Monthly Archives: September 2012

by | September 30, 2012 · 12:38 pm

IPCPR 2012 – Brickhouse Maduro and J.C. Newman Booth Tour

After another busy Saturday doing things like covering the pool, moving furniture and chasing the dog all over creation, I decided to finish the day with the Brick House Mighty Mighty Maduro from the IPCPR trade show.  I had managed to get an appointment with Shanda Lee, J.C. Newman‘s Vice President of Marketing, and she gave me the tour of their booth.  She didn’t really want to be on video, so I shot the products she was talking about.  They have some beautiful humidors and accessories that are featured in the first part of the video, and some tasty smokes in the second half.  It’s a little longer than I generally like, but Shanda was very thorough and generous with her time and information.  I appreciate the fact that she took the time to talk to me.

 

 

http://youtu.be/tmlB-qjDpZE

 

The Brickhouse Mighty Mighty Maduro is a solid cigar, loaded with all of the richness and chocolaty-coffee goodness that you’d expect.  It has a dark Brazilian wrapper that is slightly mottled, but quite nice.  It is a formidable sized cigar and probably took me more than 2 hours to smoke at a leisurely pace.  I smokes the original Brickhouse a few weeks ago in the “Teaser” size, and If I could get a box of the Maduro in that size I would in a heartbeat.  The Teaser is a 3 ½” x 56 short smoke that was quite nice in the natural wrapper, and I can only assume it would be excellent in the maduro, and a more convenient size for me than the 6¼” x 60 Mighty Mighty.  Unfortunately, it seems that the “Teaser” size is only available at events, which is a shame because, like I said, I’d probably buy a box. Still the Brickhouse line is a solid Nicaraguan cigar, and the maduro is an excellent addition. Needless to say, the construction is top notch, which is indicated by the name of the brand. It was a really relaxing and enjoyable smoke.

 

That’s it for today, no harsh criticism of my fellow bloggers and podcasters or any other cynical, sarcastic comments. Sorry about that!  Thanks to Tim at StogieGeeks.com for letting me get away with poking fun at him in the comments of Wednesday’s post, and for leaving the comment in the first place.  I appreciate everyone’s comments!

 

Until the next time,

 

CigarCraig

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by | September 28, 2012 · 6:18 pm

IPCPR 2012 – Headley Grange Estupendo by Crowned Heads

The Headley Grange Estupendo was the cigar that Jon Huber wanted to make that tasted like the first few seconds of Led Zeppelin’s “When The Levee Breaks”, which was recorded at the former poorhouse in Headley, UK called Headley Grange. On my way out of the IPCPR show on my second and last day, I stopped by to say hello to Jon Huber of Crowned Heads and he laid a couple of Headley Grange samples on me. I decided to smoke one Thursday night to see how it was. In the interest of full disclosure, I have yet to try the Crowned Heads initial release, Four Kicks, but after sampling the Headley Grange, I may have to. The 5½ x 52 size of this cigar is just about perfect for me. It’s a little longer than the robusto that can be a little too short when one is really enjoying a great cigar. Obviously the quality is outstanding given that it’s made by Ernesto Carillo in his factory in the Dominican Republic. The cigar lit and burned very nicely, and smoked for around 1½ hours. I find that I’m smoking slower in the past couple years, which I view as a good thing. The cigar was loaded with deep, rich flavor, which makes me understand the comparison to the drums at the beginning of “When the Levee Breaks”, but I found myself thinking it tasted more like “Hot Dog” from the “In Through the Out Door” album, it made my taste buds dance a little! This was a really good smoke, which wasn’t awfully surprising. I should have added a Four Kicks to my purchase last week at Total Tobacco but I didn’t. I guess I’ll have to go back! Bottom line: delicious cigar, a must try.

 

Here’s a quick interview with Jon Huber at the IPCPR show, I appreciate him hanging around a bit after the show closed to record my last video of the event.

 

That’s all for now, until the next time,

 

CigarCraig

 

 

 

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by | September 26, 2012 · 10:43 pm

This Week’s Cigars – Gurkha, Cuenca y Blanco and Inka

I’m trying to get back to a normal routine after my recent move and all of the videos from the trades show. I figured I’d smoke some cigars that I just wanted to smoke. Sunday was a beautiful day and after doing some moving stuff I sat down with a cigar that came from Gurkha a few months ago. This was a large torpedo with an uncut foot said to be from Mr. Hansotia’s private stock. While at the IPCPR show I named a point to visit Gurkha’s booth and introduce myself to Oliver Hyam, the marketing director, and thank him for his kindness and support over the last year. He gave me a rundown of some of their new releases, but didn’t let me drive the Rolls Royce they had parked in the booth! The new Ghost release looks really good and I’m looking forward to smoking one in the near future. Anyway, the cigar I smoked Sunday wasn’t bad, it had a little tunneling which was only a problem for about an inch in the middle. Overall, it was a nice smoke, but perhaps I had built it up in my mind more than I should have. I look forward to smoking another of these after some additional age.

 

Monday I figured it was about time to smoke the new Cuenca y Blanco Toro Supremo. For the two of you out there that don’t know, this cigar is a collaborative effort between Dr. Alejandro Martinez Cuenca, the owner of Joya de Nicaragua, and his new Senior VP, the inimitable José Blanco. I have a personal connection to the Joya de Nicaragua factory, having visited it and being a huge fan of most of their cigars, and I have met Dr. Cuenca and José several times, so I was confident that this would be a spectacular smoke. The first half of this solidly medium bodied cigar had flavors that were reminiscent of many La Aurora cigars I’ve smoked. There’s a flavor in those cigars that I always taste, so I’m guessing the Dominican leaf in the blend may be similar to the leaf that La Aurora uses. I admit that this flavor is not one I generally gravitate toward, but the cigar was burning and drawing well, so I kept on enjoying the smoke. About halfway through that flavor that is familiar to me went away and it was just an exceptional, well balanced smoke that I enjoyed a great deal. I will try some of these in a smaller vitola when I get a chance, just to see if there’s much of a difference. Another stellar smoke from the Joya de Nicaragua factory.

Me with my amigos Blanco y Coop

 

Tuesday evening I got off to a late start, so I grabbed a smaller cigar. When we were in Orlando for the show we spent a fair amount of time with our good friend Mitchell Orchant, of C.Gars Ltd. While there, Mitch handed me a couple cigars to try with no information other than a band that says “Inka” and “Secret Blend”. There was a really small torpedo shaped cigar, perhaps 4” x 52, and a Mareva size, about 5” x 42, of which I selected the later. I was in a petit corona kind of mood. My only expectation was that it would be an excellent cigar along the lines of Mitch’s favorites, which are predominantly Cuban, given his business is selling Havana cigars. I was not disappointed, it had a nice bit of spice and power, and was exceptionally constructed. I spent about an hour with this little guy and hated to finally put it down. These are made in Peru and are really quite good! I can’t say I’ve had a Peruvian puro, if that’s in fact what these are, it’s too bad the blend is “secret”, I’d love to know what’s in there. Nice job blending these, Mitch, and I look forward to smoking that little torpedo!  I understand these are currently sold out.  If you ever get a chance to try these, give them a shot, you won’t be disappointed.

 

Editorial

 

Many times during my ritual of listening to podcasts or reading other blogs I often find myself thinking that I could start a new site criticizing others work and it would probably be a big hit. The trouble is, everyone would then hate me and I don’t want that. I won’t start it up anonymously, so if someone runs with my idea, just know that it’s not me. I reserve the right to toss out little things here and there, like if you’re doing a review of a Dion Giolito cigar, don’t call it a Tatuaje. There are other things, but I’ll leave them for another rant. I really need to start making lists…

 

That’s it for now, until the next time,

 

CigarCraig

 

 

 

 

 

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by | September 23, 2012 · 8:13 am

IPCPR 2012 – Oliva and Studio Tabac Cigars and a New Shop Visit

After enjoying the heck out of a Cain Daytona No. 4 the other night I figured it was about time to dig into some IPCPR  show samples and see what the deal was with the new Oliva Serie V Melanio Torpedo.  I smoked this cigar during my Thursday evening walk.  Since we moved from a house “in town”, where I could walk to the local convenience store, or around the neighborhood, or a bunch of places, I now live in a more rural area where my walking options are more limited.  As usual, it’s never about the destination, but the journey, so I just walk down the street for a while then turn around and come home to finish my cigar on the deck or back porch.  I’ve been taking my son’s dog along and she loves all the new smells and sights, such as deer and the occasional fox.  Back to the Melanio.  What a beautiful cigar, just about perfect in appearance, 6½” x 52 and nicely box pressed.  The Nicaraguan tobaccos in the blend are largely from Jalapa, which accounts for the bit of sweetness in this very powerful blend.  It’s a pretty great cigar.  I’ve  enjoyed the few Serie V’s I’ve smoked and this one is a really nice addition to the line.

 

Friday evening I selected a Cain F Maduro that was in the same batch of samples from the trade show. My usual experience with Cain cigars tells me to leave these rest for a year or so to mellow out a little, but in the interest of providing timely information and experiences, I had to smoke this gorgeous robusto.  The cigar was about 5 x 50 with an oily, dark Connecticut Broadleaf wrapper. While this was certainly a powerhouse, it was loaded with deep, dark flavor.  I love the Cain line in general, especially with a little age, and the Daytona is a wonderfully well balanced smoke on the high end of medium, but I sure hope I come across this maduro again.  What a fantastic smoke.

 

While at the trade show I had the opportunity to sit down with Bryan Scholle, the face of Studio Tabac, and talk about what’s new.  Here’s a little video we took at the show, many thanks to Bryan for taking a few minutes to talk to me.  It was the first time we’d met, and it was like we’d know one another for years.  Bryan is a very cool  guy, if you have a chance to catch him on the Studio Tabac tour, do it.

 

In Other News

Yesterday I stopped in to the new Total Tobacco shop in Newtown Square, PA, not far from home.  This shop is a part of the Delaware Cigars empire, so Gary Griffith was on hand for the grand opening.  They are still waiting for some displays and fixtures, but the large walk-in humidor is very well stocked with many fine cigars.  I could have gone nuts, but I showed some restraint and only picked up a couple cigars I’ve wanted to try, but haven’t seen locally, notably, a Room 101 OSOK as well as a Cro Magnon EMH.  I’d be shocked if there’s another retailer in the area that has the RoMaCraft Tabac line, but there were all of the CroMagnon sizes as well as Aquataine in Connecticut shade and maduro.  They have a great selection and the prices are in line with the pricing we enjoy in Pennsylvania.  I’ll make a point to stop in from time to time to see how the shop progresses.  One downside is that there’s no smoking in the store, but the selection makes up for that and they have chairs on the sidewalk outside to enjoy a smoke on a nice day.  It’s always nice to see my friend Gary and I wish them the best of luck with this new location.

 

I’ve gone one quite long enough, that’s all I have for now.  Until the next time,

 

CigarCraig

 

 

 

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by | September 19, 2012 · 7:50 pm

IPCPR 2012 – Ortega Premium Cigars with Eddie Ortega

After starting off Saturday’s Delaware Cigar Festival with an Ortega Serie D maduro, I decided to fire up the Serie D No.8 natural that was a IPCPR show sample. It’s well documented that I love the Serie D maduro. The San Andreas maduro wrapper on that cigar is stunning and “D”licious and I’ve enjoyed several of the sizes offered. Of course, I was excited to sample the Natural version. The wrapper is an Ecuador Habano Rosado and is quite attractive. It burned wonderfully, but I got the sense that it was still a little young. Six months to a year in the humidor will do wonders for the already very nice smoke. I picked up a couple of these at the Delaware Cigar Festival and kind of regret not grabbing more of them, but there were so many other cigars there I wanted to try!

 

Here’s a little video from the IPCPR show with Eddie Ortega, one of the many folks in the cigar industry that I’m pleased to call a friend. Every time I see him he asks about my family and life and is just a tremendously cool dude.

 

http://youtu.be/1GnKamfvrTY

 

I was going to grab a Serie D Maduro tonight, but time got away from me so I grabbed an Cain Daytona No. 4 instead.  I love the Daytona line the best out of the Cain range of cigars, and this corona, along with the rare Lancero are my favorites!  Always well made and tasty!  I grabbed a few of these at the Delaware Cigar Festival also, and couldn’t resist firing one up.

 

That’s it for now, until the next time,

 

CigarCraig

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