CigarCraig's Blog

by CigarCraig | December 4, 2013 · 8:09 pm

A UF-13 in Atlantic City, Leaf by Oscar, and a Tatuaje at Cigar Mojo with Victor Vitale

From the “I’m not as young as I used to be” file, I’ve been paying for having some fun on Sunday. Sunday my wife and I decided to pay a visit to Atlantic City for some fun. We played some slot machines and I enjoyed the heck out of a Drew Estate Liga Privada Serie Unico UF-13 Dark while playing. It’s nice to smoke a great cigar indoors once in a while! There was even a nice little cigar shop in Resorts International that had a decent selection. By the way, one way to feel young is to go to the buffet at 5:30. We were well below the median age there. We ended up leaving AC at 5 am so I could get to work more or less on time, which made for a long day.

Monday evening, with my butt dragging, I fired up a cigar from “Island Jim” of Leaf and Bean in Pittsburgh. This cigar is called “Leaf by Oscar” and has been getting a lot of buzz lately. These are presented wrapped in a tobacco leaf as opposed to tissue or cello. They have a unique look on the shelf. George Rodriguez of Rodrigo cigars (who is partnered with Jim) sent me one of each wrapper and I (of course) selected the maduro first. My apologies for not taking a better photo of this cigar. Under that outer leaf is a beautiful dark wrapper. It’s the color of semi-sweet chocolate (ironically, I think semi-sweet chocolate is contributing to my migraines lately…). The wrapper is Nicaraguan maduro and the guts are Honduran. This cigar was very tasty and burned perfectly, as straight and even as any cigar I’ve ever smoked, with a nice, flat ember. It started off with a nice spice and mellowed to a rich, chocolaty experience. I enjoyed the heck out of this and had planned to move on to one of the others Tuesday.

However, Tuesday I left work and drove down to Cigar Mojo in King of Prussia, PA to meet Victor Vitale of Legacy Brands for a smoke. In the month or so since I first visited this shop Trae and Wade have done a great job stocking the humidor and getting some displays and furniture in. It’s becoming a very nice shop with a great selection. The lounge is comfortable and the clientele seems to be friendly. They already have a good number of lounge members. I picked out a cigar I hadn’t tried before, the Tatuaje Havana VI Artistas torpedo and chatted with Trae until Victor arrived. I don’t smoke a lot of Tatuajes for some reason. Maybe because I’m afraid I’ll find yet another cigar that I love, but is priced higher than I like. This Havana VI is a little more reasonably priced, about $7 here for the classic torpedo size. I found that the ash dropped easily, much to the proprietor’s dismay. It had a nice flavor and burned well. I’ll smoke it again after some humidor time (I always buy two). I had a great visit with Victor, and smoked another of his new Tortuga Reserva Cedros which was really, really good. I have it on good authority that the Reserva Cedro line will be out soon in three sizes, if you can find some, give them a try. They aren’t a typical Nicaraguan puro. It’s a refined smoke that exudes quality. I’d say that even if Victor wasn’t a friend, and I’m glad he’s back in Philly so we get to see him a little more often! I’ll probably be back at Cigar Mojo soon, it’s not really close to home, but it’s a nice place, and Trae and his Dad, Wade are doing it right. Good stock, nice atmosphere.

I just started evaluating a device from Elertus that wirelessly monitors my humidor. I placed the Smart Sensor in my Adorini humidor in the living room for now, but I’ll try it out in the coolers eventually. This is a neat device. It monitors temperature and humidity, and sends alerts to my cell phone and e-mail if conditions change outside the limits I set. It also senses movement and alerts me (someone moved my humidor while I was at work today!). This would be a reasonable investment for a store owner who wants to know if his walk in humidor needed attention. It’s got features I don’t really have use for, like door sensors, light sensors, and it will even alert you if the WiFi loses connection. You can monitor the status on the website, or on iOS or Android apps. It’s pretty spiffy. I’ll report later on how it works over the course of a few weeks in a few different humidors.

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

CigarCraig

9 Comments

Filed under Review, Stores

Tagged as cigar, Cigar Mojo, cigar store, cigars, Leaf and Bean, Leaf by Oscar, liga privada, tatuaje, Tortuga

by CigarCraig | December 1, 2013 · 12:20 pm

Post Turkey Day Opus X and a Couple La Gloria Cubana Cigars

I hope everyone who celebrates it had a nice Thanksgiving holiday and stuffed themselves silly with turkey and all the fixins. We went to my daughters house where she cooked a delicious meal and we had a nice day with the family. I didn’t even take cigars along because I’d rather play with my granddaughters and there would be plenty of time for a cigar later. When we got home I dug deep in the humidor and found a cigar I don’t smoke often, a Arturo Fuente Opus X Pefecxion X (6 ¼”x48). This wasn’t the oldest Opus I have in the humidor, but it was in there for several years. I actually have very few Fuente Cigars in my humidors, and I don’t really know why that is. They are perfectly fine cigars, I just don’t buy them for whatever reason. I suppose I’m too busy smoking new stuff. I’m guessing it’s been the better part of a decade since I smoked an Opus X, so I was expecting an exceptional smoke. I always feel a little conflicted when I know a cigar is excellent, but it doesn’t really fit my flavor preferences. Its easy to say something isn’t good if we don’t like it, right? I don’t like lima beans, they taste terrible to me and I can’t imagine why anyone should like that flavor, but people do. To me, lima beans are bad. With this Opus X I had an excellent smoking experience, burn and draw were spot on, and the flavor was good, just not what I really like in a cigar. The lima bean analogy doesn’t fit here, I don’t know why I mentioned it, really. A cigar can be awesome and of exceptional quality even if it isn’t my favorite flavor profile. There were no ‘off’ flavors in this cigar, just none that grabbed me by the collar and slapped me around. It did have some strength to it! I should smoke one of the ten plus year old Opi I have and see how it is.

Black Friday came and went without any shopping going on around here (except a trip to the grocery store). I figured a cigar with ‘black’ in the title would be appropriate. I didn’t have any Leccia Black, Partagas Black or even Tatuaje Black. I did, however, have a La Gloria Cubana Serie R Black! This 6″x60 cigar is one I picked up at my birthday party at Cigars International last August. The Black is a catalog/internet exclusive, so I guess a place like CI is going to be one of the few stores you can walk into and purchase these. This cigar, along with it’s Brick &Mortar exclusive sibling the Serie R Esteli, is the first La Gloria Cubana made in Nicaragua. The Black has a Jalapa Tapado Ligero wrapper, and Nicaraguan filler and binder making it a puro. I always expect a little more strength from these, but it’s a solid medium bodied cigar. The flavors, while certainly right up my alley, are subtle and muted. Great construction and burn with a snug draw.

I decided since Saturday was billed as “Small Business Saturday”, and since most Brick and Mortar Tobacconists are small businesses, I’d follow the La Gloria Cubana Serie R Black with a Serie R Esteli to compare the two. The wrapper seems to be the major difference here, the Esteli has a Jalapa Sol wrapper. I find the Esteli to be much richer in flavor than the black. Could it be that one should expect a richer experience going to a brick and mortar tobacconist as opposed to purchasing from a catalog or online? I doubt that’s the intent of the manufacturer. I’m happy smoking either one, and actually prefer both over the original Serie R maduro, which I’ve had recently and thought was a little too mild. I love the cocoa/espresso flavors in these Nicaraguans though. I think last nights Serie R Esteli in the 6″x54 size smoked for at least 2 hours. Maybe it’s the difference in ring gauge that makes the Esteli more flavorful than the black to me.

That’s all I have for now. If any of the above is a little out of whack it’s because I wrote it in an Imetrex induced haze while trying to get rid of a migraine. I should be OK later and go back and edit all the craziness out! Until the next time,

CigarCraig

4 Comments

Filed under Review

Tagged as Arturo Fuente, cigar, cigars, La Gloria Cubana, Opus X, Serie R

by CigarCraig | November 27, 2013 · 7:55 pm

CAO Flathead, Alec Bradley Nica Puro, Recluse and Drew Estate Nica Rustica Cigars

It’s Thanksgiving Eve, and I’m sure most of my US readers are getting ready for a nice turkey dinner tomorrow. Don’t forget to pick out some great cigars to smoke after dining with family. A big Happy Thanksgiving from CigarCraig.com!

I’ve been smoking some new, but familiar to me cigars this week. It’s gotten wintry cold around here and I wanted to smoke some cigars that I knew wouldn’t get lost in the frigid outside conditions. Sunday I picked out a CAO Flathead Camshaft (5½x54) for a late afternoon walk. I gave this one a punch cut, but, as with the other examples I smoked, the cap just popped off. I trimmed it up with the scissors and hit the road. I really like this cigar. It’s deep and dark. It’s severely box pressed. It burns and draws well, is big enough to handle with gloves on, but not too big. It holds a nice ash too. I want to try the other sizes in the line, I just haven’t gotten around to looking for them in the shops yet. I personally am pleased with the last several offerings from CAO, they are tasty and well priced. I have an irrational desire to get my hands on a couple of the Angry Santa and Evil Snowman holiday releases to see what they are all about. Perhaps they could release a “Mildly Irritated Elf” for a morning smoke.

Monday evening I pulled out another Alec Bradley Nica Puro (5×50) for my walk. I think Monday was about the coldest it’s been in quite some time. I don’t like it. Not one bit. Anyway, unless it’s windy or precipitating or both, I find that I don’t get too cold if I keep moving, which is one of the reasons I’m always taking my cigar for a walk. The dog needs the exercise too, as do I. This Nica Puro is a tasty smoke. It’s syrupy sweet tobacco flavors really appeal to me. The wrapper has a reddish hue which is easy on the eyes. It’s a fantastic cigar, I’m glad I bought a few to have on hand. There’s something about cigars with “Nica” in the name that are really appealing to me. Great smokes, it’s not often I have the same cigar twice in a week!

Tuesday it was raining, so I took the dog out for a quick little walk/run (yes, I ran a little bit…) and came back and had a Recluse Robusto (5 x 52) from Iconic Leaf Cigar Co. in the garage. This is another box pressed maduro, not unlike the CAO. Perhaps the Recluse is a little more refined in flavor. I love the rich cocoa that this cigar has. Since it’s rolled entubado (and I think you’ll find that many cigars are rolled this way, although they may not necessarily make mention of it) and box pressed, it’s almost guaranteed to draw well. I purchased this example at the same local shop that I got the Nica Puro from, only it was sometime last spring, I think. I’ve really enjoyed the Recluse line since being introduced to them a year and a half or so ago. If you can find them, give them a try, great smokes.

Tonight I took a walk with another Drew Estate Nica Rustica El Brujito (6×52). Have you ever smoked a cigar that tasted like old newsprint wrapped in kraft paper? This is nothing like that. Burn: perfect. Draw: pretty good. Flavor: loads of it. I still think the prototype I brought back from Nicaragua with some Nicotiana rustica was a little more interesting, but this production version is a delicious smoke, and the price point makes it very accessible. It’s a heck of a good smoke. Hopefully my week of repeats wasn’t too boring!

I’m still working on the 12 Spectacular Days of Giveaways, hopefully it will all go off without hitch! I’m going to have a busy week at work the week the contests start too, so I’m trying to get as much set up in advance as possible. Be ready for some great presents this year!

Until the next time,

CigarCraig

8 Comments

Filed under Review

Tagged as Alec Bradley, CAO, cigar, cigars, drew estate, Flathead, Iconic Leaf, Nica, Nica Puro, Nica Rustica, Recluse

by CigarCraig | November 24, 2013 · 12:01 pm

Reinado Grand Empire Reserve, Nomad S-307 and Custom Tobacco’s Briarmont Cigar

After beginning the week with three less than satisfying cigars, I decided Thursday called for a high probability, sure thing smoke. I’d had my eye on a Reinado Grand Empire Reserve Petite Lancero that Reinado emperor Antonio Lam had given me at the IPCPR show. This size is limited, only about 10, 000 of these were made and my example lacked the GER secondary band. I have had exceptional experiences with the Reinado brand, and count Antonio among my better friends in the cigar industry. I thought the Grand Empire Reserve was stellar in this size. It was rich and decadent and well balanced. However, I personally prefer the larger ring gauges in this cigar. I find the larger rings to be even more stellar! That’s just me. I suppose it’s better that I don’t fall in love with such a limited cigar and prefer sizes that are more available. Try the Petite Lancero if you get a chance, heck, try them all.

A few weeks ago I received Fred Rewey’s new Nomad S-307 cigars to sample, and smoked the toro size right away. I later noticed that instead of what I thought were four toros, there were a pair of torpedos mixed in. So Friday evening I took one of he torps for a spin. This cigar has an Ecuador Sumatra wrapper, Ecuador Habano binder and Nicaraguan fillers and is made by AJ Fernandez in his factory in Esteli. Much like the toro, this is a nice smoke, perfectly constructed and tasty. You might think cigars from the same factory would start to taste the same after a while, but not the case. The thing that the S-307 has in common with most of the other cigars made there is that its really good. There’s some subtle flavors that surprise you here and there and it’s a satisfying experience all the way around. Kudos.

Saturday afternoon I took the dog for a bit of a hike on a nearby trail. Several weeks ago I received a sample of the Briarmont Classic from Custom Tobacco. I met with Adam from Custom Tobacco st the show last July, and they are doing custom banded cigars. They are working with the folks at Briarmont Cigars, designing and affixing custom bands on the cigars. Obviously this is pretty cool, provided the cigar is good. They sent me a 6″x54 Connecticut Shade wrapped cigar with a band bearing my logo, which definitely appealed to my vanity. So the question is, does the cigar merit being emblazoned with my visage? Let’s look at a couple thing first. What is pretty well known to be my favored wrapper style? Maduro, right? What size cigars do I gravitate to in the chillier months? Smaller sizes, right? I really liked this cigar! It’s a cigar that I’d hand out with my name on the band without reservation. It was smooth as silk and had a very nice flavor, even though I smoked it on a cool afternoon. It was a nice, mild to medium sweet tobacco flavor. I’d be very interested in smoking the Briarmont Maduro, and even think the barber pole might be interesting. They offer a cool service. We all fantasize about having cigars with our own bands on them for certain occasions, and these guys are offering just that, and the cigars seem to be of excellent quality, which is always a concern.

Well, I need to work on the upcoming 12 Days of Spectacular Giveaways, only a few weeks away. Are you ready? It looks like there’s going to be some great cigars in copious quantities being given away! Sign up for e-mail alerts, follow me on Twitter, or friend me on Facebook so you don’t miss anything!

Until the next time,

CigarCraig

4 Comments

Filed under IPCPR, Review, Stores

by CigarCraig | November 20, 2013 · 8:07 pm

Balls of Steel, Smoke Inn Toy Drive and Felipe Gregorio Defiant Cigars

I have to mix things up a little bit from time to time, so before I get into the cigars I’ve enjoyed on my evening walks, I’d like to share a couple of opportunities to be charitable. The first item I’d like to share is from Origi

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nalBOS.com. Balls of Steel is an ice alternative for those of you who enjoy chilled spirits. Fifteen percent of the proceeds go toward testicular cancer research. I don’t drink, but I do have testicles, as do many of you, I’m sure, so I felt it appropriate to share here. Here’s what they have to say:

“OriginalBOS was founded to create a community for men with a very serious issue in a light-hearted way that gives every man the opportunity to feel like a distinguished gentleman by using Balls of Steel Whiske

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y Chillers. By providing a useful and conversation-starting product – really, it might sound like a 17 year old named it, but

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just try to say ‘Balls of Steel’ to a stranger without an explanation – OriginalBOS is opening up a national dialogue about the realities of testicular cancer while hopefully encouraging some smiles . . . and probably a few furrowed brows.”

So grow a pair and buy s

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ome! They make a great Christmas present, can’t you picture Santa pulling them out of his sack and putting them under y

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our tree? I know you can’t wait to get your hands on a pair of these. There have to be a handful of funn

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y jokes about this product, but I can’t think of any. Nuts!

In other news, Smoke Inn in Florida is holding a toy drive benefitting kids with cancer. You could possibly win some very nice cigar prizes just for shipping them a new toy. Details are

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in the graphic below (or above, depending on the device you use to read this). There are some incredible prizes, but thinking of the little bit of joy you could bring to a child is worth the cost of a toy.

On to the cigars. I’ve been working my way through some more IPCPR samples, and figured I’d smoke my way through the three varieties of the Defiant from Felipe Gregorio. Of course, I always smoke from darkest to lightest when given the opportunity, so I went with a reddish, oily wrapped cigar which was the Habano Marron first, then the Corojo, and finally the Connecticut. All three were 5” x 50 robustos and all had the same band. These are a nice representation of how much the

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wrapper changes the flavor of a cigar, since these are all the same filler and binder with the only difference being the wrapper. I have to say, I personally enjoyed the Connecticut more of the three, oddly enough. They all had bee in my humidor since the trade show in July, and they all exhibi

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ted similar burn problems, uneven burns, and some tunneling. The Habano Marron had a bitterness that I didn’t particularly care for, and the Corojo wasn’t bad, but wasn’t particularly memorable. The Connecticut had a pleasant sweetness that I enjoyed, although the burn was a distraction. I’m anything but typical, and walking the dog in the dark may not be the

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perfect environment, but most of my cigars burn well and give me enjoyment. I’m sorry to say that this line probably won’t be on my re-smoke list, but your mileage may vary.

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

CigarCraig