Tag Archives: Merlion

La Sirena Cigars Contest!

I’ve had some unexpected family issues arrive which require my attention so instead of my regular Wednesday post you’ll have to settle for a contest. I’m sure you all will cut me some slack. The giveaway this time is sponsored by my friends and site sponsors at La Sirena Cigars. The prize is a sampler of cigars from the La Sirena portfolio: there’s a couple of the new Oceano, a Stixx, a Jaxx, a Jaxx LT, a Merlion, a new La Sirena Trident, and I’ll probably include an old La Sirena Trident (made at My Father) so you can compare the old with the new (the new being made at La Zona, and very good as well). There’s a cutter and a box of matches too. These are all exceptional cigars, there’s something in this lineup to satisfy every palate.

 

LaSirena Contest

 

 

Everyone is eligible to win, just leave a comment here to enter, one per person please, must be over 18 to win, usual rules apply. I hope to pick a winner on Sunday, March 22, 20015.  Thanks to everyone at La Sirena for making this contest possible, and if you could send positive vibes our direction, I sure would appreciate it.  I’ll share more later for those who are curious.

 

Until the next time,

 

CigarCraig

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A 1502 Ruby Cigar, a MUWAT and a Merlion Sea Lion

1502_ruby_robustoCold and snow, but fortunately not any where near the snow that was predicted or our neighbors to the north got! I can’t complain too much about this winter so far.  It’s only really dissuaded me from taking my evening cigar and Macha walks a couple times, and the enclosed porch has been fairly comfortable.  If we can get through the next six weeks or so without too much bad weather I’ll be happy. I still look forward to basking in the warm sunshine with a cigar! On Sunday evening I came across a 1502 Ruby robusto and immediately wanted to smoke it.  I actually passed on watching the NHL All Star Game, who puts the game on at 5 PM? That didn’t fit my schedule! Judging by the score it wasn’t a good game for the goalies, so I don’t feel like I missed much.  I did enjoy the heck out of the Ruby.  I love the box press and the semi-closed foot on the line, and this was a stellar smoke. Medium bodied and rich in flavor.  It’s very hard for me not to smoke these when I run across them in the humidor. They are really very good cigars.

 

MUWAT_NightcrawlerMonday I took a night off, just wasn’t feeling it, so Tuesday I grabbed a  MUWAT Night Crawler. This cigar was given to me by Dave Lafferty of Drew Estate at an event several months ago, and I put it in the bedroom humidor and kinda forgot about it.  I definately favor the smaller sizes in the MUWAT line, I’ve enjoyed the 60 ring sizes, but they lack the punch I look for. This 4½”x 50 cigar had the punch.  You could tell it had a San Andrés wrapper, and it delivered big in the flavor department. This may now be my favorite size, second to the Digital Son 6 and the Baitfish. It was still smooth and rich and chocolaty, and had a perfect burn one expects from Drew Estate cigars.  Are these still made at the Joya de Nicaragua factory? Not sure, but it doesn’t matter as either factory makes great smoking cigars on a consistent basis. I’d smoke this again in a heartbeat.

 

I finally placed an order for a cabinet humidor so I can get out of the coolers which have been my mass storage solution for the last 15 years or so.  Of course, it’s back ordered, which is my fault for not placing my order back in December, but stuff like moving and the holidays happen. So far, my experience ordering from 1st Class Cigar Humidors has been positive, look forward to play by play in March when it arrives. I’m so looking forward to not having to rummage through the coolers and playing humidor Tetris trying to fit in new arrivals, and my wife looks forward to something more aesthetically pleasing than blue plastic.  My plan for now will be to use my Cigar Oasis in conjunction with the dozen traditional humidification units and see how it goes from there. I look forward to the adventure.  1st Class Cigar Humidors has been an advertiser here for a few years, and this is an item purchased by me. I shopped around and decided on this unit.

 

Merlion_Sea LionTonight I went with a Merlion Sea Lion from La Sirena Cigars.  This is a cool shaped cigar which is a lot of fun to smoke. It’s a 5½” x 47 perfecto of sorts, with a shaggy tail sticking out of the foot, making lighting quite easy. These are made at the La Aurora factory in the Domincan Republic, there were only 500 boxes of ten made, and one in each box has a San Andrés wrapper, and the remaining nine have the same Ecuador Corojo wrapper as the rest of the line.  In an odd twist, I still have not smoked the maduro, and I’d generally smoke that one first.  In this case, I’m quite sure I’ll never see another maduro, and I’m afraid I’ll love it. I’ll get to it when the time is right. Tonight the time was right for the Sea Lion and a great tasting smoke it was. Very smooth and creamy, and the shape concentrates the flavor more on the palate than the parejos in this line, I think, and it’s just a damned tasty smoke. As I said, it’s a fun shape, and a great size.  I don’t think I mention often that my favorite size might be the classic Corona Gorda, 5 5/8″ x 46, and this comes very close, but the shape causes changes in the flavor as the fattest part is near the beginning and as the diameter of the cigar narrows, the flavors intensify. It’s practically a cigarillo by the time it’s finished.  Try one if you see one on your tobacconsits shelf.

 

Quick little terminology refresher, since I was mentioned on last weeks Cigar Authority radio show (thanks Mr. J, if you don’t listen, you should, it’s a hoot!) as Dave Garofalo was confusing the term “vitola” with “parejo” once again.  I had pointed out to him some time ago that “vitola” is a generic term for the basic size of a cigar, robusto, torpedo, Churchill, perfecto are all vitolas. The Cubans have a list known as Vitolas de Galera, which give very strict definitions of what each shape must be. Where a Robusto can be just about anything from a 4½” x 50 to a 5½” x 54 or just about anything in between, in Cuba it’s ONLY 4 7/8″ x 50, a 5″ x 48 is a Hermosos No. 4, and so forth. “New World” cigars take liberties with the vitola names, so in our usage it’s a generic term for the size.  Vitolas are then broken down into two classes, Parejos, or straight sided cigars, or Figurados or shaped cigars such as the torpedo, diadimas, perfecto, etc.  Really a mater of semantics, but something that should be known when jerks like me through the fancy schmancy terms around all willy nilly.

 

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

 

CigarCraig

 

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Royal Gold Nirvana, Villiger Caberete and Nat Sherman Timeless Cigars

Sunday was an absolutely beautiful day so, after doing a little yardwork, I alternated between smoking cigars in my chair in the yard and smoking cigars in the pool.  We’ll be moving soon, so whether we’ll have a pool in the future is quite uncertain, so I’m trying to take advantage of the pool as much as possible.  I started the day with an old La Gloria Cubana Artesanos Retro Especialé Cubano from a box that came back with me from the DR in 2011.  These have aged nicely.  When that was done, I found a Merlion Robusto from La Sirena. I figured the aquatic theme would fit in with my day. I’ve had this robusto since at least a year ago and age has been Royal Gold_Nirvana_Robustokind to this cigar made in the La Aurora factory. Both were on the smooth and mild side, which was nice on a hot day.  After dinner I grabbed a new-to-me cigar that came out after last years IPCPR show.  Royal Gold is the premium cigar division of Swisher International, and I talked to Alex Goldman, the president of the division at the Cigarnival a month or so ago.  The Nirvana is made by Drew Estate and has an African Cameroon wrapper. It had the construction you’d expect from a Drew Estate cigar, and had a nice flavor with that Camerooniness that I love.  It was sweet tobacco all the way through and was quite tasty.  I have examples of their other lines, the Kismet and Casino Gold which I’ll get to in the coming weeks.  Based on the Nirvana, I’m impressed.

 

Monday morning I got to work and there was no power, the previous nights storms had taken down a couple poles, so we did what we could and got out of there early.  I came home and took a nap, then grabbed a cigar for my evening walk with the dog.  I’ve been a fan of Villiger Cigars for a while, and I came across a new cigar from them called Caberete Maduro. This jet black, box pressed cigar looked like one I’d enjoy, and is made at the Tabacalera Palma factory. This factory has been producing lines like Aging Room, Señorial, etc, and is one of the hottest factories in the Dominican Republic right now.  The cigar was quite enjoyable, medium bodied, with a strong coffee/cocoa flavor. It burned admirable and gave me a very nice smoking experience.   The cigar I smoked was the Toro Largo size at 6″ x 54 and had a severe box press.  I look forward to smoking more of these. More information about this can be found here, as Villiger’s site has yet to updated with the latest information.

 

NatSherman_Timeless No2Tuesday I grabbed a cigar that had been gifted to me by a work associate, the Nat Sherman Timeless No. 2.  I have no excuse for not having sampled this line before. Back in the eighties I smoked Nat Sherman MCD cigarettes for a while. They were gool because they were brown, and they were all tobacco so they went out if you didn’t pay attention.  Totally irrelevant to this story, but I used to get their catalogs at the time.  It may have had a little to do with my cigar fascination.  Anyway, this is a nice torpedo shaped cigar, a classic 6¼” x 52, made in the Dominican Republic with a Honduran wrapper and Dominican and Nicaraguan fillers.  I don’t have sophisticated tastebuds, so I was surprised when I got cinnamon. Is wasn’t cinnamon stick as much as a hard cinnamon candy.  I really enjoyed the flavors of this cigar and I’m sorry I haven’t smoked this line before. I’ll have to try some more, as well as the Nicaraguan line.  What an interesting and tasty smoke.

 

That’s about it.  We’re running out of time to comment publicly on the FDA Deeming Document. Go HERE and tell the FDA that regulating premium cigars will devastate not only local economies and put people out work, as well as hurting economies internationally.  It’s important, and I can’t wait to stop talking about it!

 

Until the next time,

 

CigarCraig

 

You might also like:

http://www.cigarcraig.com/?s=retro+especiale

http://www.cigarcraig.com/?s=Merlion

http://www.cigarcraig.com/?s=Villiger

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1502 Black Gold, 601 La Bomba, Merlion and a Kentucky Fire Cured Cigar

1502_BlackGold_ToroLast time I said I was going to smoke some readily available cigars as opposed to the limited and discontinued stuff I was smoking last week. I think I managed to accomplish that, and smoke some pretty tasty cigars in the process! Sunday afternoon I lit up my last 1502 Black Gold Toro, a cigar I really like and will have to put some more in my humidor. I recently received all three 1502 blends in lancero format, so look for those recaps in the not too distant future! Anyway, I love the way they partially close the foot on these, I get a little extra blast of wrapper flavor on lighting. Always well made, the Black Gold is the maduro offering, and I dig the dark, rich flavors and excellent construction. This is a 99 on the CigarCraig rating scale, I need to pick up a few more to have on hand. The whole line is highly recommended and another winner distributed by the House of Emilio.

 

601 LaBomba_Sake BombMonday my wife and I went out for a while, when we got home, I opted for a short smoke, so the new 601 La Bomba Sake Bomb was the cigar of choice. I received a pair of samples a week or two ago from Epinosa Cigar Co., and, quite frankly, I probably could have been more patient and let these rest a little longer. I really enjoy the La Bomba line. It’s one of my go-to cigars whenb I just want something satisfying and familiar. I’m partial to the Atom in this line, although I’ll happily smoke any of them. Anyway, the reason I said I should have waited was that the little 4½ x 42 Sake Bomb might have still been a little overhumidified from it’s journey.  The draw was a bit more firm than I would have liked. Still, it had the great flavor that I expect from the  La Bomba line. I like them because they are pretty strong, but really flavorful.  The Habano wrapper is flawless, and, although I’m not a fan of footbands, the presentation is really cool.  My example didn’t have the long fuse that it should have had, but we just cut that off, don’t we.  I’ll revisit this in a few weeks, it’s a nice little size. Given that I don’t drink, I have no idea what Sake tastes like, but I’m quite sure there’s no flavor comparison. This is a solid 97 until I revisit it.

 

Merlion_Sea LionMonday evening I picked another smaller cigar, however, this one is a limited edition. It’s a currently available limited edition, so I figured it would fit with this weeks theme.  The Merlion Sea Lion from La Sirena is a cool shaggy footed perfecto, measuring 5½ x 47 in a perfecto shape that tapers pretty severely, so that the 47 ring gauge is pretty meaningless.  I prefer the La Sirena line over the Merlion line typically, but this blend made at the La Aurora factory was very good.  The burn was perfect, the shape is really fun to smoke.  These come in a box of ten, with one cigar bearing a maduro wrapper. Odd that I didn’t smoke that one first, I know, but I am afraid that I’ll really love it and I won’t have another. I wanted to make sure I liked the Ecuador Corojo wrapped version too. I smoked this to the tiniest of nubs, and this is another cigar that’s going to be hard to leave along. I look forward to smoking the maduro, and maybe I’ll smoke both wrapper varieties side by side one day to compare and contrast.  Try one if you get a chance, it gets a 98 because it’s a cool looking and smoking cigar.

 

MUWAT_KFC_Fat MollyTonight I decided to smoke a cigar that I’ve smoked before (although not in this size), but is popular and currently available. The My Uzi Weighs a Ton Kentucky Fire Cured from Drew Estate was released at last year’s IPCPR show and was highly anticipated.  This cigar is made at the Joya de Nicaragua factory in partnership with Drew Estate, and features fire cured tobacco which gives it a distinctive campfire aroma. I personally am not a fan of this aroma in a cigar and samples I’ve had in the past, including a pre-release sample in Nicaragua, have left me wanting.  This one was a nice smoke, perhaps the size works better for me, but I didn’t get the heavy smokey flavor. The burn was perfect, until it got to the band, where there’s a layer of the Fire cured tobacco on the head, not unlike the Joya de Nicaragua Cabinetta made in the same factory. Like the Cabinetta, that tobacco on the head of the cigar doesn’t want to burn.  While this wasn’t my favorite cigar this week, it was still pretty good, and I wouldn’t hesitate to smoke this again. It’s certainly unique in the world of premium cigars. I’m going to give it a 97 for construction and appearance.

 

I’ll see what other goodies I can scrounge up for the rest of the week! I think I better put my rating scale on the “about” page so it’s clear.  Until the next time,

 

CigarCraig

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End of the Week Cigars: Ora Vivo, Merlion and Herrera Esteli

January is in the books, the groundhog saw his shadow and there’s some sort of game on tonight. It looks like we will have six more weeks of winter, which is funny because on my calendar it looks more like seven weeks until the vernal equinox anyway.  I’m a cynic, what can I say.  Six more weeks of winter, a month and a half until spring?  I’m just glad spring is coming, this winter nonsense is for the birds! Anyway, with all that going on, I still managed to smoke a few great cigars!

 

OraVivo_5x54Thursday I selected an Ora Vivo Armand Assante 5×54. I’ve smoked a few of these over the past few months and find them to be an excellent Nicaraguan cigar. There’s a really nice sweet flavor that’s more apparent in the double corona than this robusto, but still there. This is unlike most Nicaraguan puros in that it’s a solid medium, and very refined, smooth and complex. Victor Vitale, Gary Macchione and Armand Assante really did a nice job on this ultra-premium cigar.  It’s a beautiful cigar,  the wrapper is flawless and it’s perfectly made. Even the band is stunning. I probably would have had a box of these sitting in my humidor if the cigar dinner we went to last November had taken credit cards instead of just cash. They should have, at least, stated up front that it was cash only and people could have come prepared!  

 

Merlion_GranToroFriday evening I selected a Merlion Gran Toro, a 6″ x 58 cigar from La Sirena‘s Ariel Ditkowich.  Actually, this particular example was handed to me at the IPCPR show by Nestor Miranda, who, until recently, was a partner in the La Sirena brand. Ariel is now in full control of distribution and production of her brand.  I admit that I favor the La Sirena over the Merlion, which really doesn’t surprise me in that I generally favor cigars made by the My Father factory over those from the La Aurora factory (where the Merlion is made). It’s not a commentary on the quality, just my personal preference. The Merlion is a tasty cigar though, even in this large format.  It’s a well made, medium bodied smoke.  I like these better in the robusto size, and this is another line that I think works better for me in a warn environment.  Maybe it’s the aquatic theme that makes me think that, or that it’s a more subtle and delicate blend.  Either way, it’s a cigar to try.

 

Herrera Esteli_LonsdaleSaturday afternoon I reached into one of the humidors and pulled out a Herrera Esteli Lonsdale Deluxe. This cigar was a gift from my brother-in-law a few months back (actually, he bought it for me at a Drew Estate event at Cigar Mojo). I gave this a V cut and the draw was perfect.  This is a cigar that is totally different from anything I’ve smoked from Drew Estate.  It’s got a pristine Ecuador Habano wrapper over a Honduran binder and Nicaraguan fillers.  It’s a clean tasting cigar with great flavor.  It’s really a cigar that I could smoke any time of the day, and I think I may have started off a day or two with these the last time I was in Nicaragua at Cigar Safari.  In yesterday’s case, I took a late afternoon walk before dinner, and this was the perfect smoke. Yet another cigar I want to have on hand at all times.  I’ve known Willie Herrera for a few years now and he’s really a super nice guy, and he knows his stuff when it comes to rolling and blending cigars.  He gave me some valuable pointers when they had us applying wrappers in the factory, which is no where near as easy as people like Willie make it look!

 

As I look back at these three cigars, I notice that they are all similar in that they are medium bodied, smooth, complex cigars, not really my usually “wheelhouse” cigars.  That’s one of the great things about premium cigars, there’s so many differnet flavors and strengths that it’s hard to get bored.  I might have to dig out something powerful today, but since it’s supposed to be warmer today, I may smoke something on the milder side. Variety is the spice of life!  Until the next time,

 

CigarCraig

 

 

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