by | October 20, 2019 · 7:45 am

Villiger La Libertad: Old Versus New

As I was writing my last post, and as I alluded to as I wrapped that post up, I received word that my place of employment for the last year

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would be closing it’s doors and I would be, once again, embarking upon another career change.  This last year was a totally different job for me, and a whole new group of skills to add to my resume, so hopefully that opens some new doors for me in the near future. I am in a much better place psychologically this time than I was a year and a half ago when I found myself in a similar position. Today is my last day, so it’ll be a little rough, but a new beginning, again. I appreciate everyone’s positive thoughts.  

 

This week I received the rebanded Villiger La Libertad, so, naturally, I dug through the humidor and found some of the old La Libertad and figured it would be fun to smoke one of each to make a comparison. I’ll be honest, it’s not a fair comparison. Even if they were exactly the same, age would skew the results. The old La Libertad I smoked could conceivably be from 2011, I don’t keep records. Certainly the vintage of tobacco is different from the new one I received this week. To compare the one I smoked tonight to one I smoked in 2011 or ’12 would have required me to have smoked it under similar conditions, having eaten a similar meal, and having taken notes (which I don’t do). To really make a fair comparison woul

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d mean I’d need to have to have two cigars from the same box, and have a time machine to smoke them moments apart. it’s really not a possibility to make a fair comparison. That being said, I smoked the two cigars more or less together. I lit the new La Libertad first, and smoked about half of it before lighting the older one. the wrapper on the older one as a bit darker.  Both cigars had a similar flavor profile, which was some sweetness on a savory base. The older one was denser, richer, while the new one had a thinner body. Considering the new version had only spent a few days in the humidor, the uneven burn was unsurprising, versus the even burn on the more well seasoned and stable older edition. The specifics on these are as follows: Ecuador wrapper, Nicaraguan binder and Nicaraguan and Dominican fillers, made in the Dominican Republic. Both cigars were the 5″ x 52 Robusto. I may not have smoked larger vitolas at the same time, there was a Flyers game on and I wanted to watch some of it on a screen larger than an iPad. I will say that the new band is much nicer than the old, and consistent with the branding on the rest of the Villiger line. Good cigar, well worth a try. 

 

I smoked the new CAO Amazon Series Orellana this week also, but will smoke another one before forming an opinion. It was a great cigar, don’t misunderstand, I just didn’t take time to pay attention to it much, and want to give it another try before writing something about it. I guess nothing jumped out at me, and I expected something unique. Again, more on this cigar another time. I didn’t really get the original Amazon Basin, but love the Fuma em Corda and Anaconda.

 

That’s all for today, which will be weird. Until the next time, 

 

CigarCraig

 

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by | October 17, 2019 · 10:38 am

Vicarias Cigars: White, Red, Black and Blue

When I was in Miami last month I had the pleasure of meeting a gentleman named René Cardona, who happens to rep Tre J Cigars. His position within the cigar industry had nothing to do with my meeting with him, he is part of a group

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of folks I’m acquainted with through a Facebook group which is made of some folks I know personally, some long time readers as well as friends I haven’t met yet.  I was honored to meet René while I was there, and he ended up sending me a sampler of the Tre J range, which I smoked  through the Vicarias line this week. I still have to get to the Invictus, I just ran out of time. I’ll get to it in the next couple days.

 

I started out with the Vicarias White Connecticut Double Churchill. I know, I usually am compelled to start with the maduro, but it was early on a Monday that I had off, and we took a walk to the store and back so I had plenty of time to enjoy a cigar, so I grabbed the largest one of the bunch and it happened to be the Connecticut. Not a mistake at all, as this Conny had loads of flavor. It was sweet and creamy, and had a beautiful burn. We walked a mile or so to the local Target, Macha and I sat outside while my wife shopped, and then we walked home and it was a treat the whole time. I did allow it to go out about a half a mile from home (at about the two inch mark) so I could sit and finish it on the porch, as I’m fond of doing, and it continued to smoke well beyond the band without turning bitter. The size was 7″ x 52, and the blend was Ecuador Connecticut wrapper with Dominican binder and fillers. I found this to be quite a tasty cigar!

 

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Of course, I couldn’t stay away form the maduro for long, so next up was the Black Label Maduro. This is called a Robusto, and is 5½”x 50 with a Brazilian Arapiraca wrapper, Dominican Olor wrapper and Dominican and Honduran fillers. This cigar had a unique flavor that I really liked, and I’ve tasted before, but couldn’t quite place. It skirts the borders of sweet and savory, this flavor reminds me of a hard candy, the kind you ‘d find in grandma’s candy dish, but I don’t quite know what it is. It’s delicious though,  and smokes like a dream. I dig it big time. I can’t wait to try the even darker Red Label.

 

Tuesday I smoked the Red Label Cubra. This comes in one size, the 6″ x 54 Toro, and had a Brazilian Cubra wrapper, which is fermented to a very dark and oily maduro. The binder is a Nicaraguan Jalapa and the fillers are Dominican Piloto Cubano, Pennsylvanian Broadleaf and Ligero from Jalapa. Under normal circumstances I would have picked this up first, no doubt, but I showed some restraint, and selected cigars according to the time I had available.  This cigar was totally different from the Black Label, yet so loaded with dark, rich flavors of espresso and cocoa. It, along with the others, had perfect construction, and smoked very well and provided two hours of satisfaction. So far the Vicarias line is three for three.

 

Last up was the Vicarias Blue Label Corojo. This was also a Toro, listed at 6″ x 54, although it felt smaller than the Red Label for some reason. I didn’t measure it, as I lit it up fairly late, but I would have thought it was closer to 50 ring gauge. This one had an Ecuador Corojo wrapper, Dominican Olor binder and fillers from the DR, Honduras and Columbia. There’s a reason cigar makers make a range of cigars in their lines, not everyone is going to like every type of wrapper, every size, shape, or blend. I have a fairly broad spectrum of likes (or low standards, however you want to spin it), but the Blue Label Corojo was my least favorite in the bunch. There wasn’t a darned thing wrong with the cigar, it started a bit harsh (the foot measured a little dry with the Cigarmedics Humidimeter, more on that in another post, which might have contributed to that), and the flavors just weren’t what I prefer. Perhaps the Columbian tobacco doesn’t do it for me, not sure. That’s not to say it isn’t a great cigar fr someone else, just that out of the four, I’m preferring the other three over this one. As always, your mileage may vary.  

 

That’s all for today, I need to get ready for a challenging couple of days of work. Thanks so much to René for sharing these great cigars with me, I need to put some of the Black Labels in my humidor, the unique flavor of those is intriguing! Until the next time, 

 

CigarCraig

 

 

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by | October 15, 2019 · 10:03 pm

News: Drew Estate and Pappy Van Winkle Go Brick & Mortar with Barrel Fermented

Drew Estate and Pappy Van Winkle Go Brick & Mortar with Barrel Fermented

Drew Estate and Pappy Van Winkle Go Brick & Mortar with Barrel Fermented

Drew Estate unveils today the national release of Pappy Van Winkle’s Family Reserve Barrel Fermented Cigars exclusively to brick and mortar Drew Diplomat Retailers. Until now, Barrel Fermented has been sold exclusively through Pappy & Company at pappyco.com, owned and operated by the Van Winkle Family.

 

The Pappy Van Winkle Barrel Fermented cigar is a long-filler, premium cigar rolled in limited quantities at La Gran Fabrica Drew Estate in Estelí, Nicaragua. Deep barrel fermentation is the key process that makes this expression vastly different from anything on the market. Hand selected leaves from Kentucky are packed into small torquettes (or bundles of tobacco), which are then loaded strategically into oak bourbon barrels. Water is then added, while immense pressure is applied to the torquettes via railroad jacks. The tobacco is removed 2-3 times per year, shaken out, then repacked. The total process of fermentation takes 12-18 months, leaving a truly unique flavor profile and aroma.
This historic cigar features a barrel fermented “tapa Negra” wrapper over a Mexican San Andres base wrapper, as well as aged Nicaraguan filler tobaccos, personally selected by Jonathan Drew.  PVW Barrel Fermented is presented in hand-crafted boxes of 10, sold in brick and mortar stores exclusively by Drew Diplomat Retailers in the following vitolas: Robusto (5 ¼” x 52), Toro (6 x 52) and Churchill (7 x 48).

 

In addition, Drew Estate announces the release of the Pappy Van Winkle Barrel Fermented Flying Pig to be sold exclusively through Pappyco.com. This cigar is a 3 15/16” x 60 flying pig vitola, which remains one of the most consumer demanded sizes in the Drew Estate portfolio.

Carrie Van Winkle Greener, Co-Founder of Pappy & Company notes, “In the past five years, we have been fortunate to see this brand partnership grow as we have combined our strongest brand assets from the bourbon and cigar industries into a one of a kind product, unlike anything else sold in the market. We are excited to see how this partnership grows in the future and are grateful to have collaborated with Drew Estate, who shares our like-minded commitment to quality, craftsmanship and authenticity.”

 

From the Wynwood Safehouse, Jonathan Drew Founder and President of Drew Estate adds, “This is a historic partnership for the worlds of premium cigars and premium spirits. After five years of friendship, teamwork, and product/brand development – we are ready to move into the second phase of our aligned vision. The ongoing consumer demand for the BARREL FERMENTED expression is incredible … and we have discovered that hundreds of our brick and mortar stores were reaching out to the Van Winkles about carrying this specific line extension in their stores, even if they had to pay full retail price.  While the entire barrel fermented line will remain available for online purchase exclusively at Pappy & Company, the Van Winkle and DE families have come together with a brick and mortar only opportunity for our DDRP customers who wish to sell the product. This is a game changer in every way. The BARREL FERMENTED is highly sought after, priced right, and is now going to have carefully controlled brick & mortar distribution nationwide.”

 

The Pappy Van Winkle Barrel Fermented is available at Drew Diplomat brick and mortar retailers (as well as online at pappyco.com) in the following vitolas:

• Pappy Van Winkle Barrel Fermented Robusto (5 ¼” x 52) MSRP $140.00/box of 10.

• Pappy Van Winkle Barrel Fermented Toro (6 x 52) MSRP $150.00/box of 10.

• Pappy Van Winkle Barrel Fermented Churchill (7 x 48) MSRP $160.00/box of 10.

The Pappy Van Winkle Barrel Fermented Flying Pig ( 3 15/16” x 60) will be available exclusively through pappyco.com in a 12 count box with an MSRP of $191.80

 

About Pappy & Company

Pappy & Company was founded in 2013 by sisters Carrie, Louise and Chenault Van Winkle who are also triplets and the great-granddaughters of bourbon legacy Pappy Van Winkle. Located in Louisville, KY, Pappy & Company is a bourbon-inspired lifestyle brand that works to infuse elements of the bourbon culture into all of their products. They sell high-end home goods, gourmet pantry items, apparel, accessories, barware, and barrel fermented cigars. What unifies the Pappy & Company brand are thoughtfully made products with strategic partners that embody the values and craftsmanship of Pappy Van Winkle himself. More information can be found at www.pappyco.com.

ABOUT DREW ESTATE

Founded in New York City in 1996, Drew Estate has become one of the fastest growing tobacco companies in the world. Under their mantra “The Rebirth of Cigars&

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acirc;€, Drew Estate has led the “Boutique Cigar” movement by innovating new elements to the tobacco industry with their unique tobaccos and blending styles that attract new and traditional cigar enthusiasts. In their Gran Fabrica Drew Estate, the Nicaraguan headquarters, Drew Estate produces a variety of brands such as ACID, Herrera Estelí, Herrera Estelí Norteño, Isla del Sol, Kentucky Fired Cured, Liga Privada, MUWAT, Larutan by Drew Estate, Nica Rustica, Pappy Van Winkle Barrel Fermented Cigars, Tabak Especial, Undercrown, Florida Sun Grown, and Java by Drew Estate.

 

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by | October 12, 2019 · 10:03 pm

A Flor Maya, Some Auction News and Not A Lot Else

Since last I typed here I worked a lot and smoked a little. I had a remarkable RoMaCraft Aquitaine Cranium that was a gift from Patrick when we met up in Miami last month, and a Flor Maya Connecticut from Danli Honduras Tabaco, which I like, but I enjoy the Don Juan Calavera line from them more. Perhaps the Flor Mayas just need some more time in the humidor. There are some really interesting flavors in that cigar, I think it just needs some more time to rest. I’ve really become a fan of this compa

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ny, they are a relatively unknown brand, and everyone I share their cigars with seem to be impressed. I’m down right enamored with the Don Juan Calavera, to the point where I have to consciously avoid smoking them to the exclusion of everything else in the humidor. This doesn’t happen to me. What all this leads up to is that I’m not coming up with a great deal to write about today! I’d like to point out the new J.C. Newman contest linked in the graphic on the right side of the page. Instead of giving away monthly humidors, they are giving away one big humidor at the end of the year! I do have a question for my readers: did any of you win any of the monthly hum

idor prizes over the last year? I hope people are entering the contests, don’t embarrass me by not entering!

 

If you follow me on Facebook, you’ll notice a lot of posts about auctions featuring cigar related items. My

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wife actually follows these, and she came across one coming up in November here in PA that lo

oks interesting and we might try to go if I have the day (or days) off. It’s a two day auction of Coin-op and Advertising in Denver PA, which is near Reading. Day two looks more interesting, as there’s more signs and countertop cigar cutters, although there are some really neat cigar vending machines and trade stimulators on Day one. I have some neat antique cigar items my wife has bought in these auctions in my collection. 

 

I’m out of stuff to write and I need to go to work. I have some new-to-me cigars to smoke that I’ll try to get to this week, and a new toy to play with and report on in the near future. So, until the next time, 

 

CigarCraig 

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by | October 10, 2019 · 10:52 am

Black Works NBK Tasting at CigarCigars in Downingtown, PA

Last night I had the pleasure of being among the fifteen lucky attendees of a guided tasting of the Black Works Studio NBK, hosted by Mick Grant, the Northeast territory rep for Oveja Negra Brands. The venue was the CigarCigars Shop in Downingtown, PA. managed by my friend Kevin Sirman. This was a bit of a different experience, as it involved three puritos of the components of the blend of the NBK. The NBK is a box pressed Gran Corona, measuring 6″ x 46 with an Ecu

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ador Habano Oscuro wrapper and Nicaraguan Binder and filler. Mick had us light the NBK first, in my experience an unusual first step. He then passed o

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ut the first purito, the viso in the filler blend, which is from Jalapa. I admit, when I lit the cigar I had a thought that there was Jalapa tobacco in the blend. There’s a sweetness to the Jalapa tobacco that is distinctive, and smoking it separately makes it quite noticeable. Now we find the brilliance in smoking the finished cigar side by side with the individual leaf.  The second puro was the seco, which is from Ometepe.  I rather expected a bland, papery taste, but this Ometepe seco was very flavorful! There was a citrus or almost floral flavor. I found it drying, which Mick validated when he likened it to black tea, with the tannins being  drying on the palate. Finally, the last tobacco in the blend was the Esteli ligero. Of course, this tobacco was rich, dense, and full of flavor. I found that after smoking the ligero Purito for a bit, going back to the NBK took a little adjustment, as it seemed much lighter in comparison. Throughout the tasting, Mick answered questions about the cigar making and tobacco growing process, he was extremely knowledgeable and did a great job of leading this very educational experience. 

 

I’ve done a lot of these kind of events, and I always learn something from them and enjoy them a lot, and I thank Kevin, the manager at CigarCigars in Downingtown for giving me the heads up on this!  One of my favorite things to do though, is to bring a friend who may not have experienced this kind of thing before. My friend Greg, who I’ve known for 40+ years, loves cigars, and is a regular shopper at CigarCigars in Downingtown, but hadn’t had a chance to go into the lounge a

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nd have a smoke, let alone attend an event like this. Since we rarely get together, I invited him to this and enjoyed seeing how breaking down how a cigar is made, and what makes them taste the way they taste made sense to him. He seemed to get a lot out of the experience and I think it will enhance his appreciation of cigars. I encourage everyone to go to an event like this! Not everyone can go to a factory, this gets you a little closer to all the steps that goes into making a cigar. Finally, Thanks to Mick Grant for the great presentation. Mick just announced that he will be leaving Oveja Negra to move and pursue some personal family goals, and I wish him and his wife (who was also there last night) all the best and he will be missed! I’ve known Mick for a few years, with a couple of brands, and he’s the best.  

 

On a side note, I wandered into Nat Sherman‘s Townhouse on 42nd Street in Manhattan on Tuesday and had their Panamericana in the 4″ x 54 Robustico size. I wasn’t sure how much time I was going to have, and it worked out that that was exactly the right size for the time I had. It was a really great tasting cigar, and I had gone to the city without the expectation of having a cigar, so this visit was a bonus. It was also a $14 cigar, but it’s NYC, where you can walk down the street smoking a joint and it’s OK, but you’ll get

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all kinds of crap if you smoke a cigar. what a world…that’s all for today! Until the next time, 

 

CigarCraig

 

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