Category Archives: Review

May 2, 2021 · 10:15 am

Some Blackbird Cigars and a Cigar Auction

I had some other cigars I was going to talk about besides the two or three Blackbird cigars, but I think I’ll save them for another day, as it looks like it’s going to be nice weather and I don’t want to be typing all day! So let’s get right to it! Wednesday evening I went to Cigar Mojo in nearby King Of Prussia, PA to an event featuring Jonas Santana of Blackbird Cigars. I had met Jonas last year at the TPE show and felt like we hit it off, so I wanted to hang out with him again and show my support. I’ve been impressed with the Blackbird line overall, and picked up a few of my favorites, this time in the Gran Toro size. I smoked The Crow in the toro size, as a matter of fact, I bought the last three they had. The Crow is their San Andrés offering, with a habano binder, and Nicaraguan, Pennsylvanian, Corojo and Criollo 98 fillers (before you ask, I’m not clear on where the Corojo and Criollo 98 come from, or what varietals the Nicaraguan and Pennsylvanian are. It’s odd that they mix it up that way in the description but it happens in multilingual scenarios). This is a bold and relatively strong cigar, I like it. The one I smoked had a wrapper split, which was noticed by Wade, one of CigarMojo’s owners, who, despite my protestations, had Mark Weissenberger, who’s the broker for Blackbird Cigars, stick a corona in my pocket to compensate. The wrapper problem turned out to not be an issue at all, it burned right through. I’ll admit that if I were a “normal” consumer I can see where a cracked cigar would be a replaceable event for a retailer, I give more leeway personally. Now, I’m not going to be taken advantage of, if I see a sales clerk drop a cigar I’m going to ask for another one, but I can live with life’s little inconveniences. As I was preparing to leave the event, I went to the table where Jonas and Mark were sitting and they happened to have been live with John Remer of Johnny Smokes Uncut of  the Facebook group of the same name. We hadn’t met before, but had been on a Zoom event together recently. He didn’t recognize me, had me on real quick, I left a comment on the live stream which he read eventually, then it dawned on him who I was, and hilarity ensued. It was one of a handful of events I’ve been to over the last year-plus, and it was nice to hang out and meet some people.

 

I smoked that Blackbird The Crow Corona yesterday. I generally avoid coronas unless I have some specific time constraints, it’s situational. What I like about this “corona” is that it’s more a Lonsdale or Cervantes than corona, at 6″ x 44. This is a great size, in my opinion, two more ring gauge and it would be perfect. Of course, because it burns a little hotter, it seems a little sharper in flavor than the 6″ x 54 Gran Toro, and it occurs to me t

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hat I forgot to mention the size of the Gran Toro above, so here it is. I needn’t repeat the wrapper/binder/filler, because it’s the same as above. I had some interruptions and smoke this cigar basically  in two sittings and it was as good on the relight after two hours as it was initially, which is something, I guess. I think I almost liked this one better in the Corona, I will have to do more research. 

 

I smoked The Rook later last night in the 6″ x 54 Gran Toro (I wanted to get the size in early before I forgot again, even though it’s the same as the Gran Toro in all the lines). I picked up some Rooks because I’m a Sumatra fan and I had smoked and enjoyed this in the Robusto size before. Like I said, this has a Sumatra Wrapper with a Habano binder and Nicaraguan and Dominican fillers. This is a milder cigar than the Crow, which is probably the strongest cigar in their portfolio, but it’s definitely medium bodied. It has a nice sweetness with some creaminess, with a little earthiness too. It’s really very nice. I only bought these in the Gran Toro, and now I’m wondering about the Corona, I’m feeling a little regret. Not too much regret as the Toro is very nice. If you are a Sumatra fan, this is a good one. 

 

 

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I’m not generally one to get into cigar auctions, but I recently sold an item (not cigar related) at auction and I thought I’d have a look at Scotty’s Cigars Auctions. Full disclosure: Scotty’s is an advertiser, but this is unsolicited, and I took part in this auction 100% as a consu

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mer without their prior knowledge. I actually did it out of curiosity to see if people were looking at th

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is feature, and, sadly, I don’t think people are! So I’m here (now that I won and got a great deal 😁) to tell you to go there and keep an eye out for their auctions! There were a couple great deal that have been missed out on already, I would have loved to have grabbed a box of H.Upmann AF Fernandez for $99.  I got a fiver of Sin Compromiso for $51 with a few dollars shipping, which I’m happy with, heck, I almost feel like a criminal. Like I said, I know they advertise with me, but they didn’t ask me to do this, it was totally a secret shopper kind of thing. I wanted there to be some action on the auction! By the way, I’m told that the website’s inventory is accurate, so if you see it’s in stock, it should be in stock!

 

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

 

CigarCraig

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April 25, 2021 · 8:54 am

Two Tissue Wrapped Cigars: an El Rey del Mundo and a Room 101 Uncle Lee

Yesterday I had another one of my theme days. I have those every now and then, I’m weird that way. I find an odd common thread between two cigars, usually off the wall. In this case it was the presentation, tissue paper. I have very few cigars in my humidors with tissue paper wrapping. I can think of maybe two more besides the two I smoked yesterday, a

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CLE and a very old Cuban Fonseca KDT Cadet, and I only just thought of those now as I’m typing this. what started it was yesterday afternoon when I picked out an El Rey Del Mundo Robusto Oscuro to smoke. This is a brand that’s been around for a long time, and was recently re-ass

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igned to the new Forged Tobacco sales division of Scandinavian Tobacco Group. These are distinctive because they have the tissue wrapping over a dark, oily Connecticut broadleaf wrapper. I smoked a bunch of these in the ’90s, but I was particularly enamoured with the Rectangulares, a box pressed corona gorda, which still seems to be available. Minor rant: General Cigar has boogered up the Cigarworld website to the point where I can’t find simple product information anymore. It used to be a good resource, now it seems to be a “community” site with reviews of every cigar under the sun except for the cigars I’m looking for. I know they have dedicated sites for the major brands, Macanudo, CAO, etc., but the smaller brands, no. And I can’t find a site for Forged either, you’d think they’d have one of those, right? I realize there’s only a few dozen people that want the information I’m looking for, so maybe it’s not a big priority, but it used to be there, for years, it must have been important at one point, right? SO I had to go to a retailer’s website for information. The El Rey Del Mundo Robusto Oscuro is 5″ x 54 with the aforementioned Connecticut Broadleaf wrapper and Honduran binder and fillers made in Honduras. This cigar has a savory, meaty taste, not really the sweet maduro that one expects. It’s different, in a good way, and for a cigar that can be had for under $6, it’s a winner, and has stood the test of time. 

 

I had no idea I was going to do the tissue paper theme until I went looking for another cigar to smoke last night, and came across a box buried deep in the humidor. Back around 2014, Matt Booth released the Room 101 Uncle Lee, a tribute to the uncle who got him into cigars. I bought a box a couple years later when they were clearan

ced, it was a “too good to pass up” deal. Sadly, they only came in boxes of ten. The cigar is presented in the “Ranfla” shape, a 6 ½ x 50 perfecto made in Danli, Honduras. The wrapper is Ecuadorian Habano, binder is Nicaraguan Corojo and fillers are Dominican Piloto Ligero & Honduran Corojo. While this cigar is not in my usual flavor spectrum, I really enjoy it! It’s got an unexpected floral component, which I find unique and endearing. Five years of age hasn’t done anything but good for these, they burn right, they draw right, and the flavor is spectacular. I have a few left in the box, and I buried it back where it was so I forget about it for a while again! I just remembered one more tissued cigar I have, a Room 101 Johnny Tobacconaut Ranflactic. I might have to find that one pretty soon!  It’s funny how five year old cigars are suddenly “vintage”!

 

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

 

CigarCraig

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April 21, 2021 · 9:04 pm

Paul Stulac Classic Phantom Cigar

A few months ago I ordered some cigars from Scotty’s Cigars and one of them was the Paul Stulac Classic Phantom. I had called the store and asked for some interesting singles, and this was one of the ones they suggested. I hadn’t had a Paul Stulac cigar in years,  as a matter of fact, I chose this one because I think the last one I smoked was called the Lord of Albany, and was named for Travis Lord, who is now working with Scotty’s and has been my marketing contact for a few companies over the years. I thought it was somehow appropriate. My mind works in strange ways sometimes. I don’t think I ever met Paul Stulac, a Canadian retailer and brand owner. I remember seeing his booth at the IPCPR many years ago and it was very medieval looking with a lot of black and red, kinda scary. I wasn’t familiar with the brand at the time so I didn’t approach the booth, there were a lot of other places I needed to be. 

 

The Paul Stulac Classic Phantom is a soft box pressed torpedo measuring 6″ x 53, and comes in natural and maduro, this example was the natural wrapper. The wrapper is an Ecuador Habano, and I believe the binder and fillers to be Nicaraguan. I’ve been using a prototype cigar cutter from my friends at CigarMedics which has three holes, and used the smallest hole to takas as little as possible off of the torpedo tip. More on that cutter later, but it’s pretty cool, but takes some getting used to. The draw was perfect, as was the burn. I put the flavors in the category of woody, with some sweetness and some spice. It was medium bodied, and I have a feeling it came to me with some age, however I have no idea how old it actually was. I b

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ase this assumption on the condition of the cellophane, and the performance of

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the cigar, but this is really only an educated guess. This was a great cigar, I really enjoyed it, and I may have to check with the folks at Sc

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otty’s to see if they have any more!

 

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

 

CigarCraig

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April 18, 2021 · 10:06 am

An Epic Habano Lancero, a Havana Q and Cigar Socks

Earlier in the week I was hunting around for something to smoke and I took a rummage through the lancero section of the humidor and came across a couple Epic Habano Lanceros. I have a handful of Epic Lanceros I’ve picked up over the years, and really enjoy them. They are made in the same factory in the DR that makes Kristoff cigars, who really isn’t known for that vitola, although I think they do have a few. Their Lanceros are 7½” x 40, and are loaded with flavor. It’s woody, spicy with some sweetness and overall a great smoke. I enjoy the Madur

o the most in the Epic line, but this Habano is really nice. I have to look, I might have a Corojo too, I know I have some Maduro Lanceros (I have several different band designs as they changed over the years). I hope since Dean has sold the brand (but is still

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involved) that nothing changes, because the cigars have always been really good.

 

J.C.Newman sent me some of their Havana Q cigars to try recently, so I’ve smoked a few lately. This is a sub-$3 cigar made in Nicaragua. I’ll be right upfront in admitting that I have become a bit of a snob when it comes to cigars. I generally smoke o

ne a day, and I want that one to be decent one. I have stayed away from “cheap” cigars unless I’m doing a task in the yard or something where having a cigar will reduce the profanities (I could have used one earlier in the day yesterday!). A cigar to me is a reward after a day’s work, usually, not something I need to get through the day. That being said, I’m atypical, and some people like to have cigars throughout the day, and inexpensive cigars like the Havana Q are a great option. I found this to be a fairly mild cigar, and slow burning for what I suspect to be mixed filler. It has an Ecuador Habano wrapper and Nicaraguan binder and fillers. The resealable “humidor” bag packaging is nice for the casual smoker, toss a Boveda pack in and you’re good, or smoke them up in a week or two, whatever your custom. Bottom line is, I’ve had far worse cigars for more cash. 

 

Let’s talk about socks for a few minutes. I got another new item from my friends at Groovy Groomsmen Gifts, this time it’s some cigar themed socks. They have a couple styles actually, among their large sock selection. Back in 1987 when I got married, I got my groomsmen some beer mugs, because, believe it or not, I was more into beer then that cigars, although we did smoke some cigars at the wedding reception (don’t ask what, they weren’t premium). If I were doing it now, you’d better believe I’d be outfitting my groomsmen in these “Smoke Stacks” socks from  Groovy Groomsmen Gifts! I’d be wearing them with my custom Vans, and probably a cigar themed bow tie and cumberbund (are they back in style yet?) Groovy Groomsmen Gifts, and Groovy Guy Gifts, have a lot of nice cigar related accessories, if you are in need of customized gifts, give them a look. 

 

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

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CigarCraig

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April 11, 2021 · 10:49 am

Baracoa Cigars The Voyage Release Event at Son’s Cigars & Lounge

I’m fortunate that Son’s Cigars & Lounge is opening just a few miles away from me in Exton, PA, and was the location of the launch of Baracoa Cigar Company‘s re-release of The Voyage. This is my backyard, I’ve lived in this area my whole life, so I’m happy to have this lounge coming to the area. It’s not open yet, the buildout isn’t even complete, but they held the event there anyway and 30 or so people were there. A few words about the lounge, it’s going to be awesome. The humidor is going to be huge, with 2000 facings, many of which will be boutiques. The lounge will be equally impressive. I’m told it will be modelled after it’s parent, literally, Mom’s in Scarsdale, NY, as Mitul Shah is a co-owner. The store is conveniently located smack dab between two cigar stores when have been in the area for many years (I state with my tongue firmly planted in my cheek). It’ll be a destination. They are hoping for a May opening, and are shooting for two events a month, the former seems optimistic looking at the skeleton of metal studs, but things can progress quickly I suppose. I look forward to covering the opening. On a side note, two of the longest running cigar blogs in the industry were represented there, as Walt White of Stogie Review made an appearance (yours truly was the other 😁  ). 

 

I had not had the pleasure of meeting Danny Vasquez prior to yesterday’s event. He launched Baracoa Cigars and The Voyage a few years back, having the cigars made at La Aurora ( and I think he’ll agree with the way I worded that), and kind of shut it down when the FDA deeming regs came down. He took a job with RoMaCraft for a few years and then decided to relaunch his brand, taking a more hands on approach with the blending with Henderson Ventura in the DR. I picked up a sampler of the cigars, three sizes, a corona, Robusto and Toro, I assume the three sizes available, although I was negligent in verifying the details. While I was there, I smoked the Corona, 5″ x 46, and Robusto Extra, 5¼” x 52, (the Toro was really tempting!, maybe today) and found them to be outstanding. There was a cleanness to the smoke, with a bit of a citric tang, more in the Corona than the Robusto, I thought. I thought they were really very good cigars, not at all heavy on the palate, but bright, if that makes sense. I’m excited to try the Toro. I’m pleased to have met Danny finally, having heard him on var

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ious podcasts and such. He did a n

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ice job with this cigar. 

 

Many thanks to Mitul, Vince and Brian for the hospitality. It was nice to see some old friends again, and meet some new ones. In person events have become so few and far between, I think this has been the third, maybe fourth, one I’ve been to in a year. I do recommend trying The Voyage if you can get your hands on it, great cigars!

 

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

 

CigarCraig

 

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