Tag Archives: maduro

My Father, Metapa, and Perdomo 30th Anniversary Cigars

This week I smoked some cigars I bought on recent forays into some of my local cigar spots.  All were new to me, although not necessarily new to the market. This happens, I don’t always jump right on the new stuff, and sometimes I miss out!  Thursday evening I met up with my fellow Craig, and recent contest winner, at Cigar Mojo – The Grove, to  hand deliver his prize.  Shipping is always less expensive than visiting a cigar shop!  I picked up a few cigars, and lit up a My Father The Judge in the 656 Toro size.  This has been around for a while, I just never got around to it. Since Mojo carries a lot of My Father cigars I see myself catching up on them.  I’ll grab something I haven’t tried whenever I stop in.  This is a 6″ x 56 cigar, oddly they call their 6″ x 52 a Toro Fino, which seems like a toro to me. Maybe the 6″ x 56 should be a Toro Gordo and the 52 should just be the Toro?  Not my circus…anyway, this has an Ecuador Sumatra wrapper, and Nicaraguan binder and fillers, with a nice box press. This got off to a slow start, good, although fairly mediocre.  It built up some sweetness, which I like, of course, and worked out to be a very enjoyable cigar, one I’ll smoke again.  Naturally, the company was exceptional, I always enjoy time with my fellow Craig. We’ll definitely have another Craig cigar summit soon.

 

Friday evening had us attending a middle school theatrical production that one of the granddaughters was in, so I got a late start. I was going to skip a cigar altogether, but I had picked up a Foundation Metapa Corona Gorda at Mojo and it wasn’t that big, so I figured I’d light it up.  Sometimes having a cigar too late gives me sleep issues, not the case this time, although I did get to bed a lot later than usual!  I wanted to smoke a Metapa because these are being rebranded to Aksum, I guess to keep in line with the Tabernacle/Menelik/Ark of the Covenant theme. I’ve heard mixed reviews on this cigar, and maybe it’s the Maduro vs. Claro?  I only had the maduro to chose rom, so that’s what I got, as if anyone would be surprised at that. This is a nice 5½” x 48 with a coil pigtail cap (I know there’s a name for it, just can’t remember it!).  This was the best cigar I had all week.  It started a bit heavy, cloying like licorice, which worried me.  It settled in to a really nice, dense dark chocolate, not much sweetness, the kind with a high cacao percentage. I found this to be quite enjoyable, whatever the name, and I might have to see if I can find the claro version (although I still need to try the Olmec Claro!).  It’s hard for me not to like Foundation Cigars, there seems to be something for everyone.

 

Last week I stopped in The Wooden Indian looking for some new cigars, and picked up some Perdomo 30th Anniversary Epicures in Sungrown and Maduro.  These come with a lot of hype, and my expectations were high.  I’m a big fan of the 20th Anniversary Maduro, probably my favorite Perdomo.  I thought the 10th Anniversary Sungrown was my favorite of that line, which, oddly, only really came out a couple years ago.  The 30th aren’t priced bad, I could see companies asking a higher price for  their anniversary cigars, but Perdomo does things right in this respect.  I admire them for keeping their cigars pried within reason.  I decided that yesterday was going to be Perdomo day, so I started with the Sungrown.  I chose the 6″ x 54 Epicure size because, well, that’s the size I like.  This has a 15-year-old bourbon barrel-aged Cuban-seed Nicaraguan Sun Grown wrapper over Nicaraguan binder and fillers, and has a nice box press.  I think this one had a patch near the cap on the underside of the cigar, which I find to be unacceptable on a cigar like this, regardless of price.  This, of course, came off and I had to do some wrapper surgery because I don’t care for the mouth feel of a flappy wrapper.  Other than that, the burn and draw were very good, and the cigar had a sweet spice that was nice.  Not blown away, I’ll stick with the 10th Sungrown.

 

I had high hopes for the Perdomo 30th Anniversary Epicure Maduro.  This has the same 15-year-old bourbon barrel-aged Cuban-seed Nicaraguan wrapper processed to a maduro, not overly dark, but dark enough, with a nice oil.  This is a nice looking cigar, again, lods of hype, best Perdomo cigar ever, yada yada…It was a good cigar. It had rich dark roast coffee and cocoa and was very nice.  For me, I find that the 20th Maduro to have more that I enjoy, to be honest. I suppose I was expecting a more refined experience, and maybe my palate just isn’t acute enough to appreciate the subtleties of these cigars. I’m told that the 30th Connecticut is something special.  Given I was never a fan of the Champagne, I actually disliked it ( a rarity), I always pass on the Perdomo Connecticuts. Perhaps I’ll give this one a try, for science.  

 

The folks at Best Cigar Prices posted a  bunch of pictures of the cigarlebrities that will be at their Smoke-onos event in May, but they didn’t ask for my picture.  If you’re there, hunt me down!  Also, keep an eye out for upcoming details about a multi-vendor event at Goose’s Montecristo Lounge in Limerick, PA which will be in the beginning of May.  That’s more than enough for today, until the next time.  

 

CigarCraig

 

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Some Illusione Cigars: M12, Fume D’Amore and CG-4

Last week I mentioned buying some cigars from Discount Cigar Warehouse, and I dug into the second sampler this week.  This was a selection of 6″ x 56 cigars from Illusione.  I actually went into this sampler blind, as there is no information on the website. It seems to be an exclusive to DCW.  I smoked two of the four this week, starting with the Illusione Maduro M12 Plan MJ-1949. This cigar has a medium dark San Andrés wrapper over Nicaraguan Criollo and Corojo fillers.  The name of the cigar refers to the Majestic 12, and the contingency plan that they put in place should a public announcement be made regarding UFOs. OF course, this all happened before Ancient Aliens was on TV, aliens are no secret now.  As is the case with many of the cigars in the maduro line, I really liked this cigar.  It was rich and dark, with some cocoa sweetness.  The burn was perfect. 

 

Next up was the Fume D’Amore Capistranos. This is a much lighter cigar than the Maduro. The fillers seem to be the same varietals, perhaps lower primings, with a café Corojo wrapper. I struggle to remember if I’ve smoked this blend before, I don’t think I have.  To be honest, there are a lot of the Illusione Line I haven’t smoked. I’m not sure why that is, I’m acquainted with Dion Giolito, we’ve spoken on numerous occasions, but except for the Rothchild, and the occasional lancero, I’ve been negligent.  This Fume D’Amore started out with a tighter draw than I would have liked, which opened up after a while.  This isn’t a good cigar to take for a walk, it’s far too delicate and complex, it’s better sitting quietly. I found this out the hard way.  It’s possible another one of these samplers might be in my next DCW order, it’s a great value.  Next week I’ll get to the other two cigars in the sampler. 

 

Last night I smoked something from the Original Documents line, the CG-4 White Horse.  I bought a bunch of these several years ago, for a specific purpose.  We had a stretch of a few years of going to the Diner En Blanc in Philadelphia, and I always tried to take “white” themed cigars. Macanudo Inspirado White, Montecristo White, my wife smoked a Leccia White one year. You get the jist. The last time we went I somehow forgot my cigars and ran to Holts (the diner was a few blocks away in Rittenhouse Square), and the best I could come up with was some Padron Damaso, which had a white band.  Good cigar.  Anyway, I had gotten the White Horse for the next year and, between the pandemic and losing interest, we stopped going.  This cigar is a classic Corona Gorda, perhaps where the CG in the name comes from?  It’s 5 5/8″ x 46, which, next to the various toro iterations, is probably my favorite size. This also has the Criollo and Corojo fillers, with a Rosado Corojo wrapper.  I’ve smoked a bunch of these, and I really like them. It’s got the dark, rich flavors I like with some subtle spices.  I may need to get my hands on more, or, better yet, smoke some other cigars in this line.  I know I must have smoked a 88 or 888 at some point.  

 

That’s all I have for today. I had planned on getting to one of the Black Label Trading Co. events with James Brown Thursday or Friday, but lacked the energy to get out after work. It’s not so much the drive to these things that dissuades me, it’s the thought of the drive home after.  I’m getting old, smoking on my porch after a long day at work is much more appealing than going out, I’m afraid.  One more thing: I am a customer of Discount Cigar Warehouse, these posts aren’t sponsored in any way. It’s just a place I picked up some good deals on stuff I hadn’t tried before. Anyway, until the next time, 

 

CigarCraig

  

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Sampling the Casa Cuevas Core Line Cigars

Somewhere along the way last week I saw a Casa Cuevas post about something, and Dustin Prudhomme of Discount Cigar Warehouse (not a sponsor) mentioned having a sampler, so I ordered one, along with some other goodies. I’ve found that this is a great place to get cigars quick and at a good value.  The sampler had one each of the core line, and a La Mandarria in toro size.  I, sadly, don’t find the Casa Cuevas line locally, so I have limited experience, although I have smoked many cigars made by them over the years. As per my preference, I started with the Casa Cuevas Maduro.  This 6″ x 50 toro has a San Andrés wrapper, with a Nicaraguan Binder and Colombian, Dominican and Nicaraguan fillers.  Should hit me just right, right?  It started with some sharp, acidic flavors, and had a drying effect on my mouth.  This is a woody, leathery maduro, not a sweet one.  Odd that the Maduro would be my least favorite of the three, but it was. I have a Reserva Maduro in the humidor that I may smoke in the near future to see how they compare. 

 

I soldiered on, I could have been discouraged, but I know Luis and Alex Cuevas, and the are probably the nicest people in the cigar industry. Whenever I see them they treat me like a long lost friend, even the first time I met them. So I was certain that these nice people wouldn’t let me down.  I really liked the Habano. This toro has an Ecuadorian Habano wrapper, Nicaraguan Binder, and Dominican and Nicaraguan fillers. This was very well balanced and tasty. Still on the leathery side, but with some nice, subtle spices.  This is a cigar that I could see having a box of in the humidor.  Very nice. 

 

Finally, the Connecticut. I’d wager this is their most popular, but Connecticuts are always my last choice, with a few exceptions. Oddly, Dominican cigars are not at the top of my list either, so there are only a few Dominican shade wrapped cigars that I like.  This is now one of them. It’s not a mild cigar, it has plenty of flavor.  I suspect it’s very close to the same blend as the Habano, with the wrappers being the difference, it’s an Ecuadorian Connecticut wrapper, Nicaraguan binder and Dominican and Nicaraguan fillers. It tasted a little “softer” than the Habano, but still has some spice and that leathery note, but a little sweetness and nutiness from the wrapper.  It was fun smoking the three cigar in the Cuevas core line in rapid succession (over three days), It’s very interesting to compare.  I’ll save the La Manderria for another time, I’ve enjoyed that cigar before.  I wish someone nearby had these in stock. If you haven’t smoked Cuavas cigars (and you may have and don’t realize it), give them a show, especially the Sangre Nueva, that’s an amazing cigar. 

 

That’s all for today. It’s Easter Sunday, so enjoy the day for those who celebrate, and happy Passover as well.  I’ve got a busy day planned, it may be the evening before I get a cigar in.  Until the next time, 

 

CigarCraig 

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Smoking Through a Cain Cigar Sampler

Last week I was auditing some of my advertising partners (OK, that’s a euphemism, I was shopping…), and I picked up a couple Cain samplers from CigarThief.  This happens all the time, I start browsing and see something that I don’t need or have room for and the price is too good to pass up, I’d be nuts not to buy it, so I do. I then have to worry about where to put the stuff later. In this case it was the five cigar sampler of Cain cigars from Oliva. It arrived the next day. I remember walking in to my local shop at the time and the proprietor, fresh back from the trade show, said to me “throw away your Cubans, you gotta try this new cigar called “Cain”. This guy was a guy who was into Havanas too, he had gotten into some trouble years earlier with the BATF for having them in the store. This was a major boast coming from this guy. Of course, I had to wait for them to come in. Turns out that this was another brand that Sam Leccia was behind, following his success as the brand ambassador for Nub with Oliva Cigars. He would continue to do rolling events featuring both cigars for a few years until his unceremonious departure. I was a fan of the Cains early on, smoked a bunch of them, I was especially fond of the Cain F Lancero, which is what prompted me to take this little sentimental journey. 

 

Cain Cigars are made by Oliva Cigar Co., although you wouldn’t know it looking at their website. I can’t figure this out. Is Cain still in production? It seems like they are still widely available. I just can’t find them on a website anywhere. It’s a cigar they should embrace! I started with the original Habano 550. Their sizes are confusing, because this one is 5¾” x 50, which is pretty close to a toro, which is like, but it ain’t 550. I’m not sure what they call the 5″ x 50, which they clearly have in the portfolio. This is where having them listed on the manufacturer website comes in handy. Retailers websites aren’t always all-inclusive.  I seem to recall the old Studio Tabac website having a breakdown of the blend, with percentages of the ligero too.  These were billed as “Straight Ligero”, which, of course, didn’t mean they were 100% ligero. They are bold cigars, and the Habano was excellent. It took me back to one of my very first blog posts, where I was celebrating the birthday which I received the CigarCraig.com domain as a gift with a Cain Habano. Deep, rich earthy flavors.  These remain very good cigars. 

 

I deviated from the chronological order of the brand’s releases by smoking the Cain Daytona next. I believe this cigar came after Sam’s departure. This was a little bit mellower representation of the Cain blend, maybe more sophisticated. This one, whatever they called it, was definitely 5″ x 50, has a Nicaraguan Habano wrapper and Nicaraguan fillers. This is probably better suited for a sunday morning with coffee cigar, but it was a great cigar for a Saturday afternoon after cutting the grass and running errands, before taking a nap. Just enough strength and loads of flavor. Definitely a solid robusto, and I am fairly certain I have an old lancero or two in the humidor.

 

Last night I tackled the Cain Maduro. I’m pretty sure this is a the same blend as the Habano with a Maduro wrapper, although,, lacking information on a manufacturer’s website, I have no way to verify that. As a maduro lover, I have to say that I can do without this cigar in the line. It’s a good cigar, if it was the only Cain, I’d be happy with it, but I think the other iterations are better. The wrapper adds the espresso component, but I actually prefer the Habano wrapped version more. If I’m picking Cains, I admit that the Maduro is on the bottom of my list. Weird, huh? It’s still a pretty strong cigar, having a high percentage of Ligero. 

 

Sometime around 2012 They came out with the Cain F. I think the F stood for Fuerte, maybe Sam had his hand in it before he left,  I don’t recall. By 2013 they had replaced Sam with a guy named Byran Scholle. They had trained him to do rolling demonstrations something like Sam did, without the artistic flair. Bryan’s signature was. rolling a cigar he called the Cain FU, which was an amped up Cain F, which I smoked fresh and it wasn’t all that ass-kicking. I am smoking the Cain F 550 Robusto as I write this and it’s a rich, flavorful cigar, with a fair amount of strength, especially for a Sunday morning. It’s especially good with coffee, and I’m glad I had a heaping bowl of Cheerios! I can’t tell you how many Cain F Lanceros I’ve smoked over the years, and I still have a couple squirreled away, so I’m fairly familiar with the cigar. I like it a great deal. I don’t know why I like it , I just do, it checks all the boxes for me. It’s burning perfectly for me, although I have let it go out a few times. It’s a good way to start the day! I’m glad I picked up a few of these samplers! It’s been a fun trip down memory lane! 

 

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

 

CigarCraig

 

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Dapper Cigars Cubo Claro and Maduro and the Contest Winner!

But first, Thursday evening my wife and I went to Philadelphia’s Diner en Blanc, which is a picnic, of sorts, where everyone wears white, brings their own table and chairs and meets in places around the city, and it transported to a public space that is kept secret until the last minute. These happen all over the world and it’s quite a sight. In this case, Philadelphia’s had 5500 people, the largest in the US. Last year there was a cigar lounge set up with a local outfit, the Travelling Tobacconist, featuring an Airstream trailer, this year, no such luck, as it was held at Philadelphia’s City Hall, and the park surrounding it is non-smoking. We actually were sitting on a wall at the perimeter of the park enjoying a small cigar with a white band, and got chased one foot to the sidewalk…absurd. So while InspiradoWhitewe were at the meeting point, which was at the subway stop outside of Citizens Bank Park (where, at the same time, Will Cooper will tell you the Phillies were having their heads handed to them by the Mets in the first game of a double header), I enjoyed a Macanudo Inspirado White with my buddy Bruce. I’ve known Bruce for 20 years, we go back to the old alt.smokers.cigars Usenet group days, and he now lives a few miles from me. I select appropriately themed cigars for this occasion, last year it was a Fratello Bianco, a Montecristo White, and my wife smoked a Leccia White. Some think this event is pretentious and a waste of city resources, and I’ve heard the term “white privilege” tossed around ignorantly. First, the organization pays it’s way on the set-up and cleanup, and donates generously to local charities. Regarding the “white privilege”, anyone who took a half a glance at the attendees of one of these events would see the most diverse group of people imaginable eating together side by side, hanging out, partying, having a good time. It’s a cool event. The local news even talked to me on camera, but I guess I was too cool for them to use on the news.

 

Cubo_Claro_ToroI’m still finding a couple of samples from last year’s IPCPR, and a couple of my good friends in the industry have shared some samples from this years show which I did not attend, so I need to make room.  I had a couple Cubos from Dapper Cigars out of California that were begging to be smoked, so Friday was the day.  I had to drop the car off in the morning so I grabbed the Ecuador Connecticut wrapped Cubo Claro toro for the walk home.  First off, I appreciate any company that calls their shade wrapped cigar “Claro”, it’s way easier to type than Ecuador Connecticut or Connecticut shade. Sure, it’s ambiguous and requires clarification, so does Connecticut Shade anymore so why not? Dapper likes to provide specifics about their tobaccos, and I’ve compared this to Steve Saka when he launched Sobremesa. Funny enough, some of Dapper’s cigars are made in NACSA, where Mi Querida and Umbagog are made, but the Cubo’s are not made at NACSA, they are made at Tabacaleras Carreras S.A., which also makes, perhaps not surprisingly, Esteban Carreras Cigars.

Wrapper: Ecuador / Connecticut desflorado / CASJUCA / A.S.P. (Perez)

Binder: Nicaragua / Jalapa / Habano / Dorado / Oliva Tobacco Co

Fillers: Nicaragua / Condega / gk Relleno / Oliva Tobacco Co
Nicaragua / Esteli / Guadalupe / Oliva Tobacco Co

This was a really nice claro cigar with enough strength and  body to be enjoyed any time of the day, not just in the morning, as I did. I’m not a regular morning smoker, it’s just no something I usually do, but now and then I have cigar in the morning and it’s usually a shade wrapped cigar or a coffee infused cigar, I guess I fall for the stereotype. This was a really good tasting cigar, it had the trademark shade wrapper flavor, but there was a bit of spice and rich tobacco flavor and it was a good, satisfying cigar. I was anticipating smoking the maduro later.

 

Cubo_Maduro_ToroAfter dinner, which is my usual routine, I did smoke the Cubo Maduro Toro as I took my second walk of the day, a short one around the block. First off, this is a visually stunning maduro cigar. It has a beautiful oily wrapper, very even coloration, nicely made. Both this and the Claro were nice looking cigars, and the bands are very attractive as well. High scores for presentation. I haven’t seen the boxes, but according to the website they are packaged in natural cedar sliding lid boxes with Boveda packs, again, the information provided the website is extremely thorough. I found the Maduro to be considerably stronger than the Claro, which isn’t uncommon, and the spicy cocoa from the Mexican wrapper was much to my liking.

Wrapper: Mexico / San Andrés Negro / Turrent Family

Binder: Nicaragua / Jalapa / Cofradía / Oliva Tobacco Co.

Fillers: Nicaragua / Condega / gk Relleno / Oliva Tobacco Co.
Nicaragua / Jalapa / Cofradía / Oliva Tobacco Co.

I’m a little surprised with all the detail provided that they leave out the primings, that seems like a geek-point that should be there. As you might imagine, this was a cigar that hit me the right way, it was rich and decadent and I liked it a lot.  I don’t see any of Dapper’s offerings around here, but I haven’t looked really hard, but they sure make some good cigars.

 

Contest!

Contest1I was a little over the top with my “contest entrant shaming” in my last post, sorry about that.  I think it scared  people off, because we only had 19 entries, and it’s been probably 8 years or so since I’ve had that few entries. maybe it’s summer and people are busy, maybe the economy’s good and people don’t want free cigars, I don’t know. I do know that that makes the odds better for those of you who entered! I said I was sweetening the deal,  so I grabbed a few more cigars out of the humidor, three of which are from La Aurora, which, by the way, was the common thread I Contest2was really looking for, all of the cigars I mentioned in the contest post were made at the La Aurora factory in the Dominican Republic. So the prize is 10 cigars from La Sirena, La Auroa, etc. and a Stage V Clinger cigar holder.  It’s also true that they all have two bands and they all have tobaccos from the DR, so I can’t exactly disqualify any of those answers as incorrect, so all entries count. In a strange twist, the random number generator spit out 15, and I had thrown out Brian I’s first entry, which was actually the first entry, and he ens up being the 15th  comment. So Brian I is the winner! Please send me your address privately so I can get these goodies out to you!  I guess I need to step up the contest game here! Apparently I’ve slacked off or something, contests used to be my bag, baby.  Thanks to Stage V Clinger and my friends at La Sirena and La Aurora for their continued support!

 

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

 

CigarCraig

 

 

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