Tag Archives: Reinado

Cohiba HVC Black Friday, Reinado and Iron Pigs, Bacon and Flying Pig Cigars

We went to a baseball game last night, but more on that later, lets recap a few cigars I smoked earlier in the week. At the Atlantic City Cigar Festival I saw an old friend, Sean Williams, who was handing out Cohiba Rivieras at his booth.  I met Sean back around 2011, I think, at the Delaware Cigar Festival, or the IPCPR show, I forget which. I do remember seeing him at the IPCPR show and he introduced me to his friend Willy Herrera, who was helping him blend some of his cigars at the time. I hadn’t tried this Cohiba Riviera, so Thursday seemed like a good enough day to smoke one.  This is the first Box pressed “red dot” Cohiba, and the first that doesn’t have any Dominican tobacco. It has a San Andrés wrapper (another Cohiba first), Honduran Connecticut binder (broadleaf?) and fillers from Jamastran, and La Entrada in Honduras and Condega and Esteli in Nicaragua. The Robusto I had is 5″ x 52, the box press makes it feel small, which is probably why it took me awhile to get around to smoking it. This smoked very well, as one would expect a $20 cigar to smoke. It tasted much like one would expect a Honduran/Nicaraguan blend with a Mexican wrapper to taste, which, to me, was quite good, with rich, earthy coffee, cocoa, espresso, etc. notes.  I rather enjoyed it. As with most things in the “luxury” segment, be it food, cars, watches, I’m not the target audience. I’m a low frills kind of guy, but I do appreciate it, there’s just more affordable luxuries I appreciate as much. 

 

I had picked up a HVC Black Friday 2022 a few weeks ago, I had smoked the Firecracker and maybe one other iteration of the Black Friday series ( I think the 2021) and enjoyed it. This is the first of the series that is made in Fábrica de Tabacos HVC S.A. de Reinier Lorenzo as opposed to Aganorsa, although I can’t say I noticed any quality difference.  I would have liked it if my example had been a tad drier, which is the fault of my humidors, I guess. The tobaccos in this may need to be stored with less humidity, or dry boxed, I don’t know, most cigars burn fine out of my humidors, every now and then one is weird. My fault for not being as diligent with my Humidimeter as I should be!  The Black Friday has an Ecuador Habano wrapper and the rest is from Jalapa and Esteli with, apparently, no ligero.  It was on the medium side, with nice, nutty flavors and some syrupy sweetness.  It was a hot and humid evening, which may have added to my issues, also not a great time for a nicotine-heavy cigar for me! I’ll try again with some dry down time. 

 

I was up obnoxiously early yesterday morning so I pretty much went from bed, to the coffeemaker to the porch and lit up a Reinado Connecticut C29 that Antonio Lam had given me when I saw him at the aforementioned AC Cigar Fest. Before I go on, I’d like to mention that as I type I’m smoking an El Güegüense that was from the original release (probably a 2016 trade show sample) that is simply divine. I don’t think I appreciated this blend as much then as I do at this very moment, whether it’s the age on this cigar, the beautiful morning, or what. It’s creamy, it’s got a hint of light spice, it’s just perfection.  What made my think about that, besides being distracted by the smoke, was that I had the same thought yesterday morning as I sat in the dawning hours of the day, as the sun came up, enjoying the Reinado C29. The details of this. cigar are veiled in secrecy, obviously it has a Connecticut wrapper, Ecuadoran would be my guess, and it wouldn’t surprise me if it’s made at Aganorsa, like his Grand Apex (which is also exceptional). I have trouble loving a lot of Aganorsa cigars, however, Antonio’s cigars I do love, and if the C29 is made there, it’s one more I really loved.  It was creamy, plenty of flavor, and burned perfectly. It was a great cigar to smoke on a quiet morning unencumbered by distractions. 

 

Last night some friends treated up to a baseball game in Allentown, PA.  The Lehigh Valley Iron Pigs are the Philadelphia Phillies Triple A farm team, and the upside is that they have a heavy bacon-centric theme.  We snacked on chocolate covered bacon and skewered candied bacon, but sadly they were out of the bacon cannolis. Between innings they had races with people dressed as various pork based meats, and the players uniforms had Bacon emblazoned across the front.  Fred Rewey would have been severely overstimulated. I misunderstood the team name and wore a Flying Pig shirt, and smoked a Kentucky Fire Cured Flying Pig on the ride home, as Coca Cola Stadium is non-smoking. When I first smoked the KFC at Cigar Safari 10 years ago I didn’t like it at all, it was too “campfire” for me. This Flying Pig, and I don’t remember where I got them, or how long I’ve had them, was very good, it had some nice sweet woodiness. I can’t recommend smoking a 4″ x 60 in a dark, stick shift car, though, that was less than ideal, but it was a good smoke, and it was a really fun game, with fireworks after the game. I’m not a baseball fan, and I’m confused by some of the new rules,  but it’s nostalgic, I went to a lot of games as a kid, and I always enjoyed minor league games for the entertainment value. 

 

There’s a lot coming up this week.  Tonight, if you are in the Limerick, PA area, stop by Goose’s and see my friend Mike Kropp perform at the Goose Pond.  Next Saturday, August 5, at the Leaf Cigar Bar in Easton, PA celebrate Jerry Garcia’s Birthday with live music at 3. Delaware Cigar Week kicks off on Thursday, August 3th with a schedule of events running through Sunday.  Could be a busy weekend!

 

That’s all for today! Until the next time, 

 

CigarCraig

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Reinado Grand Apex, JTrain, Fosforo and Rocky Patel Cigars

First week of 2023 is in the books.  I managed to smoke a few new-to-me cigars this week!  First off was the Fosforo Toro, a 6″x 50 cigar with a Ecuadorian habano wrapper, Nicaraguan binder and fillers from the Condego and Jalapa regions of Nicaragua.  This is a creation of Jeff Mouttet of Riverside Cigars, and is distributed by Pospiech Inc., Mike Szczepankiewicz’s distribution company.  Ironically, I also smoked a Guaimaro yesterday, also distributed by Pospiech.  This cigar, while it looks like it could come out of Nica Sueno (RoMaCraft), it’s actually made at Garmendia, the factory which makes West Tampa Cigar Co.’s cigars.  The cigar is tasty, some earthiness, some espresso and cocoa, very much up my alley.  Burn and draw were perfect, and I enjoyed it quite a bit. Thanks to my Secret Santa, once again, for sharing this with me!

 

I may be going out of order, but I’m probably the only one bothered by that! I also smoked the Rocky Patel The Edge 20th Anniversary, which I picked up on a recent visit to Goose’s Montecristo Lounge.  I’m probably one of the few people who haven’t smoked a whole lot of RP Edge cigars, I’ve probably only smoked a couple, to be honest.  Not sure why, just is.  I felt like I wanted to give this anniversary cigar a try, and it’s a little pricier than the regular Edge line.  It’s advertised as having 10 year aged tobaccos, although exactly which tobaccos are aged isn’t clear.  The wrapper is an Ecuador Sumatra, with Nicaraguan and Honduran files and binder.  I’m used to Sumatra having a unique sweetness, and this one started out with a cloying pepper spice that I wasn’t ready for. it was tongue coating.  Eventually it smoothed out, and was a very nice smoke.  I’d smoke this again, and I suppose I should samply my way through the Edge line, I think there’s 23 different cigars in that line? 🙂

 

Almost a year ago I saw John Remer at the TPE and he gave me his JTrain cigar, made at La Zona by Protocol Cigars. It has the Protocol logo in the band at least.  John has a web show called Johnny Smokes Uncut, and a facebook group of the same name. I’m not sure what’s up with the “uncut” part of the name.  Obviously one can’t smoke a cigar uncut, I have to assume it refers to the videos being unedited. This Robusto is 5″ x 50 and has a Nicaraguan Corojo wrapper,with  Nicaraguan and Honduran fillers.  There are several cigars from this factory which are among my favorites, the La Sirena, and most of the no longer produced Cornelius and Anthony line (Someone recently compared the C&A Meridian to the new Knuckle Sandwich, the y may be similar, but all of the C&A cigars had some Virginia tobacco in them that I don’t think is available to La Zona any more).  The JTrain cigar hit me with a really different flavor, it was almost acidic, with an odd spice. It must have turned out OK because I stopped taking notes, a sure sign I am enjoying a cigar.  I have an FTrain that John gave me at the PCA show on deck, anymore I am not satisfied by a robusto, I save them to fit certain times, and I have a crapload of robustos in my stock.  

 

Finally, I smoked a Reinado Grand Apex Gordo this week. This is a 6″ x 60 cigar that has a Mexican San Andrés wrapper, Nicaraguan binder and fillers and is made at Aganorsa’s TABSA factory.  I’ve known Antonio Lam, the owner of Reinado Cigars, for a very long time.  When I met him he was making cigars with Yadi Gonzalez, maker of Flor de Gonzalez cigars.  We had some amusing times trying to record pieces at the IPCPR show a few years back. Antonio is a Jersey guy, and the Grand Apex has an altruistic side to it, as some proceeds go to Dementia Society of America.  Anyone who’s been reading here for any period of time will know that this cigar is my kind of cigar.  Maybe not so obvious is that many cigars that come out of Aganorsa aren’t particularly interesting to me.  I try, of course, but I haven’t found one that hits me just right. This one, however, does.  It’s got my espresso, along with some dark fruits, and I really dig it.  It’s definitely on my “buy” list, even in this size.  Great job Antonio and Aganorsa!  

 

That’s all for today. I was hoping to get to a shop today, but it looks like the grandkids are coming by, so that will have to wait, some things are more important!  Until the next time, 

 

CigarCraig

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News: Reinado Premium Cigars Adding
Grand Apex 6 X 60

Here’s one more news item from my friend Antonio at Reinado Cigars. Why all the news while I’m sitting on my balcony overlooking the ocean trying to relax with nothing but an iPhone to publish content with? Gotta head to the beach and light up a cigar…

 

Reinado Cigars will begin shipping the new Grand Apex 6 X 60 in February. Production will be at Aganorsa’s TABSA factory in Nicaragua. It joins the current Robusto Extra, which measures 5.5 x 52.

 

“Early indications of success for this blend have provided the leverage required to expand the Grand Apex product line,” said Antonio Lam, owner of Reinado Premium Cigars, in a press release. “The quality of tobacco included from Aganorsa Leaf in our blend has created a buzz on social media as well as brick and mortar retail shops.

 

The robusto extra has also been included among reputable brands on several Top Cigars of 2021 lists. We’re happy to have such positive responses to the robusto extra and are thrilled to be releasing a larger vitola for the consumers wanting more of the rich notes
found in the blend.”

 

The Grand Apex blend utilizes a San Andres wrapper over Nicaraguan binder and fillers. The 6 X 60 size will have an MSRP of $12.75 per cigar. Production will be initially 3,000 cigars in 15-count boxes. A portion of the proceeds will be donated to the Dementia Society of America.

 

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Grand Apex 6 X 60

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Punch Aniversario, La Gloria Criollo de Oro and Reinado Grand Apex Cigars

It’s been an odd week, another reason I don’t like this time of year. It was cloudy most of the week, but the temps were fairly warm. Then yesterday it was sunny most of the day and nearly 80 degrees and then it stormed and dropped 20 degrees. Of course, this is the perfect set up for a migraine. Anyway, once I got the grass cut (hopefully for the last time), I saw able to smoke a cigar. But let’s back up a bit. I had a choice on Friday evening to either watch the Drew Estate Freestyle Live event, or the Flyers season opener, of course I chose the Flyers. Freestyle Live I can watch the replay, the Flyers not so much. It turns out that I missed our friend CigarProp/TrashPanda Kevin winning the Harley, which was exciting, but I did catch it the next day. I’m happy to have hockey back and have sports to watch again! I lit up a Punch Aniversario, which commemorates the 180th anniversary of the brand. I published the press release back in July, and I take issue with them saying this was an hourlong smoke. It’s a 7¼”x 54 corona doble (same size as a Horo Excalibur No. 1, by the way), certainly a two hour smoke. For a cigar that has a Broadleaf wrapper and binder, I didn’t find that is tasted heavily like a broadleaf cigar! I thought it was fairly medium bodied and not real bold in the flavor department. It certainly was a decent companion while I watched my first real hockey game of the season! The couple more I have will rest for a while and I’ll revisit them later.

 

Yesterday after finishing chores I sat down with the new La Gloria Cubana Criollo de Oro toro. As with the Punch, this was a sample provided by General/Forged/STG. I’ve had a long association with them and they’ve always been great about providing samples. As I think about it, it’s coming up on the ten year anniversary of the blogger trip to the factory. It’s about time for a  reunion, isn’t it? 😉  Full disclosure,I’m traditionally not a fan of Criollo tobacco, so I’m not sure how I’m going to take to this Criollo/Pelo de Oro hybrid. Criollo is one of the few tobaccos I actually kind of find off putting. I’ll avoid it if I can help it. Of course, there are exceptions I suppose, but generally I find this to be the case. On the other hand, I generally like La Gloria Cubanas, but one can’t like every cigar in a given brand, right? This was the first one I tried, and they just came in last week, so I’ll be giving them more of a chance, but the initial thoughts weren’t off-putting but weren’t mindblowing either. There are several of their more recent releases that I like a lot more, but, as I said, this is an initial impression. It certainly worked well. I can’t believe it’s been a decade since I toured the factory! 

 

Last night I smoked a Reinado Grand Apex. I had previously smoked a sample that Antonio had given me, this one was a banded version that I purchased (along with a T-shirt that I happened to have been wearing). I need to buy some more. The Grand Apex is made at Aganorsa, and has a Mexican San Andrés wrapper and Nicaraguan binder and fillers. This is a bold cigar with bold flavors. It’s heavy on the espresso and earth, with significant spice. If I had a cigar of the week feature, this one would be it. Maybe I should do that, but it seems like a lot of work. Maybe I’ll just bring it up when a worthy candidate presents itself, much like this one. Reinado Grand Apex: CigarCraig.com’s Cigar of the week for October 17, 2021! Maybe that will make the Reinado webpage. Should I make up a badge? I kid, I never troll for recognition, it’s a great cigar, and I might need to talk to some of my local PA (ahem, Son’s) retailers to carry it! 

 

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

 

CigarCraig 

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A 5 Vegas Miami, a Reinado GER and a Nica Rustica Cigar

Things have been going very well with our new dog, Macha.  She’s a sweetie, and we’ve been taking short walks since she’s only been three legged for a few weeks.  She does remarkably well, and we learned something about her tonight: she’s not a fan of thunderstorms! We also found out that she CAN go up the stairs, where she ran to hide. I’m hoping none of our neighbors have fireworks this weekend!  She’s been a joy so far, I think we got lucky.

 

5VegasMiami_ToroMonday I selected a 5 Vegas Miami Toro, a traditional 6″ x 50.  This cigar has a Ecuador Habano wrapper and Nicaraguan filler and smoked very well. These are made in the G.R. Tabacaleras Co. in Miami.   I received this sample in a pack from Gran Habano, and I really haven’t smoked many 5 Vegas cigars lately. This was a really tasty and well behaved cigar despite having a slight bend to it. I found it to have a nice strength, and some pepper and nuts.  I really enjoyed this cigar after a short walk and hanging out on the deck with the dog.

 

reinadoGER_EC_PetitLanceroPlease join me in welcoming Reinado Cigars to the CigarCraig Family!  Click the graphic on the right sidebar to see everything they have to offer in the Reinado Empire! I’ve had the pleasure of hanging out with Antonio Lam, the man behind the brand on numerous occasions and he’s a great guy, and makes some delicious cigars. Tuesday I decided to smoke their newest offering, the Reinado Grand Empire Reserve Ecuador Connecticut Petit Lancero. This cigar is being released at the IPCPR show later this month, so look for it on store shelves sometime soon. My only complaint with this cigar is the “petit” part, I wished it was a longer cigar, the experience ended too soon. I seem to be smoking quite a few really good Ecuador Connecticut cigars lately, and I don’t regularly reach for that wrapper. Along with cigars like the Recluse Amadeus, the Nomad Connecticut Fuerte, and the Jaxx LT, this is another winner in that category. A few years ago the “not your father’s Connecticut” schtick was getting a little tired, but this years batch of Connecticuts are very good. The Reinado is medium bodied and loaded with flavor, and is smooth and well balanced. This would be a great cigar in the morning with a cup of coffee.  If it were 7½” x 38 instead of only 6″ it would be even more awesome than it is.  If I were using my rating scale with this one it would fall somewhere between 98 and 99!

 

Nica Rustica_El BrujitoTonight I was lazy and grabbed a Nica Rustica El Brujito from Drew Estate. I make sure I have some of these on hand at all times, as it’s become one of my favorite go-to cigars.  After a short walk with the dog, who lets me know when she’s ready to head home by stopping and refusing to go any further, forcing me to turn back. We sopped to introduce her to a neighbor and we talked for five minutes before she realized the dog was missing a leg. Macha doesn’t realize she’s any different from any other dog.  As I said before, a thunderstorm rolled in, frightening the dog and forcing me into the garage to finish my cigar. The Nica Rustica is a terrific smoke, if you like no-nonsense, strong, dark flavors. The Broadleaf wrapper is dark and rustic, and has some sweetness. I miss the wild grown nicotiana rustica that they used in the prototypes, but the regular production is really good.

 

Once again, don’t forget to head over to Cigar Rights of America and follow the links to comment on the FDA Deeming Document. In talking with Glynn Loope on Saturday he pointed out that two of our (Premium Cigars) opponents are the health care organizations and big tobacco! I guess I get the fact that the cigarette companies want the playing field leveled, but it’s a shame that they aren’t fighting more tobacco legislation instead of trying to hurt the cigar industry. The FDA needs to know that regulation of Premium Cigars will not only put Americans out of work and close hundreds of small businesses, but will have a devastating impact on the economies of the cigar and tobacco producing companies in the Caribbean and Central America. We need to push for exemption with no price or weight restrictions, or all of the cigars will be over $10 and we won’t have new blends, cigar events, or any of the other cool things we enjoy about this adult pastime.

 

If you get a chance, check out Houston’s Prime Living Magazine.  Page 55 has a little article about cigars in what looks like it will be a regular cigar feature.  That’s it for now, until the next time,

 

CigarCraig

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