Tag Archives: belicoso

Podcast: Singer Songwriter Nik Everett and A Joya Cabinetta

After a brief hiatus, I’m back with episode seven of the podcast. My friend Nik Everett is a local musician in the Wilmington, Delaware area who’s been a staple on the scene in the Delaware valley for a long time, and recently got into cigars. It’s always fun for me to hang out with Nik, so I thought it would be fun to share that with others. Nik and JoyaCabinettaBeliI talk about his music career, his enjoyment of cigars and meander through various topics as we hang around the CigarCraig lounge enjoying Joya Cabinetta Belicosos.  First saw Nik at an open mic night at a local coffee house several years ago, it might have been a night our son’s band played there too, I can’t remember, and we have a bunch of mutual friends. Check him out at nikeverett.com or his Facebook page or wherever excellent music is sold.  Without further ado, I hope you enjoy this installment of the CigarCraig podcast.

 


 

I’d like to thank Ed Sullivan, an old friend and the producer of several shows on the United Podcast Network for some valuable advice, which I hope I applied correctly on this episode! Until the next time,

CigarCraig

Share

Comments Off on Podcast: Singer Songwriter Nik Everett and A Joya Cabinetta

Filed under Podcast

Cigar Jukebox, Fuente Hemingway, Tortuga and Debonaire

CigarJukeboxDo you want to hear me make a fool of myself on an international podcast?  Sure you do!  Head over to Cigar Jukebox and give the episode where I was guest DJ a listen.  I talked about recording the episode a couple of weeks ago, but failed to post the link when it dropped (as they say in the business). I guess it isn’t all that bad, the cigars were great, I have a soft spot for Candela and the Swamp Thang and Cromagnon Formorian are excellent smokes. It really was hard picking songs though, but it was fun, and it was nice talking to Dave. Give a listen and feel free to critique in the comments. What songs would you pair with those two cigars?

 

Fuente_HemingwayClassic_MaduroI had a bit of a throwback Thursday thing going on Thursday, I reached for a classic, a Fuente Hemingway Classic, to be exact. There are a few classic cigars I like to always have on hand, and I’m fortunate to have a selection of Fuente Hemingways around.  They aren’t all that expensive, all things considered, and they can always be counted upon to be excellent cigars. The regular Hemingway line has a Cameroon wrapper and are all perfectos, ranging from the little Short Story to the ginormous (in 1990s terms, not so much today) 9” x 52 Masterpiece.  The classic is just that, a classic, a 7”x48 perfecto that is smooth, creamy and nutty. I’m always amazed that these taste pretty much the same as I remember 20 years ago, which is why I’ll always have a box in the humidor of one size or another. Other cigars I consider classic that I make sure I have are the Padron 1964 and Ashton Virgin Sun Grown. Every now and then you see various Hemingway sizes available in Maduro (Broadleaf) and Sungrown (Ecuador).

 

TortugaCedroBeliI wrapped Friday up with a Tortuga Cedros Belicoso from Victor Vitale, who I haven’t heard from in a while. We’re thinking about taking a little trip up to New Hampshire, maybe we’ll run into him. I need to start thinking about hunting some more of these down, as I really enjoy them. They are a Nicaraguan puro rolled in Honduras and suit me just fine. The Belicoso is 6″x 54 and the Cedro series is round as opposed to the Reserva series that’s box pressed. I don’t really have a favorite in the line, I like them all and need to resupply soon.

 

Debonaire_Maduro_BelicosoYesterday, before a nasty cold came on seemingly out of nowhere, I took a walk and lamented the fact that it was the last day of Daylight Savings Time. I really wish they’d knock this crap off and leave it at DST.  With me on my walk was Macha, of course, and a Debonaire Maduro Belicoso. I guess I was on a figurado kick the later part of the week. Actually, five of the last six cigars I’ve smoked fall into that category. I’m glad I got that cigar in before succumbing to the funk of a head-cold that quickly moved south. I can’t even conceive of smoking a cigar with the way my mouth tastes…I’m not a happy camper today.  Anyway, this belicoso is also 6″ x 54 and had a sweet Connecticut Broadleaf wrapper around Dominican and Nicaraguan binder and filler, made in the DR. What a treat this was, and I’m quite sure it didn’t give me this cold. This is a pricey line, but awfully tasty and smoked right.  Phil Zanghi is a dynamic guy, if you ever get a chance to meet him or listen to an interview don’t miss it.

 

I gotta get a cup of tea and crash on the couch, if I’m out of commission too long I’ll have to have a contest Wednesday or some other BS cheating post…I hate do have to do that! Enjoy your early darkness for the next few months!

 

Until the next time,

 

CigarCraig

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Share

3 Comments

Filed under Review

Take A Cigar For a Walk – A Gurkha, a Maldonado Dynasty and a Rodrigo

We had our first taste of brutal cold here in the North-East, with night-time temps in the teens or lower with no shortage of wind. I guess I’m just a wimp, but I can’t do that kind of cold long enough to enjoy a cigar anymore! However, Friday turned out to be unseasonably warm, getting into the 50s.   Perfect excuse to smoke a cigar or two without shivering so much that I get ash everywhere.

 
I grabbed a Gurkha Seduction Robusto and went for a walk. I received this cigar as an unexpected gift from Gurkha, and I want to thank them for reaching out to me. Looking at this cigar, I had an idea it would be up my alley, nice, dark Habano wrapper, a chunky 5″ x 55 size, and the band is quite attractive, although the second band is a little too much, but you know how I feel about bands (I’m lazy and the fewer the better!). The cigar had a very open draw, I’ll probably use a punch on the next one and see how that works, but it really wasn’t too big a problem. The burn was just about perfect and required no attention after the initial light. The flavors were those nice, dark, rich flavors that I enjoy on a crisp evening, really a nice cigar in my opinion, I enjoyed it quite a bit, so much so that I smoked it to a finger burning nub.

 

Saturday brought even warmer temps and I took a nice long walk with a Maldonado Dynasty Mogul Toro. I’m a little conflicted on this cigar that I won a five pack of on CasasFumando.com.  An aside: I didn’t mean to enter their contest.  I made a donation to Daniel’s Movember project, just wanted to give some dough to a bro for his mo. I should have made a note to exclude me from the drawing, but I never thought I’d win.  I did, tried to get out of it, but Tony threatened me.  Back to the cigar.  This is the second one I’ve smoked, and both had some wrapper cracking issues. The flavor is nice enough, although not particularly mind-blowing to my palate, but I expect a cigar at this price point to not split. The wrapper is a really lovely rosado with a velvety appearance, very nice looking when you get past the tears in the leaf. These have been in my humidor for several weeks since receiving them, along with all the rest of the cigars I smoke on a regular basis.  Strange.  I have three more, which I will leave in the humidor for a few months and see if that makes a difference.  I look forward to revisiting these in a few months, because based upon the two samples I smoked so far, if I had smoked them blind I would have put them in the bundle cigar category, and I know these are sold as a super-premium luxury cigar.

 

I completely forgot to mention my first cigar of the new year, one that I smoked while taking the outdoor lights down on New Years Day.  I had a Rodrigo Habano Classico Belicoso that George Rodriguez had sent to me some time ago rolling around the humidor.  Out of the four he sent me, one of each vitola, this was my second favorite of the line behind the lancero. This beautifully made belicoso was a treat, and it burned perfectly, and was really tasty.  George seems like a really nice guy who makes some terrific smokes, even though he’s from Pittsburgh and is probably a Penguins fan.  I know some people from Pittsburgh that are Pens fans that I don’t hold that against, but not too many.

 

That’s it for today, don’t forget to write to your elected officials about the FDA nonsense, as our cigar smoking future depends upon the FDA NOT regulating premium cigars.

 

 

Until the next time,

 

CigarCraig

 

Share

3 Comments

Filed under Review