Monthly Archives: January 2016

by CigarCraig | January 31, 2016 · 9:45 am

Duran Premium Cigars, Henry Clay, San Lotano and Six Zero

I’m having some palate issues lately. I don’t know if it’s a low-grade head cold that is barely there, or what. I take that into account on the cigars I’ve smoked this week, nothing has been really satisfying or quite right. I should just not even talk about cigars, but it’s Sunday and I don’t have anything else to do! My first clue was a Duran Signature robusto. I first chalked it up to thinking this just might not be a cold weather cigar. Jack Toraño dropped a challenge on Facebook the other night, offering some prizes which I respectfully asked not to be included, I don’t like entering contests, I like having them! I get enough goodies anyway, I prefer to let other people have the chance. Anyway, he wanted a picture of folks with their dogs, I have one of those. Extra points if you were in the snow, got snow, and additional credit if you’re smoking a cigar, I do that every night. So I grabbed my last Duran. I was going to go for the kill and get a picture of me and Macha, in the snow, smoking a Naya F8 Big Jack, the 7″ x 70 in their line named after Jack, but it was cold and I wasn’t wiling to commit three hours to a cigar just then…that’s an obscenely large cigar. I’ll smoke it one day when it’s warm and I have no place to be for a few hours. Anyway, I enjoyed the cigar, but there was something just not there with the flavor. Granted, this is a refined, complex and delicate blend, and smoking it in the cold sometimes isn’t conducive to the proper enjoyment of such a cigar, but this was the first hint that something was off.

So, not wanting to believe I was getting a cold, or that anything was out of the ordinary, I succumbed to the temptation to sample the recently received Henry Clay Stalk Cut. I also can’t help to compare it to the Henry Clay Tattoo, which was a collaboration between Altadis’ Groupo de Maestros and Pete Johnson, and was a very good cigar that was limited, sold out at the trade show last summer, and I wish I had bought more of. I posted info on this cigar last week, and I didn’t find the wrapper to be as much “a dark Connecticut Broadleaf Vintage 2012 wrapper” as much as a chocolate-brown wrapper. While I really enjoyed this cigar, and look forward to revisiting it in the near future, I found it milder than I expected too. Neither of these are a bad thing, it was a great tasting (taking into account my afore-mentioned palate irregularity) and performed flawlessly. I will let the other samples I have rest for a while and see if they match up with my pre-conceived notion of what this cigar should taste like, not that it should taste like what I think it should taste like at all, I just think that if a brand has a certain profile, that should be taken into account with subsequent releases. I don’t imagine this was supposed to be a mild cigar and blame my palate for that. That was a lot of words to say nothing…

Yesterday I took an uncharacteristically early walk with a San Lotano Requiem Connecticut Lancero which was a trade show sample. Since it was before lunch, I wanted something which I perceived would be on the milder side, and this lancero jumped out at me. This is a 7″ x 38 lancero with a pigtail cap, very pretty and traditional. The wrapper is a Equador Connecticut shade with Nicaraguan binder and Nicaraguan, Honduran and AJ Fernandez proprietary leaf. This is a the cigar that really made me pain fully aware that something’s wrong with my palate. This was very bitter-tasting, off-puttingly so. I kept inspecting the head of the cigar to see if there was tar oozing from it, but there was not. Except for the bitter flavor it was a really enjoyable cigar to smoke (I know, weird, right?). The burn and draw were great and I smoked it well beyond the band (because I’m an optimist). I have a lot of lanceros, and I’m always amazed at the skill it takes to roll this cigar to make it work right. I look forward to smoking this again on a warm day, with a properly functioning palate. I think this was a great smoke that I wasn’t physically able to appreciate.

So, in a last-ditch effort to see if it actually is my palate that’s off, I went with a cigar that I’ve smoked a bunch of and I feel like I’m familiar with. The Six Zero Robolo is a BestCigarPrices.com exclusive that’s made at Tabacalera Palma in the Dominican Republic, the same factory responsible for Aging Room, Señorial and so many other great cigars. This is a San Andres wrapped 4½” x 60 cigar that is generally loaded with rich, espresso flavors that hit me right. While this had a great flavor, it was a bit muted, confirming that I’m just not tasting things right. I have a few review samples I’m sitting on that I was going to smoke for Wednesday’s post, but I think I[‘m going to wait a bit. I really hate it when this happens. Anyway, I dig the Six Zero, and the Robolo size is a bit of a guilty pleasure, it just works for me, what can I say. I always said I liked the Nub cigars, but wished they were longer. This one is a little longer and it’s just about right for me. I know, I’m weird.

That’s a whole lotta nuthin from me for today, until the next time,

CigarCraig

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Tagged as cigar, cigars, Duran, Henry Clay, san lotano, Six Zero

by CigarCraig | January 27, 2016 · 8:11 pm

Gotham Heroes Alec Bradley Robusto From Gotham Cigars

Tonight’s featured cigar is a great bargain cigar from Gotham Cigars, an internet retailer that’s been around for quite a long time. I was thinking they were around since the early ’00s, and I look at their website and saw 2001, so I managed to remember something I guess. I’ve made purchases from them in the past and they went well. They recently presented their Gotham Heroes series, starting out with this great cigar made by Al

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ec Bradley, the Gotham Heroes Alec Bradley Robusto. I smoked a couple of these this week and was greatly impressed. This is a 5″ x 50 robusto with a dark Nicaraguan wrapper, with Nicaraguan binder and fillers as well. This was another cigar that I smoked early in the week and was happy to smoke again, and it’s a rare thing when I smoke the same cigar twice in a row. In addition to the rich, dark hot cocoa flavors, there was a unique spice there too, as well as an almost toasty flavor. The two samples I smoked also burned well, one with a punch cut, and one with a regular straight cut. I like these enough that I may take advantage of the introductory offer they have, an unbeatable $9.99 for

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a five pack, with shipping included. I’m sure this isn’t the regular price, because $2 a piece is just too inexpensive for what you get in return. This is a tasty, well-behaved cigar at twice the price, and is right up there

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with my favorite cigars from Alec Bradley.

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

&nbs

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CigarCraig

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Tagged as Alec Bradley, cigar, cigars, Gotham, Heroes

by CigarCraig | January 24, 2016 · 9:25 am

Epic Cigars at Twin Smoke Shoppe, News and Interesting Items

Friday I had the opportunity to take the day off from work and venture into Philadelphia to visit Twin Smoke Shoppe, the oldest cigar shop in South Philly, and one of the oldest in Philly. This is a great neighborhood shop, complete with a city cop sitting there enjoying a smoke, and a collection of “goombahs” sitting around busting one another’s testicular appendages. I went because I saw that Dean Parsons of Epic Cigars was going to be there, and I am a fan of Epic Cigars so it made a great excuse. Also, it turned out Sean Williams (El Primer Mundo) was in town and hanging out there too. I like hanging out with both of these dudes. I bought some Epic cigars and lit up a Maduro Lancero. The Maduro Reserva line has a dark and oily Brazilian Arapiraca wrapper, Cameroon binder (I love the maduro over Cameroon combo) and Mostly Dominican fillers with a Nicaruguan viso for good measure. I am a fan of the Maduro Reserva line in general, and the lancero is at the top of the list. This cigar burned perfectly, had a great, rich cocoa/espresso flavor with a tinge of spice. It was a winner, and I’m glad I have a few more in my humidor.

I followed the Lancero with Twin Smoke Shoppe’s owner, Anthony Renzulli’s house brand, Renzulli Goomad, a 7″ x 48 Churchill made by Erik Espinosa at La Zona. The Renzulli has a Habano Rosado wrapper, and Nicaraguan binder and filler. They have four sizes available, Cing U Bezz: 4 x 46 (SRP $5.00), Cuz: 6 x 54 (SRP $7.99), Minchia: 6 x 60 (SRP $8.99) and Goomad: 7 x 48 (SRP $7.99), all named with terms from the local South Philly Italian slang, apparently a Goomad is a mistress, or girl on the side. It’s hard to go wrong with anything from La Zona, and the Renzulli was a nice smoke, medium bodied, fairly rich and well balanced and generally pleasurable to smoke. So, if youse find yourself in south Philly, stop in Twin Smoke Shoppe and smoke a Renzulli in their beautiful lounge. Great store with a lot of history, hospitable staff and a great selection. It was great to get to spend some time hanging out with Dean and Sean for an afternoon, in a great shop.

Then it snowed (officially 28+ inches with lots of drifting). Yesterday, in between reasonably futile attempts to shovel the driveway, I sat down in my cozy back porch with my propane heater (enclosed, protected from wind and snow), and smoked another Epic Maduro Reserva, this time on the opposite end of the size spectrum from the lancero, the Gordo. This is a 6″ x 60, same general make up of the lancero (although I assume the lancero skips the ligero, perhaps Dean can chime in on that). This cigar was more cocoa than espresso, the larger ring seems to give it a creamier sensation than the lancero. I enjoyed the heck out of it, every bit as much as the lancero but for different reasons. The Gordo had the same beautiful dark, oily wrapper and loads of rich smoke. I never had a hint of a burn problem, and it smoked for just about two hours while I recovered from snow shoveling. If you haven’t tried the Epic line, give them a shot. Dean tells me they are doing very well in Germany and gaining some ground in Canada too, with good reason. They are all excellent cigars that suit my palate perfectly.

Stuff

OK, here’s some random cigar stuff that I’d like to bring

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to your attention. First, Mike Capuzzi was the winner of the Tortuga present in the 2015 12SDoCG and I met up with him to deliver his prize, then we went to Suburban Tavern last week. There seems to be an Italian thing going on, Tort

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ugas are from South Philly native Victor Vitale, Capuzzi, Renzulli…someone get me a cannoli…but I digress. A week or so ago Mike’s daughter came up with a product to customize the glass on the front of Mike’s wineador, and they were kind enough to give mine an upgrade as well. They launched Wineadorart.com offering this product to the cigar smoking public. They offer beautifully printed, high quality adhesive decals that look great on the glass of any humidor, not just wineadors. Check out their site at http://wineadorart.com/ see what they have to offer.

A year or so ago I featured a guy making cool lamps out of cigar boxes, and have come across another one. This time it’s Brady from Helio Designs making some steampunkish lamps, not only with cigar boxes, but some other cool designs too. These are pretty cool, mancave-worthy designs. I always try to think of something creative to do with cigar

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boxes, and it seems whenever I come up with an idea someone’s already done it. I made a birdhouse once, but it didn’t hold up to the weather. Anyway, just one more cool thing I came across that I thought you all would enjoy seeing.

Finally, Please welcome the latest addition to the CigarCraig.com family of sponsors, Altadis USA. They recently released a new extension to the Henry Clay line, which I’m looking forward to sampling after enjoying the Henry Clay Tattoo so much, the Henry Clay Stalk Cut. here’s the press release:

Henry Clay Stalk Cut by Grupo De Maestros

Fort Lauderdale, Fla. – Henry Clay, the legendary premium cigar with a devoted and growing niche following, announces its newest line, Henry Clay Stalk Cut by Grupo De Maestros.

“Stalk cut” is a tobacco-harvesting method in which the entire stalk is cut and hung to dry in the tobacco barns. This method all

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ows the tobacco to retain its natural nutrients to yield richer, more flavorful leaves.

The Henry Clay Stalk Cut blend was developed through the knowledge, experience, skill and care of the Grupo de Maestros, an elite brotherhood of master blenders and cigar makers. Combined, the Maestros bring with them over 250 years of experience and have united to create a rare experience for adult cigar enthusiasts.

This Dominican cigar features a dark Connecticut Broadleaf Vintage 2012 wrapper, Dominican Piloto Vintage 2010 binder and Dominican Olor Vintage 2012, Dominican Piloto Vintage 2012 and Nicaraguan Criollo Vintage 2013 fillers. This blend of exceptional tobaccos generates a full-bodied smoke, bold and robust with earthy notes.

Available in three sizes:

Gran Corona (Pig Tail) 46 x 6”

Robusto 50 x 5”

Toro 54 x 6”

Priced between $8.00 and $8.50, the Henry Clay Stalk Cut cigars will be packaged in sleek, 20-count boxes accented with silver and black edging. Shipping early January of 2016, the Henry Clay Stalk Cut by the Grupo de Maestros will have adult cigar enthusiasts eager to light up.

Sounds like a pretty good smoke. Anyway, that’s it for today. I’ll be killing myself clearing snow today, lots of white stuff in the driveway, and I’ll need to be able to get the car out tomorrow to go to work. I’m sure I’ll find something to smoke when it’s all done! Until the next time,

CigarCraig

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Tagged as cigar, cigar store, cigars, El Primer Mundo, Epic, Helios, Henry Clay, Twin, WineadorArt

by CigarCraig | January 20, 2016 · 8:57 pm

Suriel Cigars Toro Majestouso and Robusto Day and Night

Suriel Cigars is a new name to me, I hadn’t heard of them until the company’s co-founder, Emilio Rodriguez, reached out to me to try his cigars. Suriel Cigars are offered in two blends, one size in each, and Â both have a natural Brazilian wrapper. We are used to seeing the maduro Brazilian wrapper, but these are both a caramel colored shade of brown. Â The cigars are made in the Kelner Boutique Factory under the supervision of Hendrick Kelner, Jr. in Santiago, Dominican Republic. I had the pleasure of smoking each of these this week, even though it’s finally winter here in Pennsylvania and has gotten quite cold, a littleÂ bit of propane and my enclosed back porch provided I reasonably comfortable smoking situation. Â I have to say, for cigar with blue bands, these were pretty darned good.

I started with the Suriel Toro Majestouso, a 6″ x 56 parejo with a little pigtail cap. The blend is the Cubra Brazilian wrapper, a Dominican binder, and filler from the DR, Nicaragua, Peru and the United States. There’s a lot going on with this blend of fillers, and I found it to be a very pleasing cigar, very smooth, elegant and complex. There was a creamy base with so nice, yet subtle, exotic spice and floral flavors. The construction was perfect, it had a straight burn and an ideal draw. Â I really enjoyed this cigar, it would be a great cigar to have in the morning with a cup of coffee, although I certainly appreciated it as my evening cigar. Â I look forward to smoking more of these cigars.

I also smoked the Suriel Day and Night, offered in a Robusto size, measuring 5″ x 50ish, with a regular capped head. This is another pretty cigar, the wrapper looks to be the same Cubra Brazilian leaf, with Dominican, Nicaraguan and Peruvian fillers and a Dominican binder. For me, the difference between this and the Toro were day and night, while the blend appears similar, it had a markedly different flavor. I got an underlying sour-bread kind of flavor throughout the cigar. The description of the components is vague, the varietals could be different, or the presence of whatever variety of USA tobacco really makes a big difference in the flavors. It wouldn’t be any fun if they both tasted the same, right? Â Again, the construction was spot on, which one would expect from a Kelner product, and I managed a good hour and a half of smoking pleasure, even though that sour-bread flavor isn’t one I really look for in a cigar.

These were both good cigars, although my personal preference leans toward the ToroÂ Majestouso. Â I don’t yet know where these are available, but if you come across some, give them a shot.

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

CigarCraig

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by CigarCraig | January 17, 2016 · 10:19 am

An EP Carillo Robolo and a Freyja and Señorial Event at Suburban Tavern

Some retailers have a shtick….Stogies in Houston has a line of exclusive Lanceros, and, on the opposite end of the spectrum Best Cigar Prices has their Robolo series. Oddly, I’m a fan of both sizes. The Robolo is a 4½” x 60, a little longer than an Oliva Nub, and not quite as long as a 6″ x 60, obviously. I’ve smoked a few of what must be about 15 lines in this size, and find it to be a pleasant size to smoke in terms of smoking time and quality of the smoke and burn. Yesterday I lit up one of the newer additions to this category, the EP Carillo Robolo. This is the 4½” x 60 take on the EPC Core Line blend, and I don’t know that I’ve smoked many of the regular sizes in that line. Based on this example, I probably should give them a try. About half way through I hit a stretch of a very entertaining sweet spice, exotic tasting, I’m not sure what it reminded me of specifically, but it caught my attention and made me happy. This may be an odd size and perhaps a little big around for some, but in the case of the EP Carillo offering, it seems to work.

Last night I finally made it to The Suburban Tavern & Restaurant outside of Reading PA. This is a rather unique arrangement, there is a ba

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r and restaurant on the first floor, and, with a separate entrance, the

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cigar shop and lounge upstairs. I enlisted Mike C., one of

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the winners in the 12SDoCG last month who lives in the area to ride shotgun. Thanks to another local reader and friend, Corey Z. for the twitter heads up that they were having a Las Cumbres Tabaco Event, I would be remiss if I didn’t take advantage of a chance to visit with José and Emma again. I had smoked a Freyja Valhalla (5½” x 50) earlier in the week, not knowing about this event, but I lit up another one last night. As I mentioned in my last post, it’s unusual when I smoke the same cigar twice in a week, when I do it either says there was a problem with the first one and I wanted to give it a fair shot, or that I really like the cigar. In the case of the Freyja, it’s the latter, what a great cigar. It’s a little sneaky in that the strength isn’t apparent from the start, if you aren’t careful with your pace, the second half can send you reaching for some sugar to settle your stomach. I avoided this last night by pre-gaming with leftover Beef and Broccoli and Pork Fried Rice. The Freyja is a flavorful smoke, I like the underlying earthiness of the Mexican binder, and the sweet spiciness. Emma killed it with her initial release, very tasty.

The Lounge at the Suburban Tavern’s Cigar Lounge is a comfortable and inviting place. It’s above the bar and restaurant, and you can get take-out from downstairs if you want. The front part had a walk-in humidor, the checkout counter, and some leather couches and a TV. Then there are another two rooms with leather chairs and couches, a table or two, and no shortage of ashtrays. The third room from the front is a bar area. Gary, the owner, tells me that he’s just begun selling memberships with after-hours entry, and lockers, and sales have been brisk. I poked my head in the humidor and it appeared well stocked and appropriately maintained. It was a 45 minute drive for me, but worth the trip as Gary was a gracious host and the clientele was friendly. If you find your self in the Reading, PA area, this is a safe haven!

The second cigar I lit

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up last night was the Señorial lancero. This Lancero is 7″ x 38, with the same Ecuador Habano wrapper, Esteli binder and Dominican fillers as the other sizes in the line. Even after smoking what I consider to be the stronger Freyja, the lancero was loaded with flavor. The burn and draw were excellent, and the rich, sometimes sweet flavors were pleasant. Somehow smokin

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g cigars with the people who blended them enhances the experience greatly, especially when it’s people who are as passionate about the tobacco as José and Emma are. I added another Lancero to my collection, I should really take a look at what’s in that tray, I keep adding to it, I’ll buy two, smoke one and drop one in the tray. I probably have 20 or so lanceros of various brands. One of the things I enjoy most about that size is that they force one to slow down and really savor the experience.