CigarCraig's Blog

by Craig Vanderslice | February 26, 2020 · 8:38 pm

A Visit to Black Horse Cigars and some Punch Cigars

Yesterday I took a drive to Sicklerville, New Jersey and paid a quick visit to Black Horse Cigars for a smoke. My wife was doing some research at the library at Rowan University about 6 miles away, so it was a good excuse for a vis

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it. The Black Horse Cigar Shop is at the end of a small shopping center and has a well appointed walk in humidor with reasonable prices for New Jersey. I selected a Punch Store Press Mata Fina and their own Aniversario cigar in a Lancero size and went to check out the lounge. They have a really nice lounge with all the amenities, a bar area, comfy seating, several hightop tables and TVs. I settles into one of the leather couches (and hoped that I could get up after sinking in!) and lit up the Punch. They had recently had an event featuring the Punch Store Press series, and the line was prominently displayed in the humidor, so it caught my eye. The 5½”x 55 Mata Fina not only looked like it was the right size for my time allotment, but the Brazilian Mata Fina Wrapper was a beautiful dark brown and looked tasty. They are displayed in trays with wooden dividers like they use to press the cigars in the factory to create the box press presentation. The lounge has lighters and cutters liberally sprinkled throughout the place, of course, I carry my own tools. The Punch Store Press Mata Fina started off a with little odd flavor, almost sour, but developed nicely over time. It sweetened slightly, but was more on the savory side for the most part. I really liked it and hated to put it down. Just before I had to leave one of the members came in and was very friendly and had he been there when I came in I can imagine that I would have spent the entire time having a great conversation with him. I was impressed with the shop and look forward to the next time I’m in the area and can stop in and spend some more time in the lounge.

When I got home I took my evening walk with the Black Horse Aniversario Lancero, which is a 6½” x 40 San Andrés wrapped cigar with and Dominican Binder and filler. OK, so it isn’t really a Lancero, it’s Lancero-ish, they also had a Gordo. I probably should have picked up their Connecticut version as well, it’s something for the next time I go there. They were tight-lipped about the factory where this is made, I asked, but my question went unanswered. This cigar has a dark maduro wrapper, and a pigtail cap. The burn and draw were perfect and I enjoyed it for a good hour and a half. It was earthy and on the milder side of medium, with some espresso flavors. I found it to be quite enjoyable and the $10ish price-tag was not out of line.

Speaking of Punch, this news came out last week:

PUNCH TO LAUNCH FULL-TIME LINE CALLED “KNUCKLE BUSTER”

Punch is set to launch a full-time, wallet and palate-pleasing line called “Knuckle Buster.” The three-cigar collection will begin shipping to retailers in March.

Named for a phrase made famous by a university basketball coach who described a rough and tumble physical game as a “Blue Collar Knuckle Buster,” the Punch Knuckle Buster was created to deliver a hardworking blend for hard working people.

Ed Lahmann, senior brand manager for Punch said, “Punch is committed to staying true to what the brand has represented over the last six decades: a consistent, well-made, no-nonsense cigar at a price that’s fair and reasonable. Punch Knuckle Buster honors this commitment with a solid, enticing blend for the people who work hard to enjoy the good life.”

Punch’s blending team at the HATSA cigar factory set out to make a medium-bodied cigar that would appeal to both new and seasoned smokers. They selected only Habano-seed tobaccos from Nicaragua and Honduras to deliver when it comes to balancing flavor and strength with complexity. Knuckle Buster has a Nicaraguan Habano wrapper, a Nicaraguan Habano binder and its filler tobaccos are from Nicaragua and Honduras.

Punch Knuckle Buster will ship to retailers on March 9 in these three sizes:

Robusto (4.5” x 52); SRP per cigar $4.99; Available in 25 count boxes

Toro (6” x 50); SRP per cigar $5.49; Available in 25 count boxes

Gordo (6.25” x 60) : SRP per cigar $5.99; Available in 20 count boxes

Lahmann continued, “Our hope is that Punch Knuckle Buster becomes a ‘go to’ blend that cigar smokers can rely on time and time again, without having to think twice when they hit the cash register or click on their carts. We want it to be the perfect smoke for walking the dog or mowing the lawn or enjoying with cigar smoking friends. Because after all, a cigar is not about money or status or boutique cigar makers. It’s about removing those barriers and enjoying a moment of well-earned relaxation.”

Punch cigars are handcrafted at General Cigar’s HATSA factory in Danli, Honduras.

A few weeks ago Punch released the limited Edition Chop Suey, following up last year’s Egg Roll. I never did get around to trying the Egg Roll,

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not sure why I didn’t pick some up. The Chop Suey is a 7” x 37 Panatela with a 1” shaggy foot. I receive a pair of these from General a few weeks ago and figured tonight was a good night to give one a try. This has an Ecuador Sumatra wrapper, Nicaraguan binder and Nicaraguan and Dominican fillers, and retails for around $6. They package the bundles of 25 in boxes that look like Chinese take-out, and the bands have fortunes on the underside, mine said “Avoid people who take cigar fortunes too seriously”. I guess that’s better than “Help. I”m being held captive in a fortune cookie factory”. The first inch of this, without the wrapper, tasted pretty good, when the wrapper caught, it didn’t seem to change a whole lot. The draw tightened a bit, and when this happens I usually check the foot to see if there’s a tar build up, and there was, and I’m glad I cleaned it off with my finger before it hit my lips or tongue. If you’ve ever had that tar hit your tongue, it about ruins a cigar, or anything else, for the rest of the night. I re-cut the cigar and fixed the tar problem, sometimes cutting the absolute bare minimum off the cap just isn’t enough. The rest of the cigar smoked well, it tasted fine with leathery flavors. It lacked the sweetness I expect from Sumatra wrappers, but the higher combustion temperature from the. smaller ring might have something to do with that. I’ll give this cigar another try under different circumstances.

That’s enough for today, until the next time.

CigarCraig

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Tagged as Black Horse, Chop Suey, cigar, cigars, Mata Fina, punch, Store Press

by Craig Vanderslice | February 23, 2020 · 11:05 am

More Platinum Nova Cigars and a Stolen Throne Cigar

I dipped into the stash of Platinum Nova cigars I brought back from the TPE show again this week and started with one of their Limited Editions, the Park Avenue. This is one of their more expensive offerings, coming in a a whopping $31 per cigar. This has an Ecuador 2000 wrapper, Nicaraguan binder and Dominican fillers. If I understand correctly, their factory is in Palm Beach, Florida, which will account for the price tag. Since last posted about Nova, they entered into a distribution arrangement with Sutliff Tobacco, who also distributes Regius Cigars in the U.S. now. The Park Avenue is a 6¼” x 54 toro. It’s a nice looking cigar with a flawless milk-chocolate brown wrapper, and the burn and draw were just fine, what one expects in a cigar of this caliber. As with the other Nova cigars I’ve smoked, there is a unique flavor that I can’t describe except that it’s very elegant. Perhaps the price point is in my head a little, but there is something special in the flavor of the Nova Park Avenue. It’s probably not a cigar I’d personally spring for, but I’m quite glad for the opportunity to have smoked it.

A few weeks ago when I visited Cigar Mojo, Wade, one of the owners, gave me one of the new cigars that they had that was moving well and he was impressed with for me to try. I was unfamiliar with this cigar, so I looked it up when I got home and only found a Facebook and Instagram page. The cigar is the Stolen Throne Crook of the Crown and it was a 5″ x 50 Robusto. Fortunately, Lee, who is behind the Facebook page, and presumably the, or one of, the brand owners, is quite responsive via messenger, because I had questions as I was really enjoying this cigar yesterday! He confirmed my suspicion that it has a San Andrés wrapper, and told me that it has an Indonesian binder and Nicaraguan fillers. He let me know that it is made at the Flor de San Luis factory in Esteli under the supervision of Noel Rojas. I thought this was an incredible cigar. There’s a lot of things I don’t agree with Wade at Mojo upon, but he was right about this cigar. It had a rich cocoa and coffee flavor, but every now and then an interesting floral taste snuck in. It was quite entertaining to smoke while I watched a very good Flyers matinee on the porch. It did have some nicotine kick to it. I will take a look at these the next time I’m in Mojo. By the way, don’t forget, Cigar Mojo carries my favorite cigars from Danli Honduras Tabaco, including the new The Clown and the Box Pressed Marchetti maduro! Good stuff.

Last night I grabbed another Platinum Nova cigar. I don’t really know if I’m supposed to call them Platinum Nova, or just Nova…When I was introduced to them by Ann at Sutliff, and I’m starting to connect the dots there, something might already have been in the works, they were just introduced as Nova, with is the most prominent word in their branding. For my own ease I’m going to go with Nova from here on out, I’m beginning to get that they are Platinum level in quality! I selected the Leo X, which is the personal blend of Leonor Abzaradel, the CEO of Nova Cigars. it’s a 5¾” x 50 with the Ecuador 2000 wrapper again, and Dominican HVA binder and Dominican fillers. I’d say that it was a very sophisticated blend, with some floral notes, and a lot of flavor. It didn’t surprise me that this was the favorite of Leonor, it struck me as a cigar one could smoke over and over without tiring. It was light enough to not fatigue the palate, yet loaded with interesting flavors. It certainly was not a girly smoke, and I don’t want to sound chauvinistic. I’d smoke it, I DID smoke it and I loved it! It’s a great cigar, and falls somewhere between their LE line and the regular line on the price scale in the $21 range, so, again, not a cheap date, but one you won’t forget.

In an odd twist, my wife and I were only Friday talking about low airfares to south Florida and how if I had known a few days earlier I could have flown down for the Great Smoke and seen of one of the vendors needed some booths help or something, and doesn’t CigarProp Kevin post on his way to the event that he has an extra pass? talk about bad timing! A day or two earlier and I could have been a special guest helper at the I’d Tap That booth! Damn! That’s about all I have for today, until the next time,

CigarCraig

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Tagged as cigar, cigars, Crook of the Crown, Leo X, Nova, Park Avenue, Platinum Nova, Stolen Throne

by Craig Vanderslice | February 19, 2020 · 5:21 pm

Cuevas Reserva Natural and Maduro Cigars and Casa Cuevas La Mandarria

I smoked a pair of Cuevas Reserva cigars before heading to Las Vegas and really enjoyed them, then I had occasion to meet Luis Cuevas at the Tobacco Plus Expo and talked to him about the cigars. I didn’t really have a chance to write about the cigars before I left, but I had a pair of each left and wanted to give them some more attention after I got back. Yesterday was the day when I had the chance to smoke one more of each of the Natural and Maduro in the Robusto size. Both were 5″ x 52, but are also offered in toro and torpedo sizes. The first time around I smoked the Maduro first, followed by the Natural, this time I flip-plopped. The Natural is a Ecuador Connecticut wrapped cigar, with a “Havana” binder and fillers from the Dominican Republic, Nicaragua, and the U.S.A. I’m unclear on what the binder actually is, is it Habano, and from where? And the U.S.A. in the filler? PA or Connecticut Broadleaf? My palate says PA, because this cigar had some body and unique flavor that is unusual for a Connecticut wrapped cigar. That being said, what do I know? The wrapper gave it some creaminess, along with some toasty flavors, without a lot of sweetness. I found it to be enjoyable, and well made.

The Maduro has a San Andrés wrapper, a Piloto Cubano binder from the DR, and Dominican and Nicaraguan (Ometepe) fillers. The cigars are made in the Casa Cuevas‘ Las Lavas factory in the DR. These are the first Cuevas branded cigars I’ve smoked, but I’ve smoked many cigars that they’ve made over the years. They’ve made cigars for the Toraños and Sam Leccia, among others in the past. Obviously, the Cuevas Reserva Maduro was very different from the Natural. The Mexican wrapper gives this an earthy flavor, and, like the Natural, it’s not a sweet cigar. It has a very nice tobacco flavor, and, like the natural, was very well made. The fact that the folks at Casa Cuevas Cigars sent me robustos allowed me to smoke them both in the same day, which was good, but I will be on the look out for these in the toro size, which you well know I really like. Luis Cuevas was a super-nice dude, and I wish I had sat down with him and done a video interview. I’m sure I could have worked it out, I know somebody…that one’s on me.

Just as I was starting to wonder if I couldn’t taste sweetness in cigars any more after coming home from TPE with what has come to me known in some parts of the cigar industry as the “Kostavirus” (named after Kosta Fotiadis, the proprietor of SMōKe Cigar Lounge in nearby Manayunk, PA), I smoked the Casa Cuevas La Mandarria today. This was originally a limited edition cigar that commemorated the robbery of the Cuevas warehouse in Miami last year. This sort of thing seems to happen annually to one company or another, most recently effecting Jochi Blanco’s Indian Head Cigars Warehouse. In the case of the Cuevas break in, the thieves broke through a wall with sledgehammers, hence the name La Mandarria, Spanish for sledgehammer. This cigar is now a regular production cigar, and what a great thing that is, because it’s a wonderful cigar. The cigar has an Ecuadorian Habano wrapper, Dominican Olor binder, and fillers from Dominican and Nicaragua. It’s a 6″ x 52 toro with a curlicue pigtail cap and a shaggy foot. The first three quarters of an inch of binder only are fairly unremarkable, but when the Habano wrapper catches, the sweetness kicks in and the full flavor comes through. There’s a bit of nice spice, but it’s mainly a nice, sweet smoke, and fairly full bodied. I loved the flavors of this and the burn and draw were absolutely perfect. I was sorry to put this one down when it reached about three quarters of an inch in length and threatened to burn my lips. I thought I really liked the two Cuevas Reserva cigars, but I really, really loved this one!

Take a look on the left sidebar at the CigarPage graphic, it’s new, and if you click through and make a purchase and use the code “CigarCraig10” in the checkout, you’ll get 10% off your purchase! Full disclosure, it’s an affiliate link, so I’ll get a little something out of it, which I could use to pay for the the “maintenance” I just had to do last week! CigarPage is a great outfit with some great deals! Unfortunately it doesn’t look like they carry Cuevas cigars though!

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Tagged as Casa Cuevas, cigar, CigarPage, cigars, Cuevas Reserva, La Mandarria

by Craig Vanderslice | February 16, 2020 · 10:18 am

A Visit to Best Cigar Pub, Blackbird Cigar Co. Cigars and Video and Contest Winner

Yesterday I found myself wandering much further north in PA than I usually find myself. There was a seminar on Bees and Chickens that my wife and I attended, and I snuck off during the second half to do some of my own research. Twenty minutes away from the venue where the seminar was held happened to be the brand new Best Cigar Pub, and Best Cigar Prices headquarters. I figured this would be a good place to visit. Fortunately, the purchasing manager, Chris O’Neill, managed to arrange a tour for me. Katie (Katy? I forgot to clarify), the Finance/HR director, gave me a tour of the entire facility. Why do small companies always saddle the Finance director with HR responsibilities? Like they don’t have enough to worry about? I digress. I had already given myself a tour of the retail humidor, which has a very nice selection and courteous service. Katie showed me the bar, pointed out many of the little things like custom tables with actual tobacco leaves under acrylic, art on the wall done by a local artist, all of the ashtrays made by a local craftsman. She pointed out the excellent menu as well. She then waled me through the Best Cigar Prices operations, all of the offices, warehouse, shipping and all of the stuff I enjoy seeing as a guy who’s spent his professional career in operations. They run a very clean and efficient pick, pack, and ship operation from what I can see. All of the marketing, customer service, web design is all done there in Pennsylvania. I was quite impressed with the operation. I’ll get back to the Pub, which was even more impressive. Upstairs is a lounge with TVs and comfy chairs, wait-staff is attentive and the air handlers replace all the air in the place every three minutes, so it’s not smokey at all. They even have a coat closet in the entry that has an ozone generator so that your coat doesn’t smell smokey. They’ve really thought of everything to make this not just a place to come have a cigar, but a place that smokers and non-smokers alike can enjoy a meal or a beverage together. I enjoyed a 601 Pennsylvania Edition, which is an Espinosa exclusive for BCP. Chris happened to join me and interrupted me while I was taking in the museum portion of the upstairs lounge, which is an educational feature they’ve added. It has the origin story of cigars with a timeline and facts about cigars, infographics about the tobacco plant, how cigars are made, every conceivable detail. Chris tells me they plan to have monitors with video loops of various processes playing included in the wall as well. Best Cigar Pub is a beautiful place, it’s easy enough to find, although not exactly in the middle of anything. I can see it being amazing in the summer with the outdoor patios and putting green and nobody around to really complain! Certainly worth a visit if you are anywhere near north-east PA.

I had heard of Blackbird Cigar Company, but hadn’t seen the cigars any where. When I walked past the booth and they weren’t busy, it seemed like a great time to stop in and see what it they were all about. Imagine my surprise when the owner and founder of the company, Jonas Santana, looked at me and said “I know who you are”. It seems he used to work for another company, and struck out on his own to start Blackbird. I think it was on CigarProp’s youtube channel that I remember hearing about the brand. Anyway, I asked Jonas to share the story of the brand with me on camera. have a look:

Over the course of the past several days I smoked a few of the Blackbird cigars offerings. I would have lined to have smoked them all, but I just couldn’t get to them. They have six cigars in the portfolio, and I can’t run down my smoking experience for six cigars in one post. They very cleverly make the bands on the cigars easy to remove, which is good because they are large bands and doo need to be removed to fully enjoy the cigar! They have two Sumatra wrapped offerings, and, as I’ve been on a Sumatra kick lately, and I smoked the Sumatra Rook with them at the TPE and really enjoyed it, I smoked the Finch this week. This was another excellent Sumatra wrapped cigar. It had the nice, sweet Sumatra wrapper flavor and a well-balanced core of tobacco goodness withinThis has an Indonesian binder, and Dominican and USA fillers. It was solidly medium bodied and a very nice cigar. Next I went with what you’d expect from me, the San Andrés wrapped Crow. It was Valentines Day, and I figured the red band would be appropriate. This cigar had a closed foot, and a dark, oily wrapper. The flavors were earthy and bakers chocolate, perhaps espresso, without sweetness. The internals on this one include a Habano binder and Nicaraguan, Pennsylvanian, and Corojo and Criollo 98 fillers. Very enjoyable. Finally, last night after a long day trip, I unwound with the Unkind, a Brazilian Cubra wrapped cigar. This was also a maduro cigar, and, like the rest, a 5″ x 50 robusto. The binder on this one is from the DR, with Criollo 09, HBA (not sure what this means), Corojo and Pennsylvania. One thing I can say about all of the Blackbird cigars I smoked was that that all were well made and burned right, an important consideration. It’s possible that the PA tobacco was a common flavor component that I picked up though the few cigar I smoked this week. You’ll see if you watch the video that some thought went into the brand, and the same attention went into the quality of materials and manufacture as well. The Unkind had a unique flavor, also an earthy maduro, not really sweet. It was very good though, I enjoyed it completely. I still have the Connecticut Jackdaw and Criollo Cuco yet to smoke, I kind of like those two wrapper varieties more in warmer weather for some reason. I’ll get to them and let you know.

Contest!

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OK, so after a lot of money and aggravation, my site is clean. It’s time to pick a winner of the sampler of some of my favorite cigars, Don Juan Calavera, Flor Maya and Marchetti cigars from Danli Ho

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ndura Tabaco, and I had to collect entries from two different places. After collecting all of the names, and putting them into a bowl (OK, I put them into a spreadsheet and randomized the list to mix them up and assign them numbers), the random number generator picked Anthony C as the winner. Please email me your coordinates and proof that you are 21 or older so I can get these goodies to you. I have a KMA Talk Radio hat and shirt and a Stage V Clinger cigar holder to add as well (it’s a big shirt, do with it what you will, I take no responsibility. If it fits, great!).

That’s all for today, and way more than I had planned! Until the next time,

CigarCraig

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Tagged as 601, Best Cigar Prices, Best Cigar Pub, Blackbird Cigar Co., cigar, cigar store, cigars, Contest, Crow, Danli Honduras Tabacos, DOn Juan Calavera, Finch, Flor Maya, Marchetti, Rook, Unkind

by Craig Vanderslice | February 12, 2020 · 9:48 am

Danli Honduras Cigars Sampler Contest Extension!

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Since I’ve had so much trouble this week that resulted in some significant downtime, as well as maybe some reluctance to visit due to the threat of infection, I figure it’s best to extend the contest until Sunday. Everything is cleaned up now thanks to an investment in SiteLock, lots of aggravation and commu

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nication with my host and the folks at Sitelock to get things cleaned up and back in business. So here’s the deal: There are

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19 entries on the original contest post (here) I will combine entries there along with entries here (no duplicates please), and pick a winner on Sunday, February 16, 2020. Here is the current prize:

There are two of each of each cigar in the Danli Honduras Tabaco portfolio that I have in my possession. I haven’t gotten my hands on the new Clown barber pole, and I think there’s a natural wrapper Marchetti. This is 14 cigars from my humidor, all cigars that I would happily smoke myself, and do frequently. As a matter of fact, Sunday I stopped by Cigar Mojo and picked up the Flor Maya Maduros, and bought a Don Juan Calavera Sumatra to smoke there, even though I have a box in my humidor at home. Cigar Mojo is one of three retailers that I know of in the country that carries these, so give them a call if you want to get some! I also hav

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e some other swag to throw in with the cigars! So leave a comment here, or on the other post!

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Until the next time,

CigarCraig