Headlines cigars are the brainchild of Dee Aguasvivas and Ulises Delgado, owners of Fusion Cigar Lounge, an upscale lounge and bar in Clearwater, Florida. In August 2014, Fusion Cigar Lounge entered into a distribution agreement with Antillian Cigar Corp., the parent company of Sosa Cigars, for the Headlines brand.

Headlines cigars are produced in Tamboril, Domincan Republic at Tabacalera Real, S.A., located approximately 40 miles from Santiago.  Headlines cigars are currently available in two blends, First Edition and Second Edition. Both blends are Dominican puros and are made in the same three vitolas: Page 1 (5 1/2 by 60), Page 2 (6 by 54 Torpedo), and Page 3 (6 by 50). The cigars range in price from $7.50 to $8.50.

William Cooper of Cigar Coop reported on the rebranding of the Headlines brand back in January:

Headlines Cigars will be doing an overall to its existing offerings. The brand has reblended and rebranded its current cigars.  The new offerings include two Dominican made cigar lines Headlines First Edition and Headlines Second Edition.  Both cigars are being done in collaboration with Arby Sosa.

According to Arby Sosa,  “I’ve never been a part of creating an all-Domincan Puro, so this was an exciting project for me. It took over 6 months to perfect both blends, but we are all impressed with the final result. I believe in this cigar and hope all cigar fans will venture out and try this one, and I know they will be happy.

The Facts

Samples Provided by Antillian Cigar Corp.
Price: $8.00
Vitola: Page 2 – Torpedo
Size: 6 by 54
Wrapper: Domincan Habano Oscuro
Binder: Dominican
Filler: Dominican Andullo
Smoke Time: 1 Hour and 20 Minutes
Drink: Water

Pre-light

The Headlines 2nd Edition Maduro is draped in a dark brown Habano Oscuro leaf, with a dark red hue, and a mottled appearance. Small to medium sized veins crisscross down the firmly packed cigar from head to foot. This cigar is rock solid and feels hefty in the hand. Sweet notes of chocolate and honey greet me as I bring my nose to the wrapper of the cigar and there is also an underlying barnyard, but not at all off-putting.

The aroma off the foot of the 2nd Edition is full with more of the honey-like sweetness, a nuttiness, barnyard, earth and cedar, followed by a spice tingle in the sinuses. A beautiful, pointy tapered head caps off the cigar. After some trouble clipping through the fully filled cigar, I am pleased to find a decent draw. Big notes of potpourri-like spice instantly meets my palate on the dry draw, followed by chocolate and rich cedar.

First Third

The 2nd Edition Page 2 opens with some harshness and sour notes that fade rather quickly and are replaced with deep notes of earth, wood, and char, with a complete void of any type of sweetness. After about fifteen minutes of smoking, the char notes begin to diminish.  A firm, layered, dark gray ash is produced as the 2nd Edition burns with a slight wave.

Middle Third

As the woodsy notes transition to more pencil shaving-like, a black pepper spice is in full force in term of flavors, while the heat is medium, and the earthy notes are still hanging around.  A newly found cinnamon spice has made an introduction but is way in the background. Still, there is no perceivable sweetness. While the draw has been good from the start, the smoke production has continued to increase. At this point, a satisfying amount of smoke is being produced.

Final Third

Burning along, I find the final third of the 2nd Edition to be rich and savory, but rather consistent with the flavors from early on. The flavors remain full and dark, and the char flavor that exited in the first third has shown back up. The cigar, while not perfect, is burning decently and I do not foresee any additional touch-ups in the handful of minutes remaining.

Wrap-Up

Headlines 2nd Edition brings to the table a consistent profile that is dark, meaty, earthy, and woodsy. Several times throughout the smoke, an undesirable char flavor arrived distracting me from the more enjoyable flavors. However, the biggest issue I found in the flavor department was the complete lack of any type of sweetness, which really surprised me considering the honey and chocolate I picked up on during the pre-light on both the aroma and the dry draw. The absence of sweetness made the profile off-balanced and much to be desired. Regarding the performance, the cigar burned decently with only a single touch-up required, the ash held firm, and an acceptable amount smoke was produced from the beginning, sometimes requiring a few puffs to get a mouth full, but by the middle third, the cigar was pumping out thick clouds of smoke. If I had $8 in my hand, I would hold off on the Headlines 2nd Edition and reach for the 1st Edition that delivered the sweetness I could not find in this stick.

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Headlines Cigars will be doing an overall to its existing offerings. The brand has reblended and rebranded its current cigars.  The new offerings include two Dominican made cigar lines Headlines First Edition and Headlines Second Edition.  Both cigars are being done in collaboration with Arby Sosa.

According to Arby Sosa,  “I’ve never been a part of creating an all-Domincan Puro, so this was an exciting project for me. It took over 6 months to perfect both blends, but we are all impressed with the final result. I believe in this cigar and hope all cigar fans will venture out and try this one, and I know they will be happy.

Headlines cigars are produced in Tamboril, Domincan Republic at Tabacalera Real, S.A., located approximately 40 miles from Santiago.  Headlines cigars are currently available in two blends, First Edition and Second Edition. Both blends are Dominican puros and are made in the same three vitolas: Page 1 (5 1/2 by 60), Page 2 (6 by 54 Torpedo), and Page 3 (6 by 50). The cigars range in price from $7.50 to $8.50

The Facts

Samples Provided by Antillian Cigar Corp.
Price: $8.00
Vitola: Page 3 (Toro)
Size: 6 by 50
Wrapper: Dominican (Pennslyvanian Seed)
Binder: Dominican Olor
Filler: Dominican Criollo ’98 Ligero, Dominican Piloto Cubana Ligoro, Dominican Criollo ’98 Seco, and Dominican Olor Seco
Smoke Time:1 Hour and 45 Minutes
Drink: Water

Pre-light

The Dominican grown Pennsylvanian seed wrapper on the Headlines First Edition is medium to dark brown with a mottled appearance, covered with veins, color imperfections, and a fine tooth. To the touch, the wrapper leaf feels like a fine grade sand paper. The minerals and oils found on the wrapper glisten in the light. The foot appears under-filled, but when pinched, it feels firmly packed from head to foot.

On the wrapper, I find notes of wet earth and a faint pungency, while the foot give off some woodsy notes and cinnamon spice. A shallow cut through the double cap opens up a perfect draw. A rich clove like spice is leaving some heat on my tongue and there is a Jolly Rancher strawberry sweetness.

First Third

I am really surprised by the spice I am getting right off the bat of this Dominican puro. Under the spice, there are notes of cedar, earth, and dusty cocoa. A richness shines through on the retrohale accompanied by a medium spice. I was a bit hesitant to retrohale due to the level of spice on the palate,  but it is not at all overwhelming. The burn, which was performing well early on, veered off track with one side burning noticeably faster than the other. A quick hit with the flame got it back in-line. The nice looking ash decided to fall off unexpectedly on my keyboard just short of an inch. The first third I characterize as medium in flavor and strength.

Middle Third

The earthy notes are developing to more dirt like, while the woodsy cedar is becoming more dry-pencil shavings in flavor, and the dusty cocoa is holding strong with some additional sugar sweetness. The spice is in full force, and the flavors and strength are creeping up as the cigar progresses. As a result of a couple of touch-ups, the ash is not nearly as pretty looking in its black appearance.

Final Third

The spice is beginning to taper off as I enter into the last third of this cigar. The smoke is rich, the finish is very earthy, and some bread-like toasted notes have arrived. The sugar cube sweetness continues to build in the final third of the Headlines First Edition Page 3. The strength is definitely full at this point and I may need a sugar cube after this smoke to counter the nicotine!

After smoking three First Editions for this review, I found myself enjoying the cigar more and more each time. The core flavors are dark and heavy, but the sweetness cuts through bringing a nice balance to the smoke.  I would recommend smoking this cigar after a full meal due to its strength and richness making it a nice after dinner smoke. I never had the opportunity to smoke the original Headlines, but based solely on these three cigars, the reblending is working in its favor. Priced reasonably at $8.00, the Headlines First Edition is a solid smoke worth your time and money.

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