As we’ve been working on the new house, we figured since we have a great enclosed cigar porch, we should have an annual cigar party. We just need to figure out when to have this party, so we’ll take suggestions. Whoever comes up with the best date to have this event will get free admission (airfare, lodging not included). We kind of thought Columbus Day would be a good time. It gives us plenty of time to prepare, and the only really important thing Columbus did was to introduce tobacco to the west. Getting lost and stumbling upon some islands isn’t really a great accomplishment. Give us your thoughts!
Sunday I pulled out a Don Pepin Garcia Series JJ Robusto from a Five Pack I bought at JR Cigars in Whippany, NJ back in June of 2012. These have been hit or miss with me, and I only have one left so I must have smoked a couple over the years, or gifted one her or there. This one, like the first one I smoked, was a little tighter on the draw than I’d like. It had a nice flavor, medium to mild with a little sweetness and maybe a little earthy and woody. I just wish that it had produced more of that tasty smoke, it’s production was a bit thin. Was this cigar really rolled in Miami? I was actually surprised to find this five pack in JRs, I wouldn’t be surprised now, but I was surprised then. Many who have followed others in the blogosphere will understand why I chose that particular cigar.
Monday I chose a cigar I bought last week at Cigar Mojo. A few months ago Alan Price, part time tobacconist at Mojo, Cigar Rights Ambassador and all around good guy, went to the Rocky Patel factory in Honduras. He ended up taking delivery (earlier that day) of one hundred cigars that he had blended on that trip. This cigar had a Sumatra Oscuro wrapper, Viso Honduras binder and fillers of Ligero Jamastran, Viso Jalapa & Ligero Jalapa. I admit that I rushed to smoke this, as it really needed some humidor time after it’s long journey. The blend certainly has a lot of potential, and I’m glad I bought two so I will have one to smoke in a few weeks or so after it’s had time to acclimate. It was a beautiful cigar with a rich and oily wrapper. It’s always fun for me to smoke a cigar that a friend blended, one gets a glimpse into the other person’s tastes. The cigar was very smooth and tasty, but it’ll really shine in a few weeks I hope. Alan says there’s only about eight left, so this is a rare cigar, I guess.
Tuesday I smoked the Eiroa Maduro in the robusto size. A few weeks ago I was in one of my local shops, JM Cigars, and Jeff, the proprietor had a CLE event earlier in the day (I had stopped in earlier too, before the event, and missed it). He gave me one of the leftover giveaway cigars. I suppose, for want of a better comparison, this is Christian Eiroa’s incarnation of the Camacho Triple Maduro, as all of the tobacco used is cured maduro. The cigar was rich and loaded with cocoa/espresso and burned reasonably well. I liked it well enough, but the $10 price tag will probably prevent me from smoking too many of these. I appreciate Jeff giving me the opportunity to try this cigar though, it’s much appreciated.
Tonight I decided to retry a cigar I bought a pair of back in July when I was at the Casa de Montecristo store in the Chicago area. I bought a few Matilde Renacer robustos and smoked one on the drive home from Chicago and it was a big problem, it burned poorly and was really not a great experience while driving. There was a leaf in the blend that wouldn’t burn, and it left a core in the middle. Like I said, not a good driving cigar. This one burned much better after a few months in the humidor and was a nice, medium bodied smoke. I found it on the mild side, with a nice, yet rather unremarkable flavor. Maybe I’m still a little off from the cold I had a couple weeks ago, or I’m just making choices that don’t align with my palate. I’ll keep trying though!
News
I received an e-mail today from George Rodriguez of Rodrigo Cigars with a contest I thought I’d pass on. What stood out to me was that I met Eric Whitfield, the CIGARtist, a few weeks ago and his work is amazing. We actually talked about buying one of his pieces for our new house. Anyway, check out George’s contest and take a shot at winning this unique and functional work of art (and some great cigars)
To celebrate the release of the long awaited Corona Project my buddy Eric Whitfield, aka the CIGARtist painted this beautiful one of kind travel humidor.
I’m giving it away to one lucky ”Amigo” and I’m gonna fill it with a selection of savory Rodrigo Cigars, including the new Corona Project!
And make sure you visit our buddy Eric aka the CIGARtist and check out his beautiful cigar themed art!
Your amigo…-George
PS Just think how cool you’re gonna feel when you roll up to your next herf with this bad boy 😉
That reminds me, I need to start working on the 12 Spectacular Days of Cigar Giveaways. It’s not as easy as it looks mooching all the great cigar and stuff for the giveaways!
That’s it for now, until the next time,
CigarCraig
