries for President of the United...

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Ben Balliro

Jul 25, 2019
5 min

What Are We Tasting?

I hope this helps explain the fundamentals of cigar tasting.

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Ben Balliro

Jul 16, 2019
7 min

Top 5 Cigar Misconceptions

Below is a compiled list of my own thoughts, and stereotypical misconceptions about the premium tobacco world. My goal is not to sound li...

34 views0 comments

Ben Balliro

Jul 13, 2019
4 min

So What Would Happen if the U.S./Cuba Embargo was Lifted?

This concern of US/Cuban relations has been on the minds of the U.S. cigar smoking community for generations. It has been debated and arg...

4 views0 comments

Ben Balliro

Jul 11, 2019
2 min

Yeah It's Me...

My name is Ben and although I currently live in Southern Maine, I moved from Knoxville TN where I grew up. I am a University of TN Gradua...

7 views0 comments

Ben Balliro

Jul 11, 2019
1 min

R-E-S-P-E-C-T

I was reading a couple of articles last night and I discovered an interesting article. Among all the political downfall and societal turb...

7 views0 comments

Ben Balliro

Jul 11, 2019
2 min

What to do, what to do, what to do..

You were told by someone, who knew someone, to go into the cigar shop and buy a cigar for some friends. You have never shopped for cigars...

2 views0 comments

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