CigarCraig's Blog

I’ve had a lot going on this week as I started a new job. In this week’s contest post, which everyone should go back and enter if you haven’t already, because it’s pretty darned special (a beautiful Big Papi Humidor from El Artista Cigars, go HERE to enter!) a few people asked about the new job. It occurred to me that in nine years of writing this blog, I’ve never been forthcoming about my day job details. I’ll  continue to keep that close to the vest, except that this position is in retail management and logistics in consumer electronics area. It’s a small, local company, not a big box, national company or anything. So far the first week has gone well, and I’m looking forward to learning all the ins and outs. I appreciate everyone’s well-wishes!  Of course, I smoked some cigars this week to celebrate.

One of the adjustments I’ve had to make was the schedule, having spent the last 15 years working nine to five, then the last six months not working at all,  having an unusual schedule is going to be odd. This week I just worked until six, not too bad to start.  Tuesday I started off with a Cohiba  Spectre.  This is an interesting cigar that was released at this past year’s IPCPR. This double corona is 7¼” x 54 and is a blend of eight tobaccos from five countries. The wrapper is a rosado high priming Ecuador Sumatra, there’s Dominican Piloto Cubano from a 1995 crop which was aged in “tercios”, bales wrapped in palm bark.  There’s also Nicaraguan filler aged in Sherry casks and Honduran filler from San Augustin, Ja

mastran and La Entrada.  They used on;y one pair of rollers to make 1800 cigars, which have an MSRP of $90 each. I think I’ve only smoked one cigar that had a higher price tag than this, and that was a Cuban Davidoff Dom Perignon from the 1980s a dozen years ago at a wedding. I figured this was as good an occasion as any. It was a pretty tasty smoke, it was medium bodied, with a nice sweetness. I’d like to be able to say it burned dead even, but it meandered a little, and needed a few corrections, which I didn’t expect from a cigar with this hefty of a price tag. Overall, I found it very enjoyable and worthy of the occasion! I’m deeply appreciative to General Cigar Co. for the opportunity to try this cigar.

Earlier this year Villiger released the La Flor de Ynclan in a limited edition Lancero Especial, a 6¾” x 43 cigar with a Ecuadoran wrapper, Indonesian binder and Dominican and Nicaraguan fillers made in the ABAM factory in the DR. This is basically a Lonsdale as opposed to a Lancero, or a Dalias in the Cuban Vitolas de Galera. Call it whatever you want, it’s a wonderful size and an excellent tasting cigar, and provided a very nice smoking experience. When I smoked one of these a few months ago it smoked terribly, what I could taste was promising, but it smoked very “wet”, wouldn’t stay lit, just didn’t burn well at all. several months later certainly made all the difference. I enjoy this blend in other sizes, granted I haven’t yet smoked the Churchill, which I look forward to, why haven’t I smoke that size yet? I love Churchills! How did I let the summer slip by without smoking a La Flor de Ynclan Churchill?

Flor de Cesar is a cigar that’s made at the Fabrica Oveja Negra by James Brown for BnB Cigars in Chestnut Hill, PA. I smoked the Robusto a few months ago at the shop and Vince there gave me a Toro Larga (6½” x 50) to try.  I meant to try this sooner but got distracted and came across this in the humidor and figured this week was a good time to smoke it. This cigar has a Brazilian Mata Fina wrapper, an Ecuadoran Binder and fillers from Nicaragua, Brazil and the Dominican Republic. This is a different flavor profile than other cigars I’ve smoked from the Black Works, Black Label family, to my palate, admittedly, my experience is limited. To me, the cigars I’ve smoked from Black W

orks are darker flavored, which I like, but the Flor de Cesar has brighter flavors. I really enjoyed the light spices and sweetness that I enjoyed throughout this cigar that burned perfectly. I’ll be sure to pick some more of these up the next time I’m visiting Vince at BnB.

Finally, I smoked another Lonsdale (in addition to the delicious Cornelius Lonsdale, that’s three this week!). When I was at the Wooden Indian at the Joya de Nicaragua event, Alex, our local Drew Estate rep, slipped me a Herrera Esteli Brazilian Maduro Lonsdale. I’ve been really looking forward to trying this new line which was announced earlier this year, and I don’t even know if these have made it to stores yet. Since I didn’t get to the IPCPR show, I didn’t get a chance to try any of the new releases, so I was thrilled to try this cigar. This was a home run by Willie Herrera, certainly one he should be proud to have his name on (not like he isn’t proud to have his name on the rest!) In the Herrera Esteli line I tend to really like the Norteño, and the rest are just OK. I know that’s heresy to many, but that’s how I roll. This cigar was brilliant! It maintained the medium bodied, sophisticated, subtle complexity of the Herrera Esteli, while adding the sweet, dark fruit and cocoa notes from th Brazilian maduro wrapper that I love. yum, frickin, yum. I can’t wait to try all the sizes of this cigar.

That about wraps things up, I’m off to work on a Sunday for the first time in a while. It will be nice having weekdays off here and there I’ll admit. Don’t forget to enter the contest! Also, check out the IPCPR’s new website,  www.cigaraction.org , which is kind of a parallel to the Cigar Rights of America in that it allows you to easily contact your elected officials about cigar related legislation. Use it, use both, let the people you elect know that you want them to protect our rights!

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

CigarCraig