Category Archives: Review

by CigarCraig | August 9, 2015 · 7:19 am

Defcon from Arandoza, El Gueguense, and Epic Maduro Reserva

No events this week! I was going to stop at a local shop that was having a Rocky Patel event, but I wasn’t feeling particularly well and wanted to spend the evening at home. I have been able to get back to smoking some trade show samples and really enjoying them. I admit, as I’ve been going through the samples looking for something to smoke there are some cigars I come across that I don’t remember getting! I suppose I’ll have to do some research when I decide to smoke them. So far I haven’t run across any duds, but I try not to select bad cigars if I can help it. Thursday evening I grabbed a cigar that I’ve been looking forward to trying. I’ve been quite enamored with the Arandoza line, and made a point to meet Robert Arango and his wife, Pilar, at the show. They are really nice people and they are responsible for some really nice cigars. They debuted their fourth cigar in the Arandoza line, Defcon, at the show and after loving the Arandoza Red last year, I was excited to try this one. The cigar has a rustic Connecticut broadleaf wrapper, with Nicaraguan binder and fillers. I really enjoyed the cigar. It may have been a little bit less refined than the Red, which is a powerful smoke on it’s own, but it had the power accompanied by some bitterness with a hint of sweetness that I really like. This is a really nice addition to a line of cigar that I really appreciate. One more to add to the list of great cigars from Erik Espinosa’s La Zona factory. If you find yourself in the Easton, PA area this Thursday, there is an Arandoza event at Famous Smokeshop. If it had been Wednesday, I would have gone, but it’ll be hard for me to get there Thursday. Tell Robert I said hello!

After working my first 5 day work in a month due to travelling to the IPCPR and then the Drew Estate Nica Rustica Belly release event in Kentucky, I needed a great cigar to close the week. This is when I would normally shy away from an unknown, and smoke a tried and true favorite, but the lure of a new cigar from a cigar blender who’s previous work many times falls into the “tried and true” category was too much to resist. Nick Melillo brought his new cigar to the show, El Güegüense, which took me some practice to pronounce (and even remember) It’s pronounced something like”Gway gwen say”, and means “The Wise Man”, which is also on the classic and ornate band depicting these wise men from Nicaraguan folklore. El Güegüense was actually the first literary work from Nicaragua after it was “discovered” by Columbus, and was a dance/drama protesting colonial rule and poking fun at the conquistadors. I found this cigar to be quite different from what I’ve sampled before from “the chief of broadleaf”, it was quite a bit more delicate and refined, with some earthieness, maybe a bit of fruity sweetness, nicely balanced and flavorful, but not overpowering. Solidly medium. Although this sample maybe could have used another month or two in the humidor, as it’s burn was less than perfect, this is going to be a really great cigar when it hits the shelves in the next couple months. I smoked the 6″ x 56 Toro Huaco vitola, and I think I still have a Robusto floating around. This cigar is loaded with Corojo 99 from Jalapa, and is made in the same factory as Casa Fernandez, along with Dion Giolito’s Illusione cigars. Interestingly, they all shared the same tradeshow booth (they were at either end, and, in my opinion, overshadowed the Casa Fernandez offerings). This cigar rate’s another thumbs up from me, very enjoyable and worthy of a Friday evening.

Yesterday, after once again moving furniture (this time in and out of the garage as we tried our hand at a yard sale. We sold a good bit of stuff, but much remains…anyone need some really nice oak and glass display cabinets? We have three, but that aren’t going cheap…), and grabbing a bite at a local place, I, once again, craved a satisfying smoke. I met

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Dean Parsons of Epic Cigars last year at the Rocky Mountain Cigar Festival in Colorado, and tried and enjoyed his cigars. You really have to admire a guy who serves Altadis with a cease and desist order for using “Epic” on their Montecristo line, and coming away a winner! He played pro hockey too! Anyway, when I saw Dean at the trade show he handed me an Epic Maduro Reserva lancero, a new size in the line. I almost always enjoy the

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interplay between a maduro wrapper (in this case, Arapiraca from Brazil) and a Cameroon binder, and I was not disappointed. As happens with the smaller ring gauge, the flavor is a bit sharper and more focused, and you get more from the wrapper and binder as there’s just less filler (Domican Piloto Cubano seco and ligero and viso from Nicaragua). For what it’s worth, this lancero felt like more of a 40 or 42 ring gauge, but it was still a cool and elegant size and I enjoyed it to a finger-burning nub. This hit the spot after eating a tasty Italian Oval, which is basically a personal size pizza that’s not perfectly round). I love the dark, rich flavors, like an after dinner espresso.

I don’t know what today will bring, but there will be a cigar or two involved for sure. Don’t forget to go back to Wednesday’s post and enter to win a huge General Cigar sampler! I’ll be back this Wednesday to announce the winner. So until the next time,

CigarCraig

7 Comments

Filed under IPCPR, Review

Tagged as Arandoza, cigar, cigars, El Gueguense, Epic, Foundation, IPCPR

by CigarCraig | August 5, 2015 · 9:38 pm

What’s New at General Cigars and a Contest!

This week I’ve been smoking some of the samples from the General Cigar Co. booth from the IPCPR show, and I found myself with an abundance of samples that I want to share with one of my readers. One of several new offerings from CAO is the Pilon, which I smoked this week in the robusto size. In the Pilon line they are fermenting the tobacco in small, round pilons, as opposed to large rectangular versions that most cigar tobacco is fermented in. They are using a Cuban seed Ecuador wrapper and fillers from Esteli and Ometepe. The cigar smoked well and was woody with some spice and sweetness. I thought it was a very nice smoke and enjoyed it on a beautiful Sunday Afternoon.

After dinner I revisited the new Leccia Luchador El Gringo Frog Splash. I smoked one at the show on the first day and I’m a big fan of the Luchador line, and enjoyed this fat little cigar quite a bit. You may think a 4½” x 70 would be unwieldy, but the box press makes if feel quite a bit smaller than the 70 ring gauge in the round. It’s still got a little bit of a wavy burn, but it’s a flavorful and spicy smoke. It’s got a dark and oily Nicaraguan Oscuro wrapper, Nicaraguan Habano binder and blend of three ligeros from Esteli, Jalapa and Pennsylvania. It’s a funny shape, but a really good smoke that I’m having trouble leaving alone.

Monday evening I wanted something a little more refined, so I selected the new Dunhill Signed Range Selección Suprema, released in just one size, a 6×50 Toro. I wanted something a little larger than a robusto too. This is a smooth smoke, and very delicate and subtle. It’s made with a Nicaraguan Jalapa shade wrapper with three exceptional fillers: full-bodied Nicaraguan Esteli and Jalapa, and rare Brazilian Matafina, and a hearty Connecticut Broadleaf binder. There’s a lot of sweet flavors and it burned exceptionally well. This would be a great early cigar. Dunhill is not c cigar I generally reach for, but this was a pleasant diversion, for sure.

Last night I smoked one of the new CAO Margaritaville cigars. These are licensed under the Jimmy Buffett Margaritaville brand, and are available in two versions, a Piña Colada flavored cigar available in a corona and petit corona with a Cameroon wrapper and a blend of Dominican tobacco, which will fall under the Flavors line, and the one I smoked, the Havana Daydreamin’ line, which is a blend of Nicaraguan tobaccos wrapped with an Ecuadoran Connecticut wrapper. As I smoked this I couldn’t help but think that it’s targeting the occasional smoker, someone who picks up a cigar once in a while on vacation, at a bar or concert, as it was a nice enough cigar, but fairly middle of the road as far as the flavor goes. It burned quickly, but evenly, and left me a bit underwhelmed. Certainly it’s mild enough to smoke several in a row on the beach. I’ll give the flavored version a try one of these days.

Tonight I went with a personal favorite lately, the CAO Flathead in the new Steel Horse size. This was the “Apehanger” size, a 5½” x 58 cigar in a round format. I’ve mentioned this in a recent post, so I won’t spend too much time on the specifics, but it’s a lovely cigar. It’s got a Connecticut Habano wrapper that is dark and oily, with the signature flat head that just about demands a punch cut, which works well (I recommend a larger bore punch if at all possible, the ScrewPop 2.0 worked well). The fillers are Honduran, Nicaraguan and Dominican and the binder is a Brazilian Arapiraca, making it a five country blend. I’m a fan of the whole line, and this shape is a great addition. Very rich and satisfying with lush flavors of espresso and dark cocoa. As I said, I’m a big fan of he Flathead line in all sizes, and this is a very nice addition.

Contest

Here’s your chance to win some of the cigars mentioned above. There are five packs of both the CAO Magaritaville cigars, as well as the CAO Pilon and Flathead Steel Horse, the Dunhill Signed Range Selección Suprema, the new Macanudo Estate Reserve Jamaica, which I haven’t gotten around to smoking yet, but the last Estate Reserve was really good, so I have confidence in this one, and a couple of the Leccia Luchador El Gringo Frog Splash (and a Luchador El Hombre for good measure). It’s hard to say what else might fall into the box while I’m packing it up, it’s happened. 33 cigars in all, not a bad little prize pack! Many thanks to my friends at General Cigar Co. for their generosity this year. Same rules as always, leave a comment on this post to enter, and I’ll select a winner next Wednesday, August 12, 2015. It’s been a while since I had a contest, so everyone is eligible, must be 18 to enter, one entry per person please.

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

CigarCraig

97 Comments

Filed under Contest, IPCPR, Review

Tagged as CAO, cigar, cigars, Contest, Dunhill, general cigars, leccia, Luchador, Margaritaville

by CigarCraig | August 2, 2015 · 9:41 am

Nica Rustica Belly Release Party in Louisville, KY

When we heard about the Nica Rustica Belly Release Party put on by Cox’s Smokers Outlet in Lousiville, Kentucky, my wife realized it fell the night before she was planning a silent retreat at the nearby Abbey of Gethsemani. She suggested I take a couple days off work and drive there with her, then fly back the next day. We set out Thursday around 4:30 in the morning and made the ten-plus hour drive. Once we checked in to our hotel, took a power nap, and refreshed from the drive, we headed over to J. Shepherd Cigars for a little pregame. They were having a bit of an event, with specials on Drew Estate, Viaje and Leccia cigars, so I bought a few Viaje’s since I really haven’t jumped into the Viaje pool yet, just dipped a toe in here and there. I got a couple Oro Reserva and a couple Summerfests and we hung out on the front porch. I lit up one of the Summerfests and couldn’t complain about it. It was a nice, medium bodies cigar, which was good, because we hadn’t really eaten a whole lot all day, choosing to snack in

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the car as opposed to wasting time stopping for food. It’s fortunate that it was a beautiful day, as there is no indoor smoking allowed in Louisville! The J Shepherd show was nice enough, although it looked like either they recent;y moved in, of just got a shipment, as there were boxes on the one side of the store. The walk in humidor was large and had a nice selection of boutique cigars, and some items were priced higher than I’m used to (I’m spoiled in PA, no cigar tax), but some items were inexplicable close to what I see here. We met a couple people on the front porch while I enjoyed that Viaje Summerfest, a couple guys we saw later at the event, and Mike, a very friendly and hospitable local who we really had a nice conversation with. He even set us up with a rootbeer and cream soda, as we abstain from the generously offered Bourbon. I’m told that J. Shepherd is the best shop in the area, and, at the risk of offending the owner, who wasn’t there at the time, it really could be a lot less cluttered and better organized, as I was a little glad that we had to go outside to smoke, and the gentlemen we met were very friendly.

From there we went to Louisville Water Tower Park, an 1860 era water works along the Ohio River. What a beautiful venue, and the weather couldn’t have been better. Jonathan Drew was there well before the 7:00 PM start time, and the line was already growing. The unfortunate part of this event was that the first two hours or more was just people standing in line to talk to JD. We got through the line early, and of course we got a chance to visit with Gary (JD’s dad), Pedro Gomez, and Zev and Ben from the DE sales force. With the $35 ticket price we each got a Nica Rustica Belly, and Undercrown Toro and a Kentucky Fire Cured Hamhock, as well as an Undercrown Manifesto, along with a dinner of Nicaraguan fare, short ribs, pork, rice, beans, etc. The food was delicious, and we got to chat with some of the locals, including Tom Person from Commonwealth Cedar Spills. They also had a wide variety of Drew Estate cigars available for sale, including bundles of the new Belly, which I took advantage of the opportunity and purchased. Every purchase received a raffle ticket, and the evening concluded, like at many events, with a raffle. Many of the prizes were shirts, hats and cutters, with some ashtrays (my name was drawn for one of those big, pewter MUWAT ashtrays, which will class up the patio smoking lounge. The big prizes were a box of Pappy VanWinkle cigars and one of two existing boxes of the Nasty Fritas, the Papas Fritas mixed fill blend in their little cone shaped Nasty size. JD added one last prize at the end, which was a shirt, a cutter and the winners choice of any box in the DE line (I wonder if the winner of that knew about the 100 count Liga Privada No.9 Parejo boxes?) Cox’s Smokers Outlet did a great job of putting this event together. Despite costing me a bunch of cash (CAD: Cigar Acquisition Disorder. I need to find a treatment program…), it was an excellent event, I’m quite glad we made the trip.

Yesterday I swung by The Wooden Indian in Havertown, PA, w

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here they were celebrating their 10th Anniversary. Nick Perdomo Jr., his son Nick III, and Joe Winder from Perdomo Cigars were on hand, as well as Rich from Xikar, Kosta from SMoKE Manayunk, Alex Mayer from House of Emilio, and Alan Price from Cigar Rights of America. It was quite the turnout for one of the best shops in the Philadelphia area. Dave and his staff do a great job. I smoked one of the Perdomo Double Aged 12 Year Vintage Maduro since I hadn’t tried that before. This cigar is another barrel aged cigar, which is one of the trendy catch phrases in the cigar industry today. It was a very good smoke, rich, sweet and chocolaty/coffee flavors that I enjoy, and perfectly made. Since there was a Buy 4, get 1 promotion, I had to pick up some of the Perdomo 20th Anniversary Maduros in the Corona Grande size that I like so much (and enjoyed on my evening walk later). Once again, CAD rears it’s ugly head. Congrats to Dave and the Wooden Indian family on their first decade, and I hope I can be at the 20th anniversary celebration.

That’s it for today, it’s been a long week of travel and herfing. Time to get some work done around the house and get ready to start smoking samples from the IPCPR show and posting about them. On that note, I did smoke a few show samples this week that deserve mention. The CAO Flathead Steel Horse: The Flathead blend in the round, in a 5½” 58, is a wonderful addition to a tasty line. Thesample I smoked was ready to go, burned great, tasted great. Like the rest of the line, a large bore punch is the way to go as the cap is flat and doesn’t play well with other cutter styles. Freyja from La Cumbres Tobacco: This toro from Emma Viktorsson is sneaky, it starts mild and before I knew it I was feeling the effects. Great flavor and performance. A must-try. Finally, the Undercrown Shade: This is a terrific Connecticut shade wrapped cigar. There are a bunch of full flavored shade wrapped cigars out there and this is another one. Great cigar, but I didn’t really find it to be much different than some other great cigars in that category. Don’t get me wrong, it’s a great cigar, it’s just hard to find much unique about it. I’d buy it over many in that genre.

Until the next time,

CigarCraig

7 Comments

Filed under Events, Review, Stores, Trip Report

Tagged as CAO, cigar, cigars, Cox's, drew estate, Freyja, Louisville, Nica Rustica, Perdomo, undercrown, wooden indian

by CigarCraig | July 16, 2015 · 11:50 am

Packing for IPCPR, Some Emilio Cigars, a Regius, a Aging Room and a New World Connecticut

I’m frantically packing and readying for the trip to New Orleans tomorrow, but I figured while my new shed is being built in the back yard I’d recap some great cigars I smoked this week. Who knows what I’ll smoke over the next four or five days, and I haven’t loaded the travel humidor up yet. I will probably take an assortment of favorites as I won’t be taking notes on many cigar I smoke while I’m there. Anyway, Sunday I drove down to the Wooden Indian in Havertown, PA to meet Alex, our local House of Emilio rep and the son of the owner there. The Wooden Indian apparently cornered the market on Emilio‘s Grimalkin line, which was replaced by La Musa a few years ago, supposedly just re-named. I picked up a few torpedos and smoked one there. This cigar has aged well, it was made at the My Father factory, a well-known secret that I imagine it’s OK to spill since the Grimalkin brand is no more. Smooth, tasty and well-balanced sum up this smoke. When I got home I smoked another cigar from the Emilio line up, the Mia Dora. This is a stronger smoke, rich flavors of tobacco and well made. I’ll certainly see Alex and the House of Emilio brands at the show.

Since I’m on vacation, I had a three-day work week, which means cramming 5 days of work in, and Monday was a bit stressful. A m

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onth or so ago Cigar-Coop send me some cigar in an unnecessary reciprocation for me sharing some Inca Secret Blends with him. One of the cigars he sent was a Fat Perfecto from Regius‘ Exclusivo U.S.A. line. This cigar is a 60 ring by 5½” cigar in basically the same shape as the Feral Flying Pig, closed on both ends with a coiled “bun” type of pigtail cap. I really enjoyed the refined flavors in this cigar. It wasn’t strong, but loaded with flavor and burned well. It had a great balance, and even I could appreciate the nuances and delicate flavors. The is a classy stick, many thanks to Will for sharing this one with me.

Not wanting to stress out my palate for the upcoming trip, I decided to go Connecticut shade for a few days. I smoked an Aging Room Havao Tuesday, which I had picked up when I saw Rafael Nodal at Cigar Mojo last month. This cigar is a fine example of a Connecticut (Ecuador, they almost all are now), cigar with a lot of flavor

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. I’ve really enjoyed this cigar before, I guess that’s why I bought a handful at the event. They aren’t priced badly either. This is another terrific shade wrapped cigar,

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as well as the next one!

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Last night I took my wife out for her birthday, and when we got home I took a walk with an AJ Fernandez New World Connecticut. Once again, we have an Ecuador Connecticut cigar that isn’t bland, mild and boring! This one was actually a bit stronger than the afor-mentioned Havao. Loads of smoke, plenty of flavor, and quite easy on the eyes! This cigar, as well as the original New World, can easily become staples in the humidor, and aren’t badly priced either. I am really looking forward to dropping by their booth this year, even though AJ doesn’t speak much English, he’s always gracious and he makes some damned fine cigars! Many thanks again to Gabriel for sharing these, and I look forward to seeing him again at the show too!

I can only hope the cigars I smoke at the show are as enjoyable as these last several were. It’s really getting harder and harder to find crappy cigars now days. Even cigars I don’t particularly care for are quite good, it’s been a while since I’ve had a poorly made cigar, and they all seem to have some redeeming qualities. Pray the FDA doesn’t come a long and goof everything up!

Until the next time, which really will be from the IPCPR show,

CigarCraig

6 Comments

Filed under Review

Tagged as Aging Room, aj fernandez, cigar, cigars, connecticut, Emilio, Grimalkin, Havao, Mia Dora, Regius

by CigarCraig | July 12, 2015 · 8:33 am

A Visit to SMoKE Manayunk and Various Lanceros and another Fratello Cigar

Last Sunday my wife and I went into Philly for Afternoon Tea at a downtown hotel. While not a particularly manly pursuit, it was very nice, with good little sandwiches, scones and pastries to nibble on and a nice tea selection. Afterwards we stopped at SMoKE Manayunk, one of the newer lounges in the area which I’ve been hearing a lot about. It’s the place everyone goes after the other cigar stores close since they are open late. The building is located right next to the fire station, which is always a good idea, and has a rustic, industrial decor. The ceiling is open to the rafters with the galvanized spiral pipe ventilation system. There’s seating in the front of the store, a large bar (it’s BYO, but they have soft drinks) and the walk in humidor in the middle, and more lounge area in the back. It’s a spacious place, and we found it very comfortable. Kosta is the owner, and is a very gracious host, who is a lancero fan, and has a nice selection. Of course, I had to pick up a couple of his store exclusive cigars, the Zeus, named after the mascot of the place, a large, simian/yeti sort of painting in the front of the space. Of course, I got the lancero, and was impressed with the way it smoked, and I would go so far as to say that if you find yourself in the Philadelphia area, put SMoKE on your list of destinations and try this cigar. It was my favorite kind of cigar, dark flavors, rich espresso and cocao, and it burned smooth and perfectly. The cigar is 7″ x 38 with a nice pigtail cap, and I seem to remember Kosta saying it was made at

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Placencia, but he mentioned a Perdomo tour in the same conversation. I’m afraid I didn’t take very good notes on the blend either, I’ll try to update when I get the details, unless they show up in the comments. It was the outcome of a blending seminar on a factory tour. Great smoke!

Besides lanceros, I managed to fit another Fratello Bianco in early in the week, this time the 5″ x 56 Bianco III. I can’t wait to have easy access to this cigar, it’s got a little of everything I like in a cigar, the San Andrés maduro wrapper and fillers from Peru and Pennsylvania. Still an early favorite for one of my favorite new cigars this year. Omar is one of many people I’m really looking forward to seeing at the IPCPR show next week, he’s got a personality that goes along with his physical stature. For what it’s worth, I would smoke the crap out of the Bianco blend in the lancero format…just a little food for thought for Omar!

Back to the lanceros! I had enjoyed the Fratello Lancero that is one of Stogies World Class Cigars H-Town series, and decided to explore some other or the lanceros in the line. I love the Alec Bradley Nica Puro line in general, so I was excited about the lancero. Obviously, it’s a Nicaraguan puro, and the sweet and savory flavors I get have always satisfied my palate. It’s one of those go-to cigars you always keep around and default to when you can’t decide what to smoke. You can always count on them to deliver good flavor and a great over-all experience. The H-Town is no different, although the flavor is a little more sharply focused due to the small ring gauge. Smooth, full of flavor, and certainly a compliment to the already great line. I’ve been wanting to try the Diamond Rough-Cut in this line, but haven’t picked any up, is it much different from the regular lin

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e? I’ll have to keep an eye out for one. The H-Town lancero is recommended if you enjoy this line.

Thursday I went with another from the H-Town series, the Quesada España Lancero. This is the first I’ve smoked of the España line, and it was a very tasty smoke. It used to be that lanceros were prone to having a plugged draw, or other construction problems, but I can’t recall when I’ve had a poorly made lancero in the past few years. It takes a pretty specific hand shape to bunch these, long, thin fingers seem to be key. Anyway, this España was pretty terrific, loads of tasty smoke and perfect performance, I smoked this to a very small nub. It may be the only member of the H-town family with three bands. So far the H-Town series of lanceros are all winners for me. I smoked the Room 101 Namakubi Ecuador in the lancero format a few weeks ago and it was equally as enjoyable as it’s larger brethren, but with the little extra punch from the smaller ring. I’ll have to get to Houston one of these days to visit the store, it seems like quite the place!

Friday I sat down with a Rocky Patel Super Ligero in the Lancero size. I had picked this up when I visited SMoKE as I had been eager to try the lancero size in this blend. I’ve been enjoying the toro shape, and really like the lancero. Once again, it’s got a little more punch in the flavor department, sharper, more direct. As with the others I smoked this week, the burn and draw were spot on, and I nubbed the sucker. Great dark roast coffee flavors which are right in my wheelhouse. SO far I’ve smoked this blend in both the Toro and Lancero formats and really enjoyed the experience. I’ll pick up a some more in the Robusto and Sixty sizes when I see them. This isn’t a ridiculously strong cigar, the “Super” in Super Ligero is actually the name of the leaf, not a characterization of the power or even the priming, as I understand it. It’s generally a bit odd to have Ligero in a lancero as it doesn’t burn great and lanceros need to burn right. There’s a lot of Rocky Patel cigars (I could end the sentence right here) that I can take or leave, but this one is a winner for me.

Yesterday we rented a truck one last time and finished moving all the big stuff out of my wife’s parents house and into our garage. I was exhausted last night, so after a shower I sat down with a nice Inca Imperio and caught up on some podcast listening. Great smoke to unwind after a long day of sweating and swearing (I don’t think I swore as much as other times…). Now to start preparing for our trip to New Orleans this week for the IPCPR show, I’ve made some appointments, I have a list of folks I want to see and have been plotting my course on the floor plan. I’m sure once I get on the floor that will go out the window due to the overwhelming nature of the event! So, the next time you hear from me should be from the show, whether it’s short video updates or something else, we’ll see what happens. Have a great week, until the next time,

CigarCraig