Gregory Mottola archive
Posted: Apr 15, 2014 3:00pm ET
I think there might be some confusion between the terms box-pressing and trunk-pressing. You hear the word box-pressed used to describe any cigar that's taken on a flattened, rectangular shape, but it's not totally accurate. One happens in the box, the other outside the box. If you've never seen the trunk-pressing process, check out the video below. I took it in Nicaragua at Rocky Patel's Tabacalera Villa Cubana S.A. factory-more casually known as TaviCusa. Here you can see how the Rocky Patel 15th Anniversary cigars take on that attractively pressed, angular shape that makes them look like chocolate bars. The Robusto was named one of Cigar Aficionado's Top 25 cigars of 2013 list, taking the No. 18 spot with 93 points.