Tag Archives: Don Carlos

Smoking Some Favorites: Marchetti, Partagas, Don Carlos and Some Heavy Lighter Thoughts

I didn’t get into anything new and noteworthy this week, tending to fall back to some favorite cigars. I’ll throw some highlights out. I’ve raved about the Don Juan Calavera line from Danli Honduras Tabacos in the past (recently rebranding to DAHOT). The have a box pressed maduro cigar called the Marchetti, named after one of the factory owner’s mothers, that’s absolutely wonderful, and has become a favorite “go-to” cigar for me. Like the other cigars in the company’s portfolio, I never have a construction issue, they always perform well, and they flavor is right in my wheelhouse, cocoa, espresso, and on the high side of medium bodied. It’s just about what I’d make if I were putting my name on a cigar. If you can get your hands on some of these, I highly recommend them, and I know they are showing up in more places. Great cigars! 

 

Photo stolen from Facebook

I followed, and stuck my nose into, a couple discussions in Facebook groups this week, one of which had to do with a photo of this gentleman, whom I believe to a mister Fifty Cent, lighting a cigar with a Bic lighter. In several separate threads he was harshly criticized for this, for various reasons ranging from ruining the flavor with “Bic fluid”, being a poser and not a “real” cigar smoker, to touching the flame to the cigar (which is legitimate). There seemed to be a lot of bigotry toward the Bic. One post having over 200 replies, many being quite harsh criticism of the man. Some industry professionals pointed out that the majority of the people who actually make the cigars use disposable lighters in the countries where cigars are made, while I made the case that the fire that comes from a Bic is the same as that that comes from a Dupont soft flame lighter. I would add that, by extension, the fire that comes from a $3 torch lighter is the same that comes from a $100 torch lighter. Cases were made that a “true aficionado” lights his cigars with a torch, cases were made that someone of this gentleman’s economic status should use a lighter that closer matches the watch he’s wearing. I think a lot of these comments and ideas come from newer smokers who have a strange notion of what smoking cigars is all about. They seem to forget that cigars pre-date torch lighters by about 475 years, and that maybe them looking down on someone for how they light their cigars can be applied to other prejudices and turned around. Maybe Mr. Cent in the photo just flew in from somewhere and couldn’t get his Dupont lighter through TSA and a Bic was all he could carry on the plane? Who among us hasn’t been in that position? I’m preaching to the choir, I’m sure, but let’s try to educate the newer cigar smokers to apply some tolerance, teach the proper etiquette, including the common sense stuff like a Bic is OK, while a Zippo isn’t (although, a Zippo with a butane insert is fine!). That’s enough of a rant for today! 

 

Another discussion I was party to was someone asking if others thought Cameroon cigars were horrible because he did. This is a pet peeve of mine, of course, Just because you think something sucks, doesn’t mean it sucks. Anyway, I offered that up, and suggested he just didn’t like Cameroon cigars and not to smoke them and move on, but it made me want to smoke Cameroon cigars. So I popped my head into the humidor and grabbed a Partagas Decadas Limited Reserve 2019. This a 5 ½” x 49 robusto with a ten year old Cameroon wrapper.  For the binder they use the Honduran San Augustine tobacco that General has been using in a great many cigars recently. The filler is Piloto Cubano from the DR and Ometepe from Nicaragua. Years ago the Limited Reserve had a green band and I really enjoyed them, this cigar still delivers the goods. It’s got the sweet, nutty flavor that I like in a Cameroon cigar. These are quite nice cigars, well balanced, fairly delicate flavors, I can see where someone who smoked nothing but full-bodied cigars might miss the subtleties in this. I’ve always favored Partagas cigars, this one hit the spot.

 

Continuing my Cameroon journey, how could I not smoke an Arturo Fuente Don Carlos? Besides La Aurora, who else is synonymous with Cameroon tobacco than Fuente? Some of my earliest premium cigar memories revolve around Don Carlos and Hemingway cigars. So I lit up a Don Carlos No. 2 last night, and, you know what? I swear they taste the same now as they did 20+ years ago! It’s quite a miracle. Now this is a cigar that I can’t imagine someone not being able to find flavorful. This is a classic, it’s a big torpedo, it burns perfectly, and is loaded with flavor! it’s got that sweet, nuttiness, with some coffee notes as well. It’s one of those cigars that every humidor should have. I know I sleep better at night knowing I have some in my humidor! Help me out, was this one of the original sizes with the Robusto and the No. 3? Or was it part of the expansion around 2000 with the Double Robusto, Presidente and No.4? I think it was one of the original sizes. Regardless, it’s a classic. Maybe I’ll smoke a Hemingway Classic today! 

 

That’s more than enough for today. There was some news this week, but it involved Fratello being distributed in Switzerland, and Casa Cuevas doing retailer only events, but I didn’t think that was of interest to too many people who read here (and you probably saw them elsewhere anyway). Until the next time, 

 

CigarCraig

 

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A Cuenca 5, A Nording 50, My Father Event at Cigar Cigars and a Fuente Don Carlos

Cuenca_5AnniversaryIt seems my palate is back in order, I’m no longer getting that metallic taste from every cigar any more. I’m glad that’s over. The last time I had a similar experience was after I had a flu shot, subsequently I’ve never gotten another flu shot! So to celebrate I smoked some great cigars this week.  In all honesty, I like smoking great cigars much more than I like smoking crappy cigars. I have a few in the que that I’ve been putting off smoking because I haven’t been in the mood to “take one for the team” lately. Maybe I’ll smoke one today as I’m feeding branches into the wood chipper.  The first cigar on my list today is the Cuenca 5 Anniversary box pressed torpedo. This cigar commemorates the fifth anniversary of the Cuenca Cigars store in Hollywood, FL, and came in three sizes, Robusto, Toro and this 7″ x 54 torpedo. These were released in 2013, so this one had 2 years of age, and looking at the CuencaCigars.com website, they appear to be sold out of all vitolas. Made by at the AJ Fernandez factory, this cigar had a great burn and draw and was full of flavor and was really enjoyable. The high priming Jalapa wrapper leaf gave it a nice sweetness that went along with a nice little spice. I really look forward to seeing what the folks at Cuenca come up with in a couple years when they turn ten!

 

Nording_50th_ToroNext up I came across a Nording 50th Anniversary Toro from Rocky Patel. Somehow I ended up with quite a selection of various Rocky Patel cigars, mostly toros, and I can’t for the life of me recall where they came from. I suppose my only recourse is to smoke them. So this cigar had a beautiful Ecuador Habano wrapper with Nicaraguan binder and fillers. It was a very pleasant, well balanced cigar that I enjoyed quite a bit. I may have had something else from the Nording line in the past, and I think I remember enjoying it. I’m certainly not a pipe  guy, way too much work in that hobby, but I know that this line is named for Erik Nording, a famed pipe maker and tobacco blender, and this cigar was for his 50th year in the tobacco business. It’s a fitting tribute as it was a very good cigar.

 

imageFriday evening we stopped in at our local Cigar Cigars shop, about 2 miles down the road. They were having a My Father event, and Tom, our local rep, was there. Cigar Cigars is a South Eastern PA chain of cigar stores that has been buying up cigar stores in the area for the last few years and I think they are up to ten or eleven stores now, from Freehold, NJ to Lancaster, PA. Before we moved I could have driven 7 miles in three different directions and be at a Cigar Cigars shop. I’m now a little farther from two of those shops, but could easily be at either one in fifteen minutes. Anyway, we stopped in and grabbed some of the El Centurion and Flor de Las Antillas cigars and lit up an El imageCenturion Toro. This line was originally issues as a Limited Edition in 2007, which I never had the pleasure of smoking, so I can make no comparison. What I can say is that the current El Centurion (which has a band with a great big “C” on it which must stand for CigarCraig, right?) was a very well behaved cigar. Solidly medium bodied with a nice little spice one would expect from this manufacturer. I enjoyed the crap out of the cigar while my wife and I relaxed in the lounge and took in the ambiance of the store. It was great seeing Tom again, and Steve, Barry and Tia made us feel very welcome and comfortable in the shop.

 

Fuente_DonCarlos_PresidenteYesterday, after toiling in the yard on a beautiful spring Saturday with temps in the 70s, I picked out an Arturo Fuente Don Carlos Presidente for my evening walk.  This came from a business associate who sent me some great Fuente cigars a few months ago.  I think the last time I smoked one of these was shortly after they expanded the line back in the late 90s. It seems to me they added the Presidente, Double Robusto and the No.4 to the Robusto, No. 3 and No 2 sizes to round out the line.  I have fond memories of smoking the robustos in Vegas in ’97, but I think it was a dinner at the old Sam Adams Brewpub in Philadelphia where I smoked this particular size while meeting a friend for dinner, then running into some other friends and smoking the evening away with them.  Impressively, this Don Carlos tasted just the same as I remember. It’s amazing that they can maintain consistency like that over a fifteen year period. The burn was absolutely perfect, it had a nice flat coal like I enjoy and the draw was perfect as well. I love the unique sweetness that that Cameroon wrapper gives this cigar, and it had Camerooniness like crazy. This is a classic cigar, one that every humidor should have for just that moment when you want something you know is going to deliver. That is, assuming the flavor profile of the Fuente Don Carlos is up your alley, if you don’t like it, then it doesn’t need to be in your humidor! Point is, I like it, it tastes great and brings back a lot of memories.

 

That’s it for today, I need to get out to the yard and finish cleaning some stuff up. My back doesn’t want to, but it needs to get done. I may have to get the lawn mower out this week! I may post a contest this week too, so stay tuned. Thank you all, once again for reading along, enjoy your day. Until the next time,

 

CigarCraig

 

 

 

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