CigarCraig's Blog

by CigarCraig | May 12, 2019 · 2:03 pm

Micallef Grande Bold Mata Fina and Villiger La Meridiana Cigars

Happy Mother’s Day to all you mothers out there (take that any way you want!). There was some interesting news this week from Cornelius & Anthony regarding both restructuring their staff and not attending IPCPR. I happen to enjoy a good professional relationship with the company, and several of their cigars are among my favorite cigars. That being said, this news causes me concern for the future of the brand. I don’t want to speak out of turn, because it would be speculation on my part, but I’m glad I have a stockpile of favorites, and will continue to support the brand as Stephen Bailey notes that he has no intention of shutting it down.

I continued pretty much smoking what I wanted to smoke this week, but I did smoke a few new cigars to talk about today. First was the Micallef Grande Bold Mata Fina that I picked up at an event I attended a few weeks back at CigarCigars in Phoenixville, PA. I hadn’t smoked any cigars from Micallef before that event, and I’m not too much further along than that now, this is only about the third one I’ve smoked. This was the 5″ x 56 robusto, wrapped in a Brazilian Mata Fina wrapper over Nicaraguan binder and filler. I found this to be a very unique and interesting tasting cigar. There was a savory meatyness as opposed to being a sweeter maduro. The first draw was almost like when you take a drink out of a class thinking it’s coke and it turns out to be tea, I was expecting sweet and got something different! IT certainly wasn’t unpleasant, once I got used to the idea that I was getting an entré and not desert! The burn and draw were perfect, and the cigar provided me with a very satisfying experience. I bought a handful of cigars that night and I don’t remember the price but they all seemed to be reasonable. I still have a couple left to sample.

Villiger Cigars, like Cornelius & Anthony Cigars, is also skipping the IPCPR show this year, which is probably much bigger news. While Villiger is pretty small in the premium cigar world, they are huge in the mass market segment, especially outside of the US. They have struggled to increase their footprint in premiums, and have put out some really good cigars in the last few years. The latest is another partnership with Joya de Nicaragua, which makes their La Vencedora line and is called La Meridiana, which has been available in Europe for 20 years. They say they believe that now is the right time to bring this cigar to the US, but I’m confused by this, because this seems to me to be quintessentially American in flavor profile. I’m actually surprised that this has been so well received in Europe. The samples I received were the 6″ x 54 box pressed Toro, which is not a size I believe is available in Europe. Still, checked all my boxes as far as favorite flavors. It’s all Nicaraguan, obviously something that Joya de Nicaragua excels with, so it’s loaded with cocoa and coffee notes, which we all know I enjoy. It had a sweetness I enjoyed, THIS was a desert cigar, and I liked it a lot. Even though these had only had a few days in the humidor since arriving, the cigar burned perfectly. I was very happy with the experience.

Well, that’s enough from me for today, until the next time,

CigarCraig

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by Craig Vanderslice | May 10, 2019 · 11:16 am

News: Altadis Releasing Trinidad Espiritu Prior to IPCPR

Here’s some news from Altadis, a few days late as I just found it buried, thanks Gmail! Trinidad is a brand that Altadis has tried and tried to get off the ground over the years, but hasn’t had a lot of luck getting any real traction. I’m not sure why, exactly, they haven’t been bad cigars, and I don’t think anyone but hard-core cigar geeks knows the Trinidad backstory really whether that has any effect one way or the other anyway. It’ll be interesting to see if this spin on the brand takes off for them.

Bringing Back a Taste of Vintage Caribbean Culture With Every Puff

TRINIDAD ESPIRITU TO BE RELEASED PRE-IPCPR

Altadis U.S.A., maker of world-renowned premium cigars is introducing Trinidad Espiritu – a collaborative effort with tobacco prodigy A.J. Fernandez – to deliver adult cigar connoisseurs the spirit of vintage Latin Caribbean culture through a series of special events nationwide.

“The original Trinidad cigar brand was used exclusively for dignitaries and diplomats as gifts,” explains Brad Winstead, Altadis’ head of consumer marketing. “Fifty years later, we’re celebrating the venerable brand’s half century anniversary by taking adult smokers back to the late 60s-early 70s era — which many consider the “Golden Years” of cigars.”

This medium to full-bodied Nicaraguan puro was created by none other than A.J. Fernandez. He was the perfect choice to recreate and memorialize history, as Fernandez’s tobacco fermentation methods and cigar making have stayed consistent with the methods his grandfather and father used.

“The Trinidad Espiritu,” said Eddy Guerra, brand manager, “is an amazingly complex, yet balanced cigar that embodies vintage Caribbean culture. This release will be an experience, as we will hold a nationwide tour of events, featuring vintage Latin Caribbean music, classic cocktails, domino tournaments and much more. This will be an allencompassing experience that will go hand in hand with a cigar we are so very proud of. Our kick-off event will be in Miami in June. Details of this and other upcoming events will be out soon.”

The nationwide series of events will center around a complete conversion of each venue to the Latin Caribbean of yesteryear through décor, music, vintage uniformed bartenders, cocktails and more. A special edition Trinidad “Fundador” lancero 40 X 7 1/2 will also be available as an event exclusive. The vintage Latin Caribbean music play list that will be used for the events is now available on Spotify at www.TrinidadEspirituMusic.com.

Summing it all Up

“It has been an honor pay tribute to our Latin Caribbean heritage and to work closely with Master Blender A.J. Fernandez on this project,” said Rafael Nodal, head of product capability for Tabacalera USA. “The Trinidad Espiritu is a cigar to please the palate and speak to your soul. This is a celebration of tobacco, music and all things Latin Caribbean.”

The Trinidad Espiritu will be available in five vitolas in mid to late June:

Robusto 52 X 5

Toro 52 X 6 Belicoso 52 X 6 1/8

Magnum 60 X 6

Fundador 40 X 7 1/2 (Only available at official Trinidad Espiritu events.)

About Altadis U.S.A. Altadis U.S.A. has been crafting fine premium cigars since 1918 and is responsible for many of the world’s most renowned brands, including Henry Clay, Montecristo, Romeo y Julieta, H. Upmann and Trinidad. If you have ever enjoyed a premium cigar, there’s a good chance you’ve enjoyed a cigar crafted by Altadis U.S.A. Visitwww.altadisusa.com for more information.

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by Craig Vanderslice | May 5, 2019 · 10:51 am

Some Espinosa Cigars and the New Diesel Whiskey Row Sherry Cask

Wednesday evening I stopped in to Old Havana Cigars south of West Chester, PA and caught up with Jack ToraÃ±o of Espinosa Cigars and Mark Weisenburger, the area broker for the brand. I had the day off and hoped to catch them earlier in the day, but I got caught up cutting the grass and finishing up putting the roof on the new chicken enclosure I’d been building, so I didn’t get out as early as I would have liked. It worked out, I got to hang out with Jack and smoke the new Laranga Reserva Escuro toro. The original Laranga Reserva was so-named because of the orange hue to the wrapper and Laranga is Portuguese for Orange. The Escuro has a Brazilian Mata Fina wrapper that is very dark, an

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d one must assume that Escuro is Portuguese for Oscuro (or really dark). I bought a couple of these and lit one up and it was much to my liking. It had deep, rich flavors of espresso, exactly what I like in a cigar. After the busy day I had, which was personally rewarding, having finally solved a problem in construction of my chicken run which had bothered me for some time, as inconsequential as that sounds, it was an extremely satisfying cigar. Quite lovely, and certainly enhanced by the company! I learned many things from Jack, lots of secrets and things I didn’t know! ;-)Â I also picked up an Espinosa Habano No.8, which is a Gordo, that I smoked the following evening on a walk, which I enjoyed, it’s an excellent cigar, especially for the price. I have been enjoying a lot of La Zona cigars, but not enough Espinosa cigars. I have to start picking more up as I see them. Now I know a few places that carry them!

Here’s a little rant unrelated to cigars, but related to blogging in general. I receive a few e-mails a week from folks who are “regular readers” and would like to submit a guest post. Usually they are in an area my readers may be interested in, like finance, fashion, sometimes it’s vape or hookah (at least that’s close). This paragraph is really just for those “regular readers”. Don’t lie about being a regular reader. If you were a regular reader you’d know that I don’t have a lot of guest posts or sponsored posts, my content is original except in a few very isolated instances. Regular readers also will know that there are very few posts about vape, hookah, finance or fashion (especially fashion). If you are an aspiring writer and are shopping around articles for whatever reason, be honest, don’t think I’m a fool and buy in to your BS about being a big fan of my site and wanting to be a part of it. It’s irritating, it makes you look like an idiot and I delete your email. When I get your second email saying “I k

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now you’re busy, just wanted to make sure you saw my first e-mail”, I sent the reply telling you I don’t have any use for you. Since all you guest post writers are “regular readers”, this should save you all a lot of time, to my real regular readers, sorry to have wasted yours!

Last week I posted a few times about Diesel cigars and mentioned that I was looking forward to the new Whiskey Row Sherry Cask. Low and behold, what should appear in my mailbox but some samples of said cigar. To recap, Diesel Whiskey Row: not a fan. Diesel Hair of the Dog: big fan. Anything aged in booze barrels with any expectation of flavors from the cask: no frame of reference. Just reading the description of the Whiskey Row Sherry Cask had me intrigued. I could care less about the liquor angle, this is well established, the fact that it’s made by A.J. Fernandez just tells me that the quality is going to me spot on. It’s wrapped in Connecticut Broadleaf, it has a Brazilian Arapiraca binder and Nicaraguan fillers. The press release say that the tobaccos are cultivated on three continents, which I’m trying to figure out. I only count North and South America. I need a ruling on this one. Here’s a perfect example of tasting with one’s eyes. Looking at the cigar’s presentation: the dark brown wrapper with the band with a purple accent, reminds me of semi-sweet chocolate with raspberry. We had cooked a turkey and made all the trimmings as if it were Thanksgiving and had that for lunch, so this was desert, and dammit if it didn’t remind me of semisweet chocolate with raspberry cake, and boy was it delicious! This was the polar opposite of the Whiskey Row for me, and I know people who think that cigar is a great cigar, and, even though they work for another cigar company, still smoke them (without bands, even at their own events! not naming any names…). If aging the Arapiraca binder in the sherry cask is the trick, or it’s the combination of the Broadleaf and Arapiraca, or (probably) the overall blend of the cigar, for my palate, this was a real treat and I hope that it wasn’t just the first one that wow’d me. I’ll be picking up Toro and Gigante sizes to sample when these hit the stores next month. This is the best tasting cigar from General since the Macanudo Inspirado Red to my palate.

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

CigarCraig

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by Craig Vanderslice | April 28, 2019 · 8:44 am

Diesel Hair of the Dog and Unholy Cocktail Cigars

Another working weekend, so another short post. Over the last couple of days I smoked the most recent Diesel cigar on the market and the first Diesel cigar that came out nearly 10 years ago. I figured it would be fun to see how the two compared. The Diesel Hair of the Dog is a 6” x 52 toro made of all Nicaraguan Habano fillers with an Ecuador Habano wrapper and Ecuador Sumatra Binder. Like all Diesel cigars, this is made by A.J. Fernandez in Nicaragua. This one was made to compliment the Diesel Whiskey Row, which, as I have mentioned before, was not a cigar that suited my palate. The Hair of the dog, however, I found to be quite enjoyable. There was a sweetness that I found quite enjoyable, with a cedary wood flavor. while it wasn’t the chocolatey sweet cigar I usually am drawn to , it was an enjoyable change. The burn and draw were excellent. It was a medium-bodied smoke and nice and smooth. Of course, the size was just right for me.

Last night I pulled a Diesel Unholy Cocktail out of a box which my son bought in 2011 which has been in my humidor ever since. He knows it’s there, but I have to exact a storage fee every once in a while! As a side note, he recently bought a Xikar XO cutter in the Redwood which is a beautiful tool. I tried it out a couple of weeks ago and failed to mention it. He assisted me at the 2016 IPCPR show where we saw the XO for the first time and we were both lusting after it, and he managed to find a deal on one. I cut a few cigars with it and it cuts cigars like a hot knife through butter. The action is smooth and it’s comfortable in the hand. It’s light weight, but a little bulky in the pocket, but other than that, it’s a superior cutter. Anyway, the Diesel Unholy Cocktail is a 5” x 56 Belicoso with Nicaraguan fillers wrapped in Pennsylvania Broadleaf. It’s a no-nonsense powerhouse. It’s got some strength, even after several years on the humid

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or, and reasonably one-dimensional, but I like the one dimension it has. The PA Broadleaf has the spicy cocoa that I love. It’s a stark contrast to the Hair of the Dog, which has some subtlety

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and complexity.

Two cigars from the same line with totally different flavor profiles. As I posted earlier this week, the Whisky Row Sherry Cask that’s coming out sounds intriguing, I’m looking forward to it’s release. That’s all for today, until the next time,

CigarCraig

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by Craig Vanderslice | April 24, 2019 · 2:30 pm

News: Altadis U.S.A. Announces Montecristo Espada Oscuro

I really enjoy the Montecristo Espada, especially the Guard size, so I’m quite intrigued with the Oscuro. I’m looking forward to giving this one a try! Interesting that the original version the toro vitola they spell the name “Guard and the Oscuro it’s spelled “Guarde”…

MONTECRISTO ESPADA OSCURO

The famed “Grupo de Maestros” once again collaborates with the Plasencia family

Altadis U.S.A., maker of world-renowned premium cigars announces the release of the Montecristo Espada Oscuro. The Montecristo Espada Oscuro is a follow-up cigar to the Montecristo Espada, which earned a top 20 honors by Cigar Aficionado in 2015.

Once again, the “Grupo de Maestro’s” (Montecristo’s highly regarded group of Master Blenders) were given access to the Plasencia’s library of tobaccos. The goal was to pair the world’s best blenders, with the premier tobacco growing family, creating the ultimate adult cigar smoking experience.

Like the original Montecristo Espada, the Montecristo Espada Oscuro is a Nicaraguan Puro. However, in addition to the excellent Nicaraguan tobaccos used for the binder and filler it also includes an extremely rare and well-aged Habano Rosado Oscuro wrapper. This special wrapper was discovered in the vast Plasencia library, by Rafael Nodal (Head of Product Capability for Tabacalera USA). Nodal along with Grupo de Maestro member Pedro Ventura and the Plasencia family worked together to find the perfect final blend.

Rafael Nodal said: “I am honored to have worked together with the Grupo de Maestros and the Plasencia family on this project. I not only feel that we created a blend that is worthy of the Montecristo Espada name, but also added a new dimension to the smoking experience, with the addition of this special Habano Rosado Oscuro Wrapper.”

Eddy Guerra, Sr. Brand Manager of Altadis U.S.A., stated. “We are extremely excited about the Montecristo Espada Oscuro. The success of the original Espada we felt, gave us mandate to push the envelope, to give our customers another great blend that can proudly sport the Montecristo Espada band. This cigar will give the Espada adult smokers a nuanced smoking experience that will deliver on flavor and richness.”

The Montecristo Espada Oscuro will be available in May and will be expressed in three vitolas:

Ricasso: 5 x 54 $13.27 MSRP

Guarde: 6 x 50 $13.80 MSRP
Quillon: 7 x 56 $14.60 MSRP

About Altadis U.S.A.

Altadis U.S.A. is a maker of premium cigars and one of the largest premium cigar companies in the world. If you have ever enjoyed a premium cigar, there’s a good chance you’ve enjoyed a cigar crafted by Altadis U.S.A. Responsible for crafting many of the world’s most renowned brands, including Henry Clay, Montecristo, Romeo y Julieta, H. Upmann and Trinidad, Altadis U.S.A. has been crafting great cigars since 1918. Visit www.altadisusa.com for more information.