Category Archives: Review

December 4, 2022 · 7:00 am

El Reloj Cigar Factory Tour and FSG Farm Visit

Friday I found myself in Tampa, Florida, my first time visiting this area.  I came down for the Cigar Heritage Festival on Sunday, but I really wanted to visit J.C.Newman’s El Reloj factory.  They have spent the last few years remodeling the building, and it’s beautiful.  The entrance has a company store, the mechanism for the clock in the tower for which the building is named, and a museum.  We went upstairs and had some coffee and pastries for breakfast (delicious), and a vintage Diamond Crown Robusto  No. 2. This cigar brought me back to the first time I smoked one in 1998 at a cigar party in Vegas.  The cigar had held up well, for a Connecticut Shade cigar.  We then got the tour, they have some treasures in the basement, old packaging, cigars, and a “vault” filled with a selection of boxes of cigars from the company’s history.  They also do some of the long filler  tobacco preparation in the basement. We went back upstairs to the production floor, where they manufacture and package machine assisted cigars on antique machines. The difference between machine assisted and machine made is that the former, used here, involve the operator placing a leaf on a die, and using pedals to advance the machine.  Machine made cigars are more of a “push a button and a thousand cigars start spitting out”.  I saw similar operations at General Cigar’s facility in the. DR.  It’s mesmerizing  to watch.

On the third floor they have a gallery for hand rolling cigars. This is where the American and Angel Cuesta are rolled. We saw wheels and wheels of Angel Cuesta cigars in the basement aging room, they are hoping to ship them in the coming weeks. We watched a gentleman, also named Angel, finishing salamones, amazingly skilled hand work. This looks like it will be a wonderful cigar.

 

The next step on this tour involved going to visit the Florida Sun Grown farm, where Jeff Borsyiewicz greeted us. I skipped the bus ride and rode with Kevin and Jessica (CigarProp/TrashPanda, etc.). After a delicious Barbecue style lunch, we checked out the farm where tobaccos in the American, and other cigars is grown.  Jeff gave a very informative talk on all the trials and tribulations of growing tobacco in Florida, as he’s the only one doing it. The leaf in the field looked beautiful, and we saw the barn, with some more vintage machinery. It was a beautiful day, sunny and 80, a nice break for me from the fall weather back home.  We ended the day stopping in to Corona Cigars in Tampa. Nick Perdomo was there doing an event, and we ran into some friends from home, in town for the weekend. It was a good day. Thank you so much to Sydney, and everyone at J.C. Newman for a great day! If his were the only reason I came on this trip, it would have been  worth it.

 

 

Today is the Cigar Heritage Festival in Ybor City.  I’m not sure what to expect with this as it’s my first time, but I expect to see a few people I know.  More on that in the next post.  Until the next time,

 

CigarCraig

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November 27, 2022 · 9:12 am

CigarCraig.com’s Secret Santa and a Diamond Crown Black Diamond Cigar

Announcing the 2022 CigarCraig.com Secret Santa!  We’ve been doing this for a few years now and it’s been a lot of fun. I grudgingly participate, I don’t want whoever gets me to be concerned, just send a few of your favorites that, maybe, I haven’t smoked!  For me it’s about the giving, not the receiving.  I announced it yesterday on Facebook when I set it up, and  several people have already signed up!  Here are the details:

 

CigarCraig.com 2022 Secret Santa

RSVP Deadline

Saturday, December 10, 2022

Exchange Date

Sunday, December 11, 2022

Budget

USD $40

 

If you missed out on some others, or just want to get in on the fun, get signed up!  The Elfster platform makes things really easy, so have fun!  This reminds me, I need to go through my swag collection, maybe there’s some giveaways coming up!

 

I make an effort to smoke something really good on holidays, and Thanksgiving was no exception.  I recently came into possession of some Diamond Crown Black Diamond Emerald cigars, so that was my post-feast smoke.  I smoked this cigar for the first time back in March of 2019, and I loved it.  It’s distinctly possible that I haven’t smoked one since, it’s a bit hard to find.  These are made at Tabacalera A. Fuente, with a dark Connecticut Havana seed wrapper, over Dominican binder and fillers.  The Emerald is my favored size, 6″ x 52, but also comes in a 5¼” x 56 and 4½” x 54.  Maybe I’ll find the other size when I visit the El Reloj factory this Friday!  When Diamond Crown came out back in the mid ’90s it was only available west of the Mississippi and were all 54 ring, considered huge then. Anyway, this continues to me a terrific cigar and oe that suits my palate. It’s got loads of dark, rich flavors, espresso notably, and I like it a lot. I’m torn between this and the Maximus as my favorite in the line.  I don’t have to choose, I love them both! 

 

This time next week I’ll be heading to the Cigar Heritage Festival in Ybor City. I have a tour of J.C.Newman planned for Friday, an afternoon herf with friends from the old Usenet group on Saturday,  and then the festival on Sunday. Apparently Admission is now free (I have not seen my refund yet!), so if you’re around, stop in and look for me, I’ll be the guy with a cigar.

 

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

 

CigarCraig

 

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November 20, 2022 · 9:00 am

Mi Querida Black and Muestra de Saka The Bewitched Cigars

At the PCA show I smoked both of these with Steve, but one really can’t get a good sense of a cigar in that environment.  Neither was the first cigar of the day, and both were smoked while chatting.  Of course, both cigar left me intrigued, and wanting to smoke them again under better circumstances.  When Steve sent me the  Liga Privada Pequeńos for the recent giveaway, he included a couple of each for me to sample.  So, a few nights ago I sat down with another Mi Querida Black SakaKhan.  This cigar is 7¼” x 54, which, if I’m not mistaken, is the same size as the classic Excalibur No.1. I could go loo

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k it up to verify, but I’m fairly confident. Like the Firecracker spawned the Mi Querida Triqui Traca, this cigar is based off the Dunbarton JR Cigars 50th Anniversary cigar. The SakaKhan moniker is one Steve got in the Navy, ironic in that his middle name is Genghis Khan’s birth name. The cigar has a beautiful Connecticut Broadleaf wrapper, San Andrés binder and Nicaraguan, Honduran and Dominican fillers.  I smoked a couple, and had similar experiences.  I’m not sure if it’s the blend, or the size, but I found this milder than I probably should, or at least it takes a while to build.  It was most certainly a Mi Querida, with the great Cocoa/Espresso flavors I love, with some spice. It just seemed a little dialed back, I think I’m more in the camp of the Blue and Red. I actually bought a few more the other night (I went to the Wooden In

dian to hang out with Pedro Gomez from Drew Estate, where I smoked an Undercrown Dogma). I’ll smoke them, don’t worry. 

 

I kinda wish I had gotten some more of this cigar instead of (or in addition to) the SakaKhan.  The Muestra de Saka The Bewitched was originally an exclusive for the Owl Shop in Massachusetts.  It’s 6 5/8″ x 48, which is a wonderful size.  It is box pressed with a pigtail.  Like the five Muestra de Sakas before it, it’s presented in a coffin with a yellow ribbon on the foot.  It has a Habano wrapper, San Andrés binder (which is the same leaf that’s used as a wrapper on the Sin Compromiso), and Nicaraguan and USA fillers. US grown fillers, is it PA or Connecticut broadleaf? They grow some tobacco in Massachusetts, perhaps it’s something grown there? So, here’s the thing: I’ve smoked most of the cigars in Dunbarton‘s regular production range, I haven’t smoked any of the shop exclusive stuff, including the Red Meat Lovers Club stuff (Oh yeah, I have some of the Famous 80th cigars, but that’s it). You might think that knowing Steve for 25+ years I would hunt down every cigar he makes, but I don’t chase cigars. This cigar was simply amazing tasting.  It started with a gentle spice which was more apparent on the retrohale.  About an inch in I got some cinnamon, which I’ve tasted hints of a few times in cigars, but this one was quite obvious. This cinnamon, or canela, if you prefer, came and went throughout the smoke, which was a good two hours. Actually, it was a great two hours!) The burn strayed a couple times and I touched it up, but otherwise the experience was perfect. The only thing that would have made it better was if it was 75 degrees instead of 50 (porch temp). At least I’m not in Buffalo.  So, I’m going to grab a few more of these next time I visit the Wooden Indian, they aren’t a cheap date, but well worth it! 

 

That’s all for today, if I don’t get another post out before, Happy Thanksgiving to my USA based readers, smoked some great cigars after your feast, let me know if you want to stop by for one!  Also, in two weeks time I’ll be going to the Cigar Heritage Festival in Tampa, so if you’re there, look for me!  Until the next time, 

 

CigarCraig

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November 6, 2022 · 9:13 am

Two More Tatuaje Tuxtlas and a Book Review: How to Enjoy a Cigar

I couldn’t resist the urge to smoke the two other sizes in the Tatuaje Tuxtla series, so I pick a couple of each up and smoked them yesterday.  I mentioned in last Sunday’s post about how I should have just gotten all three, so I fixed that.  I started yesterday off with the 7th, which is a 5 5/8″ x 46 classic corona gorda.  This cigar is based on the Tatuaje Seleccion de Cazador 7th.  It has a Mexican wrapper, naturally, with the rest, I’m guessing, being Nicaraguan.  This was another very enjoyable cigar. I actually do like a Corona Gorda sized cigar, it’s a little shorter smoke than a Toro, and burns cooler than a corona. It had some spice, espresso and earthy flavors, not nearly as unique as the Avion.  I enjoyed it very much. 

 

After dinner, I smoked the Tatuaje Tuxtla T110, the 4 3/8″ x 52 short robusto.  This is typically too short a cigar for my preference, although there are times when it fits in.  Normally a Saturday evening with unseasonably warm weather wouldn’t be the time, but I was in the midst of a project, you know?  I would probably watch the better part of the Flyers game on the porch with a larger cigar.  But, I wanted to smoke the T110, so I did.  To be honest, it wasn’t that short a smoke, it probably smoked for an hour. I’ve sampled the other T110 cigars in the past, this seemed to smoke like the Broadleaf,  a nice, slow burn.  I also found this cigar enjoyable, although it still was missing something special that the Avion had, I think the Avion spoiled me! OK, so it’s not like these three cigars are the same blend in different sizes, because I don’t believe they are. I really liked them all, a lot, but I tend to like most of the Tatuaje cigars I’ve smoked. It was a fun tasting project.  I’ll go back to these again.  It should be noted that I started out my cigar smoking journey in the mid-90s with Te Amo Maduros, so when I see a Mexican/San Andres wrapped cigar, I gotta give it a try.

 

 

It’s been a while since I’ve done a book review, but I recently read a book (booklet?, pamphlet?) by my friend Kaplowitz over at Kaplowitz Media. The idea of this book is to read it during the smoking of a cigar, ideally for a first time cigar smoker. It, quite capably, walks the reader through every aspect of smoking his first cigar. It provides some good advice, and, through some anecdotes, gives a glimpse into some of the things that make the author tick. I actually smoked two cigars while reading this, but I got distracted early and had to pick it up again later. I used a cigar band as a bookmark so I’d know what page I was on when I put it down. It covers all the bullet points of smoking a cigar, without getting bogged down in minutia, perhaps Kap’s next book with cover that.  The information, the stories, all good stuff.  You can get it direct (it’s not on Amazon, or I’d be hitting you with an affiliate link!),  check out https://kaplowitz.blogspot.com/p/kaplowitz-media-books.html for how to order, and don’t forget to ask for an inscription! 

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The K9s for Warriors raffle is ongoing, and wrapped up at the end of the week.  I should have Saka’s contribution here tomorrow, if you missed it, he offered up a one of a kind box of Liga Privada No.9 Pequeńos, never released. This is an amazing prize, and has helped raise over $4000 so far for the charity.  Kevin (CigarProp, I’d Tap That, Trash Panda) has offered another prize too, which may not make it in time, but we’re hoping to include it for a last minute push!  I have to thank DE, Steve and Kevin for their support!  This all just came from wanting to give away some cool swag, but wanting to add a charitable aspect, and it’s grown more than I ever guessed.  Thanks! That’s all for today, until the next time, 

 

 

CigarCraig

 

 

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October 30, 2022 · 10:09 am

Tatuaje Tuxtla, Alec Bradley Double Broadleaf and CAO BX3 Cigars

I finally got around to trying the three cigars I’ve been looking forward to smoking this week.  I picked up a few of these locally, and will definitely be revisiting these soon. It’s not often I get three winners in a row like this.  I started with the one I was most interested in smoking, the Tatuaje Tuxtla Avion 13. They had all three sizes, and I had a choice between picking up a couple of each size, or trying three different cigars and I chose the later. I would have said that I made the wrong choice, but I have no regrets.  The Avion 13 size is a perfecto shape, 6 7/8″ x 52.  It has a Mexican San Andrés wrapper over Nicaraguan binder and fillers.  I’ve heard good things about this cigar, Pete talks about it in the video I did with him at the PCA show (which is my second most watched video on Youtube now). I’ve smoked, and enjoyed, an Avion before, but now I’m not sure which one it was, I think it might have been the 2012 version. Sometimes I expect the Mexican wrapper to overpower the blend of a cigar.  This cigar had incredible flavors, sure it had the espresso and cocoa I expected, but they were refined, slightly different.  It’s a beautiful cigar, and I see myself picking up the T110 and 7th sizes to see how they stack up. The Avion size was pretty amazing though.  

 

Another cigar I found that was on my wishlist was the Alec Bradley Double Broadleaf from their Experimental Series. I got the Gran Corona size, which is 7″ x 46, a neat size. This has a Connecticut seed Broadleaf wrapper and binder, which are grown in Honduras. I suppose this answers questions about how in a world of Broadleaf shortages, they managed to make a double Broadleaf.  I liked the size of this cigar, but I’m really curious how this smokes in a larger ring.  They had Robustos and Gordos, looks like there’s more cigars I have to get!  If you like Broadleaf, I think you’ll love this cigar.  It’s rich with sweet cocoa and coffee, dark fruit, and some spice. I can’t help but think what I perceived as spice may have been the sharpness that a narrower ring might have from burning hotter, I’ll let you know when I try different sizes, which I expect to be smoother.  Winner number two this week.  Good smoke. 

 

This last one had some controversy surrounding it. I understand having to protect one’s trademark, but it’s really hard for me to confuse the band on the CAO BX3 with the Opus X.  Of course, if Fuente let this one go, someone else might take it further until they actually did make a band that could be confused. Both Fuente and Pete Johnson are quite good at protecting their marques.  That being said, nobody is picking up a BX3 and saying “is this an Opus X?”. The BX3 has three Brazilian tobaccos in the blend, one of which is the dark, oily Brazilian Mata Fina wrapper.  It also has an Arapiraca binder and Brazilian, Honduran, Mexican and Nicaraguan fillers. When I lit this up I didn’t think I was going to like it. It had a bitterness that was off putting, but eventually became quite enjoyable. I got the 5″ x 52 Robusto, which I don’t generally buy anymore, but it must have been the only size they had.  This is loaded with flavor, and after the initial shock, it turned into a very satisfying cigar. It was like good, black coffee, with some earthiness. It certainly wasn’t my favorite of the three mentioned here, but it was quite enjoyable, and different from, say, the Brazilia or any of the Basin series.  

 

Friday I posted about a contest, so far everyone who’s entered will be a winner unless things pick up. These are pretty cool prizes, and a decent charity, so please have a look and get in on the action.  Go back one post, or click HERE to get details!  that’s all for today, until the next time, 

 

CigarCraig

 

 

 

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