Monthly Archives: May 2011

by CigarCraig | May 29, 2011 · 5:04 pm

Gee, I Smoked Some More Cigars This Week! La Aurora, My Joya de Nicaragua Blend, and a Dirty Rat

It’s the Memorial Day weekend, and time to remember all those who gave their lives in service to the country so that we have a shot at enjoying a fine cigar once in a while! Thank You! Now, on to some cigar nonsense!

I caught an article this week via Twitter that Guillermo Leon had completed his purchase of the La Aurora cigar division from the parent company, Grupo Leon. I couldn’t think of a better cigar to celebrate this event than a La Aurora 107 Lancero that I had picked up when I met up with him last month at The Wooden Indian (the day my grand-daughter was born. Hard to believe she’s 4 weeks old already!). I took this cigar for a walk with my wife to the local convenience store, about a mile round trip. It certainly was a very nice cigar. There was a time in the recent past that you could almost expect a lancero to be plugged, but I haven’t had one that wasn’t perfectly made in some time. As a side note, I’ve been finding that a lot of the cigars I’ve been smoking have been well made. Either my selections have improved or there is an over-all trend in higher quality standards in the industry. Not complaining! It used t really annoy me when I’d invest my valuable cigar time and have a difficult stick. Back to the 107, I’ve now smoked this in the corona and lancero and enjoy the blend. I think the lancero is more of a good thing. I should try some of the other sizes. While these aren’t exactly what I look for taste wise in a cigar, they do give me a lot of pleasure, and I strive to keep an open mind.

I selected one of the cigar that I brought back from Cigar Safari in Nicaragua for my Friday night cigar. This was one of the ones that were made for us as a result of our blending session at Joya de Nicaragua. I chose the the Corojo wrapper, and a Sumatra binder as well as Seco from Condega. I focused on Esteli for the Viso and Ligero, with a little Condega Ligero thrown in for good measure. What I ended up with was a fairly strong cigar, both in flavor and body. I loved it, make no mistake, but it rivaled the Joya de Nicaragua Dark Corojo in sheer power, as a matter of fact, I commented to my son that I thought I had blended an Antaño Dark Corojo! He had smoked the first of his batch, and he had used much more ligero in his, and it wasn’t bad, his shade wrapper may have toned it down a bit. I smoked this cigar down to finger burning size, while it was one dimensional, it was a good dimension! I wouldn’t smoke these often, and I have four more resting to see how they develop over time. I continue to be amazed that a cigar that was rolled a mere 8 weeks ago is so perfectly smokable! Thanks to Mario Perez at Joya de Nicaragua and Jonathan Drew for this exercise. I’m reminded that I need to find some Cabinetta Lanceros sometime soon…great cigar! I actually think the Cabinetta Serie is my favorite blend from JdN for overall balance.

Saturday was a beautiful day, so for my evening walk I went with a Liga Privada Dirty Rat pre-release version that Steve Saka had sent me in January of 2010. This cigar has since been released as a Liga Privada Serie Unico as of last years IPCPR show. I’ve had several of these between the pre-release samples and the production line and they have all been exceptional. Deep and dark, these are well made and seriously satisfying. The stalk cut, Connecticut Habano wrapper is a thing of beauty and just tasty as all get out. I lamented to my wife at the time that I should have grabbed one of the longer prototype Rats I brought back from Cigar Safari, as this cigar was finished too soon. I could have easily spent another hour enjoying the deliciousness of the Dirty Rat. Truly a spectacular cigar.

Today is another day, not sure what I’ll pull out of the humidor yet, and tomorrow could present more opportunities still. Tuesday we head to NYC for a private cigar event, which we’ve been looking forward to. Everyone have a safe and enjoyable holiday, and remember all those who paid the ultimate price so that we can enjoy what we enjoy!

Until the next time,

CigarCraig

Watch for a new discount code from StogieBoys.com coming soon.

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Filed under Review, Take a Cigar For a Walk

Tagged as cigar, cigars, dirty rat, drew estate, Guillermo Leon, joya de nicaragua, La Aurora, Memorial Day, Serie Unico, Take A Cigar For A Walk, wooden indian

by CigarCraig | May 25, 2011 · 9:43 pm

The Week So Far, A Romeo y Julieta, a Hoyo de Monterrey, and an El Credito

My mother-in-law passed away last week, so in deference to the family, I concentrated on doing my best to be a comfort and a help to my wife and her family. Cigars took a back seat to common sense and courtesy, so I don’t have a lot to report on this time. She lived a long and active life, but the last year was hard, with a diagnosis of mesothelioma and a stroke. When I smoked cigarettes she would bum one off me once a year, probably did that for almost 20 years. It was just one of those funny little things…never could get her to switch to a cigar, although she used to say that she once used cigars to break her cigarette habit, since she hated cigars!

I did manage to take a cigar for a walk Sunday morning, and I chose a Romeo y Julieta Habana Reserve that I bought last year when they had an offer for a sampler for something like $8 delivered. I like these cigars, but they sometimes aren’t the fist cigar I gravitate to if I’m cigar shopping. I opted for this cigar since I figured it was one of the better selections I had on hand for an early in the day smoke. It was quite a nice, mild and flavorful cigar that fit the bill nicely. It was a robusto that measured 5” x 54. If I were buying a RyJ, and it wasn’t one from an island we aren’t supposed to buy cigars from, I’d choose this line again.

Just a quick note about cigar smokers doing nice things for the community, a store local to me, although I don’t visit there nearly enough for whatever reason, recently held a golf outing and sent me the following in an e-mail:

Golf Outing Raises $13,240 for Fox Chase Cancer Center

G&G Cigar Company‘s 2nd Annual Golf Outing raised $13,240 for Fox Chase Cancer center for funding cancer research. The event was held at Downingtown Country Club. This check brings G&G’s total donations to over $43,000 to various charities.

We’d like to thank all of you for your support of this important event.

G&G Cigar Company Thanks you for your business.

I think it’s pretty cool when folks who are looked down upon by the more prudish in society do something nice, and it deserves recognition.

Last night I lit up a Hoyo de Monterrey Reposado en Cedros that I received at the IPCPR show last July when General Cigar announced the release. It should come as no surprise that the predominant flavor of the cigar is wood. Sweet wood. Lots of wood. Obviously (or not) this was to be expected given the cedar sleeve and the special “Immersion” process in which they age the cigars in cedar. Don’t misunderstand, I really enjoyed the cigar, it was very enjoyable and different from what I usually select. I’ve always enjoyed the Hoyo de Monterrey line and most of it’s extensions, and this one is pleasantly different.

Tonight I grabbed one of General Cigars new El Credito El Perrito War of Flavors, a cheroot-like cigar that’s made without a mold. These are rustic little cigars that was created by two supervisors in the El Credito factory in the DR. There’s lots of information out there on these, so I won’t regurgitate it here. It was a good cigar for a mile walk. It wasn’t particularly elegant, but it had a good flavor that will benefit from some age. If these are priced right they will be a nice shorter smoke, although it burned roughly the same amount of time as a robusto for me. Don’t wear a good shirt either as the ash was prone to dropping without notice! Thanks to General Cigars for providing me with samples to smoke!

That’s it for now, hopefully this weekend being Memorial Day weekend will give me an opportunity to have a couple cigars.

Until the next time,

CigarCraig

Watch for a new discount code from StogieBoys.com coming soon.

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Tagged as altadis, cigar, cigars, El Credito, G & G, general, general cigars, habana, hoyo de monterrey, La Gloria Cubana, Take A Cigar For A Walk

by CigarCraig | May 22, 2011 · 7:00 pm

Take A Cigar For A Walk: Tommy Berry and the Punch Gran Puro

Tommy’s filling in for me this weekend while family comes first.

I have yet to start my boot camp…but looking forward to it beginning soon! We’ve had some snags in the way of our home purchase and are in the process of moving to another lender…so be in prayer for that!

As far as walking goes, I was able to snag some time to take a cigar for a walk a few days ago. I took with me a Punch Gran Puro. For me, it was a bit on the mild side however it was full of flavor! This one was recently gifted to me by a BOTL on Cigarworld.com and I could tell that it had been around for a long time before sending it to me. It had a beautiful, very yellow = well aged cellophane wrapper. After opening it, it appeared to me that I was going to love this cigar! And love it, yes I did! I walked for exactly one hour and was only a good 3/4 ‘s of the way through it before landing on my front porch to finish it off. It burned evenly, held a great ash and the smoke was very “colorful” to say the least. The smoke was thick and yellow…that’s when I know I am smoking one that’s aged well. Durring the walk I only had to flick the ash a few times when it grew long…as it held tightly to the cigar during the walk. I would highly recommend that you try yourself a Punch Gran Puro any chance you get! One last thing to add is that the weather here in East Texas has been unseasonably cool for this time of the year, but it has been extremely nice!

I hope that I can make it out there tonight for another one…as I need to be doing this 5 days a week…not once or twice a week. However, I will say this. If you too have been taking a cigar for a walk…and if only once or twice a week…then be proud of yourself…as at least you are doing something good for yourself…instead of just sitting in the chair!

Long ashes to ya! -Tommy

Thanks Tommy, keep up the good work and everything will work out with the home purchase.

Until the next time,

CigarCraig

Don’t forget to visit Stogieboys.com ! New Discount Code coming soon!

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Tagged as cigar, cigars, punch, Take A Cigar For A Walk

by CigarCraig | May 18, 2011 · 9:53 pm

Grimalkin Toro and Emilio AF-1 Toro Cigars and “Old Wave” by Garry Berman

Over the last two evenings I had decided to couple two cigars with a new book, “Old Wave, a Comic Novel” by Garry Berman, author of several books including “We’re Going to See the Beatles”, “Best of the Britcoms” and “Perfect Fool: The Life and Career of Ed Wynn”. The cigars are two toros, generously provided by Gary Griffith of Delaware Cigars.

The Grimalkin is made at a factory in Nicaragua that we all know of, but I’m not at liberty to divulge. It’s a terrific cigar, layered with subtly and complexity. Similar to “Old Wave”, the story of an ’80s New Wave band who had one and a half hits, and owned the first half of 1983. The book is the story of the bands comeback after a 25 year hiatus, where the main character, Terry, has been managing his family health food store in a small New York town. He’s barely kept in touch with his band mates and is convinced to get them back together for a revival tour of sorts with several other bands of the era. It’s a comedic romp through the trials of re-connecting with the group and is loaded with more similes than a simile writers convention. Much like the Grimalkin, the read is easy and entertaining, with characters as interesting and compelling as the flavors dancing around my palate. Even burn, perfect draw with a signature similarity to other cigars from the same factory, yet with refreshing flavors that keep you thinking. The story bounces back and forth from present day, to stories from the past. Two thumbs up for the cigar, and the book is holding my interest much like the cigar did.

The female singer in the band is a beautiful Russian woman named Svetlana, who is dark and glamorous, much like the Emelio AF-1 Toro. Svetlana loves the Brazilian music of the sixties, and the band, Magenta Nun, mixed the Brazilian rhythms with a New Wave style to create their signature sound. The Emilio AF-1 has a dark, sweet maduro wrapper loaded with delicious and exotic Nicaraguan fillers. It’s sweet and savory, and full of flavors that are lush like the tropical flavors of the music portrayed in the book. In the book, the band goes on a cross country tour with periodic vignettes of their comedic experiences, including injuries and incidents which mirror some of the groups escapades of their brief period of fame in the past. The humor tends to be as arid as the Sahara, and there are little names and phases that just make me chuckle. I like dry. The AF-1, however, is anything but dry, it’s sweet and savory, like a Brazilian Churrasco. Again, the cigar is well made and burns perfectly until the dramatic conclusion of the book.

Hopefully I haven’t lost anyone in my attempt to intertwine cigar review with a book review. In my opinion, all three are well worth your time. The book is an easy and entertaining read, especially since I played in a band in the ’80s, and there has been recent talk of reviving the group in some way. It struck a chord with me (a G Major). The cigars while different, complimented the read perfectly. I never had to worry about the ash falling in the pages, as both cigars had an ash that knocked off in solid chunks and the intricate flavors entertained me. Kudos to Garry and Gary for enhancing my last couple evenings. You can find “Old Wave” for sale at Amazon.com or through the Amazon store on the left side of this page.

Until the next time,

CigarCraig

Don’t forget to visit Stogieboys.com

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Tagged as amazon, cigar, cigars, delaware cigars, Emilio, garry berman, Grimalkin, old wave

by CigarCraig | May 15, 2011 · 8:44 pm

This Weeks Cigar Re-cap, Liga Privada, Rocky Patel, Etc.

I have to re-wind a little bit to last Sunday, when I enjoyed a fine Liga Privada No. 9 Parejo on Mother’s day. It was one I had picked up in November of 2009 and was a superlative smoke. If you’ve seen the Drew Estate ads with the ash with the Liga band (there’s one on my “cigarcraigslist” page), or the mural on the wall inside the Gran Fabrica in Esteli, that’s what the ash reminded me of, I taped it off to avoid incident, but it was solid as a rock. It was a fine tasting cigar too, lots of flavor and not too heavy on the nicotine. Very satisfying cigar that is a pleasure to smoke, and I smoked it to a very small nub.

Later in the week I pulled out a cigar from a gifted batch from Tommy Berry, my frequent “Take A Cigar For A Walk” contributing correspondent. This cigar has two red bands, the larger said “Maduro” and the secondary band said “by Rocky Patel“. A little research showed this to be a Thompson’s exclusive. The cigar was a large pyramid that had a jet black wrapper that to my taste was San Andreas leaf, but I was unable to find any information to verify that. The cigar was pretty good, although the thick wrapper leaf needed some corrections from time to time. I took this cigar for a 3 mile walk and it fit that time interval very well. Nice, fairly heavy dark flavors consistent with what I expect from a maduro cigar. Many thanks to Tommy for sending an unnecessary gift. I look forward to his future guest reviews!

Tonight I decided to smoke a cigar that was given to me by Dave Mayer, the owner of The Wooden Indian Tobacco Shop in Havertown, PA. I was talking with Dave about our Cigar Safari experiences when I visited the shop a couple weeks ago. He had taken a group down a few weeks before we went, and I was telling him how much I enjoyed the cigar I blended. He took me to his office to show me his blending sheet as his blend was similar to my own, with the exception of the wrapper, which was an Ecuador Connecticut Shade. He gave me one out of his humidor, a gesture I very much appreciated. He had said that his cigar didn’t turn out very good, so I decided to fire it up and see for myself. His version was a fat toro, easily 6″ x 54, with the a fore mentioned beautiful shade wrapper. He mentioned using the Brazilian Mata Fina filler and, I think, the San Andreas binder. I can understand why he felt it was out of balance a bit. The sweetness of the Mata Fina competed a little bit with the dry sweetness of the wrapper. It burned in the typically perfect manner I’ve come to expect from Drew Estate in general, and the Liga Privada rollers in particular. All in all is waas a nice cigar, certainly different, but not at all offensive. I’m thrilled to have had the privilege of smoking this cigar, I know that the cigars I brought back from Cigar Safari are precious to me, and I appreciate Dave sharing his with me.

That’s all I have for now, thanks again to Tommy and Dave for the gifted cigars. Somehow gifted cigars always taste better, and it’s a part of the whole cigar culture that I enjoy the most, that is, gifting cigars, but being on the receiving end once in a while doesn’t suck!).

Until the next time,

CigarCraig