Category Archives: Review

by | 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  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.  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 little bit of propane and my enclosed back porch provided I reasonably comfortable smoking situation.  I have to say, for cigar with blue bands, these were pretty darned good.

 

Suriel_Toro MajestousoI 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.  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.   I look forward to smoking more of these cigars.

 

Suriel_Robusto Day and NightI 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?  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 Toro Majestouso.  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 | January 17, 2016 · 10:19 am

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

EPCarillo_RoboloSome 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.

 

EmmaVLast 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 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 Freyja_Valhallaanother 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.

 

SuburbanTavern_GoogleStreetViewThe 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!

 

Photo courtesy of Mike C.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 SenorialLanceroexperience 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.

 

That’s enough for today, gotta get working on something for the next post!  Until the next time,

CigarCraig

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by | January 13, 2016 · 9:06 pm

Burn’s Tobacconist Exclusive Blind Man’s Bluff Corona from Caldwell Cigar Co.

I recently received a couple of the Blind Man’s Bluff Coronas from David Jones at Burn’s Tobacconist in Chattanooga, TN. David is an old friend, we traveled together in 2011 to General Cigar Company’s Dominican factory as a part of a blogger’s trip with about 13 other bloggers.  David is one of the nicest guys out the

re, and I’m not just saying that because he sent me some cigars.  Burn’s is one of the great shops that is on my list to visit one of these days, and I always want to attend their Chattanooga Tweet-up, but it always seems to fall too close to the IPCPR show for me to manage. It sounds like a great event.

 

BlindMansBluff_CoronaThe Blind Man’s Bluff line is from Caldwell Cigar Co. and is made at Davidoff’s Honduras factory, Agroindustrias Laepe S.A.,  the same factory that makes Camacho. It comes in three sizes normally, Robusto, Toro and 6×60 Magnum, and I’ve smoked the

toro before and enjoyed it, I might be so bold as to say that this is my favorite in the Caldwell portfolio, although I haven’t smoked them all.  This Blind Man’s Bluff Corona is actually a corona gorda, 5¾ x 46, a size that I really like.  It’s got the same Ecuadorian Habano wrapper, Honduran Criollo binder and Dominican and  Honduran fillers as the regular line. This size is exclusive to Burn’s.  I smoked the two samples this week, and it’s unusual that I smoke the same cigar twice in a week, but I really enjoyed the cigar. It’s a solid medium in strength, and in tonight’s case, was a great follow-up to an Italian dinner (OK, Olive Garden). There’s a sweetness to go along with the earthy tobacco flavor that I enjoyed. I used the 9mm punch on both, which gave me a perfect draw, and the burn was perfect. These come in a shade over $7 each, and I think that’s a reasonable price for a cigar with this flavor and construction.  It gets two thumbs up from me.

 

Thanks again to David for sending these along to me. When he’s not selling cigars at Burn’s you can find him reviewing cigars at LeafEnthusiast.com. That’s all from me for today, until the next time,

 

CigarCraig

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by | January 10, 2016 · 10:53 am

Señorial, Perdomo, Illusione at Goose’s and CAO Flathead Cigars

Senoreal_Maduro_Longsdale RefinadoIt’s almost half way through January already, we’ve had no snow, it’s going to be 60 today (but raining) and, once again, I did not win the Powerball! What are the odds I didn’t win the $900,000,000 jackpot? I think something like 292 million to one. it’s kind of a long shot, and the next couple days are going to be ridiculous at the places that sell lottery tickets as it’s over a billion dollars now since nobody won. I’m fortunate that I don’t have to rely on winning the lottery to smoke nice cigars right now and lat week was another good cigar week.  I started off with a Señorial Maduro in the Lognsdale Refinado size. This is a 6½” x 44 lonsdale size cigar, and I’ve found a discrepancy. The sticker on the cigar is spelled “Longsdale“, everywhere else it’s listed as “Lonsdale” (except for the Las Cumbres Tabaco website, which does not feature the six month or more old Maduro line at all…C’mon José! You’re supposed to be hip to this whole internet jive!). Call it whatever you want, it’s a great cigar. I picked up a few of these at an event with José at the Wooden Indian a couple of months ago and I’m happy I did. Loads of flavor from the San Andrés wrapper, perfect construction and a wonderful smoking experience.  Great cigar from a great guy. I see a Freyja in my future, it’s been a while since I smoked one of those.

 

PerdomoNoirA couple of evenings this week were pretty darned cold, not that I should be surprised, it is, January anyway, but I wanted something shorter, with lots of flavor (cold and subtlety don’t mix!) so I reached for a Perdomo Champagne Noir Robusto. I didn’t care for the regular Champagne AT ALL. I would be hard pressed to try another one based upon the experience I had with the first, but the Noir is another story. It’s a Nicaraguan puro, it’s got the cocoa/coffee flavors I like and is a very nice cigar.  I will eventually revisit the Connecticut wrapped 10th Anniversary Champagne, but I have an aversion to spending my cigar time with something I didn’t like the first time.  If I don’t know I don’t like a cigar it’s one thing.  Anyway, the Noir may be my second favorite Perdomo next to the 20th Maduro, but there are a lot of enjoyable cigars in the line. I actually wouldn’t mind taking the  Perdomo factory tour one of these days.

 

Illusione_HLYesterday I wanted to get some of those Powerball tickets everyone is talking about, and I know that the seller of the winning ticket gets a nice little bonus for selling the winner, so I headed over to Goose’s in Limerick, PA and bought my lottery tickets and a handful of cigars, and settled into the lounge with an Illusione HL to watch the Flyers game. I haven’t smoked a great many Illusione cigars, and I need to change this. I’ve met Dion a bunch of times, I think he knows who I am, yet, my experience with his line is sorely lacking. The HL is the 7½” x 40 lancero in the “Original Documents” series which has to be about 10 years old, right?  I didn’t really do my due diligence on this one, so I’m going to guess that this was the Habano wrapped version as it certainly wasn’t candela (on my wish list) and it didn’t strike me as San Andrés Maduro. As I was watching the hockey game in Goose’s lounge, a couple of flavors stood out to me, leather with some sweetness. I enjoyed the heck out of this perfectly constructed lancero, it was perfect for two periods of hockey, at which time I ran home to catch the end of the game.

 

CAO_Flathead_660CarbFor my Saturday evening walk I selected Cigar Aficionado’s number 3 pick on their top 25 list, the CAO Flathead 660 Carb. I’ve heard some sentiments expressed to the negative about this choice for CA, but I, who have been a fan of the line from the start, think it was a solid selection.  I was out of these, so I picked some up at Goose’s (I was actually surprised they were in stock). Obviously, the 660 Carb is 6″ x 60, but it’s severely box pressed, so it really doesn’t feel like a 60 ring cigar. I punched this one, as is nearly mandatory with the flat cap, and got a great burn and draw. I find punching is the easiest way with these (and the RoMaCraft Neanderthal), but I’m going to try some other methods in the future just to see how they work. I guess I just like the neatness of the punch in this case. A large bore punch is best, my Screwpop 2.0 punch is 9mm (the 1.0 was 7m, not that you asked). I love the Broadleaf wrapper on these, and I love the fact that the different sizes present a different smoking experience. The 660 is smooth, but loaded with the great espresso, dark chocolate and tobacco flavors I love. This marque is on my shortlist of box buys right now I just don’t know which size I like best!

 

I would like to ask that anyone who was a winner in the 12 Spectacular Days of Cigar Giveaways who did NOT receive your winnings please let me know. No need to publicly heap praise upon me, although the sponsors wouldn’t mind, just want to make sure everyone is happy. That’s it for now, off to enclose the back porch for the winter to make it more comfortable for cold weather cigar smoking!

 

Until the next time,

CigarCraig

 

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by | January 8, 2016 · 8:28 pm

601 Pennsylvania Edition from Espinoza Cigars and Best Cigar Prices

Since taking most of December off from my regular schedule, I decided that this year I’m going to try something a little different for me, the occasional post dedicated to one cigar. I’ve got a bit of a backlog of review samples, and I wanted to start out with one which hits close to home, in a couple of ways. Best Cigar Prices, a valued sponsor and fellow Pennsylvanians, recently launched a the 601 Pennsylvania Edition, available in Robusto, Toro and Gordo, and was kind enough to allow me to be among the first to smoke it.  Here is their information on the cigar:

 

Blended in honor one of America’s top cigar states (and our home base), the

601 Pennsylvania Edition combines the finest of Nicaraguan tobaccos to bring you a fantastic full-flavored salute to PA. Showcasing a hearty Habano Oscuro wrapper over specially-selected Esteli & Condega leaves, each 601 Pennsylvania Edition cigar includes a single PA Broadleaf in the filler to ensure an authentic taste of Pennsylvania in every stick.

601

Handcrafted under the careful eye of Erik Espinosa at La Zona Cigars in Esteli, the 601 PA welcomes you in with a wave of peppery spice before introducing it’s dense and layered profile with tones of smoky wood, subtle sweetness, toasted bread, and almond. A bold, complex cigar with medium-full body, these special edition smokes present a wealth of rich character that’s right in line with the cigar excellence that 601 is known for.

 

601_PennsylvaniaEdition_RobustoI’ve been a fan of the 601 line for many years, and Erik Espinoza’s La Zona factory has been creating some great cigars since their inception. As it says above, the Pennsylvania Edition is an homage to my home state, and the band is modeled after the PA license plate.  That reminds me, I handed down my vanity plate to my son recently, I had C-SLICE for 30 years, and I need to find a new one. I wonder if 601 is available?  (One time I was travelling through New Jersey and got home to an e-mail from someone on the alt.smokers.

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cigars USENET group asking if it was me they saw!  Maybe a little creepy, as this was in the late 90s, and quite a bit off the topic of this post.)  I digress.  I smoked two of the Robustos in this line, generously provided by Best Cigar Prices, over the last two evenings and was most impressed. While both examples had a looser draw than I would like, the flavor and strength was very much to my liking. This cigar has a different flavor, there’s a twang in there which is uncommon. There have been quite a few cigars recently utilizing leaf from the next county over from where I live,  but this one is quite different from those. The smokiness is the predominant flavor to my palate, and it’s not a cigar that I would smoke on an empty stomach. I can see this aging well, and I, admittedly, smoked these relatively soon after receiving them.  It was hard to resist the urge to try them out. I would, and will, buy these cigars to have in the humidor, and I look forward to trying the other sizes. My only real complaint with this cigar was that the band was quite hard to remove, a minor issue.

 

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

 

CigarCraig

 

 

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