First post of 2011! I hope everyone had a safe and festive holiday and that 2011 is better than 2010. Last year was a great year for CigarCraig.com and the coming year should be even better. While I’m thinking about it, if you’re looking for a top ten list or a “best of” you can forget about it! What I think about any of the new cigars this year is of little consequence to anyone, there were very few “new” cigars that I sampled and the few that I did I wasn’t really “wow’d” by. I will say that the Liga Privada Dirty Rat is my favorite new cigar, but I received my first sample of that cigar in 2009, so it hardly counts!
Anyway, last week we had some fairly unseasonably temperate weather, so I grabbed an Arturo Fuente Double Chateau that was a gift from a friend. It’s been years since I smoked one of these, and I was in the mood for a milder cigar for an afternoon walk. Certainly a perfectly constructed and well balanced cigar, I honestly don’t know why I don’t grab Fuente products more often. I have a handful of what I consider “special” Fuentes, various smaller Hemingways, Opus X, the odd Don Carlos, but I save them for some reason…probably because I figure I’ll never have them again if I smoke them! Ridiculous, I know. I promise to smoke some of these when the weather gets warmer or I have an good inside opportunity.
Next up was a re-visit of a cigar I smoked and liked a few months back, the J. Fuego 777 maduro corona. I enjoyed this cigar again, but it didn’t hit me the same as the first one. I blame the colder weather, I seem to prefer stronger flavored cigars in the winter, and I think this fits that, but obviously my palate misses some of the complexities when the mercury drops. The size of this cigar is just about perfect for me at 5½” x 46 and the burn and draw were perfect. I picked up a few more of these last week and I think they are a fairly good cigar for $4.50 each. I look forward to smoking more of these.
Tonight I got lazy, and, considering that the weather has taken a colder turn, I went with a familiar friend, the Chateau Real Small Club Corona Maduro. There’s a couple things I really like about these cigars. The size, 4″ x 44, is great for my walk to the local convenience store and the strength of flavor is perfect for the colder weather. These are wrapped with a dark Mexican leaf that gives the cigar a rich and earthy taste. I think this box purchase was my best of the year at right around $50 for a box of 32.
That’s it for now, until the next time,
CigarCraig
Nice quick set of reviews to kick off the New Year!
I too, like the Arturo Fuente Double Chateau and the Drew Estate Chateau Real Maduro (although I haven’t tried the Small Club Corona size). I picked up a box of the latter a few months ago and have had 1 or 2 since then as they mature. And I enjoy the former occasionally, like you, generally on special occasions. I haven’t tried the J. Fuego 777, yet, but its on my list.