CigarCraig's Blog

by CigarCraig | November 1, 2013 · 5:30 pm

Cigar Mojo – New Shop and Lounge in Suburban Philly

Wednesday evening I stopped into a new shop and lounge in the King of Prussia area outside Philadelphia, PA. Cigar Mojo is a joint venture between father and son, Wade and Trae Roberts. I first met Trae a couple months ago at the Wooden Indian in nearby Havertown, PA. They finally opened for business on Wednesday

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, so I stopped in to see the place. I’ve been following their progress on their Facebook page with interest, and had been invited to a pre-opening event they held back in early September but was unable to attend. It was worth the wait, the shop is beautiful. They have a large walk-in humidor that has all Spanish Cedar walls and shelves which is in the process of being stocked. They have a large shop area with plenty of room for accessories and some seating. The most impressive part is the lounge. The space is beautifully done with reclining leather chairs and TVs on either end. The lounge is open to patrons during business hours, and they have a membership program that offers 24 hour ac

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cess. They also have a bank of humidor lockers for members. The membership options are outlined on their website. I’m impressed so far. Wade and Trae are passionate about cigars, and they seem to have the right idea about how to serve their customers. I purchased a couple of the new Saint Luis Rey Gen 2 Toros and enjoyed one of them thoroughly while chatting with Ryan, the local Altadis rep. The SLR was a tasty, medium bodied cigar, very nice. It’s one I’ve been wanting to try but haven’t managed to until it jumped out at me in the humidor. Great combination of flavor, construction and price point (around $6). Both the Saint Luis Rey and Cigar Mojo are highly recommended. The photos don’t do it justice. Click on any picture for a slideshow.

That’s it for this special Friday edition, until the next time,

CigarCraig

3 Comments

Filed under Review, Stores

Tagged as altadis, cigar, Cigar Mojo, cigar store, cigars, King of Prussia, Saint Luis Rey

by CigarCraig | October 30, 2013 · 6:54 am

IPCPR 2013 – Epicurean Cigars, Gonzo Vintage 2007 and AG Azul Vintage 2008

Sunday afternoon I found myself browsing the expansive humidor of the Cigar-ette City store in Peoples Plaza shopping center in Newark , Delaware. This is the flagship store of the Delaware Cigars chain which is managed by Emilio Cigars’ Gary Griffith. Jim was working in the humidor and was very helpful and knowledgeable. This humidor is stacked to the rafters with just about everything you could imagine. It would be no problem to stock the humidors of the three or four stores closest to my home fully and still have a great stock left over. They had a full compliment of the Liga Privada Serie Unicos on hand (I can’t remember if I saw Dirty Rats…I’m sure they were there), as well as what looked like full lines from Don Pepin, Tatuaje, etc, etc. It’s an overwhelming selection one could easily go broke quickly. I selected a handful of cigars, including some Emilio AF1 and 2 coronas, a La Musa Melete, and a few of the Gonzo Vintage 2007 Lanceros from Epicurean Cigars. Since I had a few hours to kill, and the state of Delaware bans ALL indoor smoking, even in cigar shops, I pulled a folding chair out of the car and sat on the sidewalk in front of the store to enjoy a cigar.

The cigar I chose was one of the Epicurean Gonzo Vintage 2007 Lanceros. I’m kicking myself a little for not getting a robusto or two to sample, because this box pressed lancero was a terrific smoke. For my palate, Connecticut Broadleaf over a San Andrés binder is a double whammy flavor explosion, and this perfectly built panatela was as rich, dark and flavorful as I had hoped. I’m glad I got two, and I’m glad Gary had just sent me one recently. I’m salivating thinking about it, and may just smoke another one this week. I must make a point to sample more sizes, perhaps they will be a little less expensive here in Pennsylvania. Two thumbs up on this one. This is a cigar that is right up my alley, perfect in every regard, burn, draw, flavor and appearance.

After I packed up my impromptu sidewalk cigar lounge, I headed back to the university where my wife was busy doing some research, and parked my butt on a bench and lit up an Emilio AF1 Corona. You may recall in my last post I wondered out loud if one existed and lo and behold it did! I snagged a couple, and I do believe I liked the AF2 better in the corona size than the Broadleaf wrapped AF1. For me I think the AF1 works better in the larger ring gauge. I’ll let the other ones I bought sit in the humidor for a little bit too. Maybe the wrapper overpowered the filler on this one, I don’t know, I just felt like the toro version suited me better. Not that I didn’t enjoy the heck out of it, I certainly did!

Monday evening I pulled one of the other Epicurean cigars that Gary had sent me, the AG Azul Vintage 2008 in the toro size. This is a nicely presented cigar with a shiny foil band and a cedar sleeve hiding a flawless sun-grown Ecuador Habano wrapper. This has a Honduran binder and Nicaraguan fillers from Esteli and Jalapa . I found this cigar to be on the low end of medium, but full of flavor and a perfect burn. I love it when a cigar burns flat and even, I find that miraculous considering that the various tobaccos in the blend may burn at different rates. When everything combusts completely and at the same time it just makes the cigar experience that much more special for me. I know, I’m weird. I’m full of regret once again, because I was going to grab a couple of the AG Armando Gutierrez Vintage 2007 too and I decided to wait and see what this 2008 was like. I’ll have to try that one when I go looking for more of the Gonzo! Another great cigar from Steve Ysidron and Epicurean Cigars.

Here’s the final video from the 2013 IPCPR show. As it turns out, it’s Steve Ysidron talking about his Epicurean Cigar line! What a happy coincidence!

http://youtu.be/jMZ-R-7r-hQ

As it works out, last night I couldn’t help but take another of the Gonzo Vintage 2007 Lanceros out for a walk and it was perfect again. Loads of dark, rich flavor and a perfect burn. My only regret was that it wasn’t larger as the lancero only lasted just under and hour. It reaffirms my desire to try these in a larger ring gauge. Yum.

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

CigarCraig

1 Comment

Filed under IPCPR, Review, Stores, Video

Tagged as AG, cigar, cigars, Emilio, Epicurean, Gonzo, IPCPR

by CigarCraig | October 27, 2013 · 10:05 am

IPCPR 2013 – Emilio Cigars and House Of Emilio, an AF2 and a La Musa

I’m getting down to the last couple videos from the IPCPR show, and I had, up until recently, no cigars to pair with them. That’s not entirely true, I have a selection of cigars from Gary Griffith’s Emilio line and various brands he distributes, but nothing new and exciting. That is until a box arrived in the mail last week with some new samples! Thanks Gary! Perfect timing! The House of Emilio handles a bunch of great boutique brands which all seem to fall in line with my tastes. Please watch the video with Gary and Nate as they explain both the Emilio line and the brands they distribute.

The cigar which immediately caught my eye, and looked like it would best fit into the time I had available was the Emilio AF 2 in the corona size. I’ve enjoyed plenty of this blend made, by AJ Fernandez, in the toro size, its a little brighter in flavor than the AF 1 which is also a terrific smoke. The corona size really made the flavor pop, it was so good, I didn’t want to put it down. It’s a solid, enjoyable cigar that most fans of medium to full bodies cigars can enjoy, I think. Can we look forward to the AF 1 in this size, or would that be too much of a good thing? Highly recommended if you enjoy exceptional cigars.

Yesterday, after enjoying a 1502 Black Gold toro (also a House of Emilio brand, and excellent!) I selected a cigar that I actually received at the end of last year, the La Musa Melete robusto. If the Emilio AF 2 is a brighter version of the AF 1, the La Musa Melete is the darker version of the original La Musa. The wrapper is visually darker, but I’m tal

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king about flavor and the flavors are lush, deep and decadent. It starts with a nice spice and takes off from there. It smooths out and finishes off with the espresso flavors i find so enjoyable. The construction was perfect. The Grimalkin was an exceptional cigar, the La Musa (same cigar, different name) is exceptional, but the Melete is something very special. Kudos to Gary and the super secret factory that makes this (is it still a secret?)

That’s it for today. I may find myself at one of Gary’s stores in Delaware this afternoon, looking for more Meletes and coronas! Until the next time,

CigarCraig

4 Comments

Filed under IPCPR, Review, Video

Tagged as 1502, cigar, cigars, delaware cigars, Emilio, IPCPR, La Musa

by CigarCraig | October 23, 2013 · 7:59 pm

An Ora Vivo, a Macanudo, a Padilla and the Gurkha Cigar Contest Winner!

Wow. Monday was a huge day as far as website traffic and comments went. It actually eclipsed my best day ever, last December when I was giving away a bunch of Drew Estate cigars and swag! I seem to have severely underestimated the Gurkha Nation, they are a force to be reckoned with! We have a crazy number of entries, stay tuned for the winner announcement after we talk about a couple cigars I smoked this week!

Sunday afternoon I took a really long walk with a Ora Vivo Armand Assante 7½” x 58. This is a cigar that was released that the 2013 IPCPR show by Victor Vitale’s Legacy Brands. I published a story and video about it here. This example was a gift from my dear friend Mike Perry up in New York State, and I’ve since purchase

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d a robusto while I was in New Hampshire a few weeks ago. Who would have thought I would smoke this great big cigar before the much more manageable 5” x 54 in October when it’s getting cooler and the days are getting shorter! The one word which comes to mind with this cigar is “elegance”. The band is beautiful, the wrapper is flawless and the smoke is smooth and tasty. It’s an expensive cigar, but I smoked it for two-plus hours and enjoyed every bit of it. Another winner from Victor Vitale. This would be incredible in a lancero!

Monday evening I stepped out of my comfort zone a little and selected an IPCPR sample from the General Cigar booth. Macanudo Estate Reserve is the new ultra-premium offering commemorating the brand’s 45th anniversary. Most Macanudos have a Mexican binder, this one has a Dominican binder that’s 8-10 years old, covered with a Connecticut Shade wrapper. The cigar is beautiful to look at and burned perfectly, with an equally perfect draw. The No. III I smoked was a standard 5″ x 50 with a perfect round head. It was mild and smooth and not without very nice flavors. At $14 a piece, it should be perfect, as far as I’m concerned, but I’m a picky bastard. These are presented in boxes of ten in individual coffins at retail. It would make a spiffy gift for the guy who likes milder cigars, that’s for sure. It’s one of those cigars that I’m thankful to have the opportunity to smoke.

Tuesday afternoon we settled on our old house, which had been on the market for the last year. To celebrate, after my wife and I went out to a nice dinner, I pulled out a Padilla Studio Tobac Figurado which had been given to me by my favorite local cigar rep, Oliva‘s Mike Staiber. This is a 6″ x 60 perfecto which was a joint venture between Padilla Cigars and Oliva’s Studio Tobac arm. It uses an Ecuador Habano wrapper and Nicaraguan fillers. To be honest, I expected to have my head blown off, but this cigar bordered on mild. I’m not complaining, mind you, it was great fun to smoke and super tasty. I never had to touch it up, and really had a hard time putting it down. It was awesome. This is another once in a lifetime smoke for me, probably, and it was worth the time spent smoking it for sure. It was later than I usually go for a smoke, usually in that case I’d pick something smaller, but this was a celebratory smoke and I wanted something special. I got something special, it was delightful down to the tiniest nub (and I think I’m officially allowed to use the word “nub” since I’m talking about a cigar from the same manufacturer of the Nub line!) Thanks Mike!

Contest Winner

OK, I know, everyone just wants to know who won the Gurkha prize pack I put together. As I said earlie

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r, the turnout was awesome. We had 193 entries, almost doubling up the previous best showing. If this is any indication, this Christmas contests is going to be pretty rough (for me!). Anyway, I plugged 193 into the Random.org random number generator and it spit back the number 65. Give me a while to figure out who that was…..OK, I’m back. The winner is Gabriel!
I need you to e-mail me your contact information so I can get this out to you. I don’t want to have to chase you down!! Thanks to everyone for entering! Contests are always a lot of fun, which is one of the reasons I torture myself and my family every December for 2 weeks! Many thanks again to Gurkha for making this possible.

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

CigarCraig

4 Comments

Filed under Contest, IPCPR, Review

Tagged as cigar, cigars, Contest, general cigars, Gurkha, Legacy Brands, macanudo, oliva, Ora Vivo Armand Assante, Padilla, Studio Tobac, Victor Vitale

by CigarCraig | October 20, 2013 · 11:11 am

Gurkha Cellar Reserve, East India Trading Co. and a Contest!

After receiving a wonderful package from the folks at Gurkha last week, I decided to dig into some of the samples from the last IPCPR show. As always, the folks at Gurkha have an enormous booth and always have some exciting offerings. I’m the first to admit that I’m intimidated by the huge array of products in the Gurkha portfolio. I haven’t smoked a tenth of the lines they produce, but the ones I have smoked have been pretty darned good! One of my recent favorites was my Friday, end of the week treat smokes, the new Cellar Reserve Maduro. This cigar replaces the Criollo 98 wrapper with Brazilian Arapiraca, and it’s a terrific smoke loaded with black coffee and cocoa. I was hoping to watch the lunar eclipse while smoking this, however I either missed it or it was far too subtle for my eye. The cigar, however, wasn’t a disappointment. I was sorry when it was finished. I’ll have to get my hands on more. I’ve enjoyed the heck out of the Gurkha Seduction (and one I had last week didn’t wow me like before, maybe they’ve aged out after only 2 years?), this Cellar Reserve Maduro (or it may be called the Limitada) may pass the Seduction as my favorite in the line.

Saturday I decided to plunge into Gurkha’s East India Trading Company‘s new offerings, first off, the Rogue Ruthless, which is a box pressed 6″ x 54 cigar with an Ecuador Habano wrapper. This was a loosely rolled cigar, and burned faster than I would have expected. It had some rich and peppery flavors and certainly held my attention. My biggest complaint is that the bands were so hard to get off! Other than that, the bands are fine and are quite eye catching. Nice cigar, I’d smoke it again for sure.

After dinner I selected the final cigar of the day, the Prize Fighter, also from Gurkha’s East India Trading Company. This is a budget offering packaged in Fresh-lock pouches. The cigar had a Ecuador Connecticut wrapper and was loosely rolled like it’s Rouge sibling. This is a mixed filler cigar as evidenced by the scraps of tobacco I had to keep picking out of my mouth. This, to me, is forgivable in a cigar that retails under $2. For a cigar in that price range, it was very tasty and mild. It had the grassyness you’d expect but pleasantly smooth. My example did have a significant tunnel at the midway point, but after it burned passed the void it was fine. I’ve definitely smoked more expensive cigars that I enjoyed less!

Here’s a few pictures of the booth from last July’s IPCPR show:

Contest!

On an related note, I’ve got some goodies laying around that I want to share with a lucky reader. This will probably be the last contest before things get crazy in December. Here’s the story: last week I received a very nice package from the folks at Gurkha. The package contained this really cool “can” containing one of their leatherette roll up pouches with five cigars, and a folding cigar scissors. This was a gift to me, but I have been the beneficiary of their generosity on too many occasions and I want to share this with my readers. I’d gladly smoke the cigars, trust me! If this wasn’t enough, I happen to have another of the roll up pouches from last summer’s trade show, as well as one from the 2012 show, both of which have been resting in my humidors. So there’s 15 very nice Gurkha cigars, and the really cool scissors (I’ve been really digging the Xikar MTX I got recently, this is a handy tool!). Just leave a comment here and I’ll select a winner at random on Wednesday. Usual contest rules apply. Thanks to Bianca at Gurkha for the gift and for allowing me to share it with my readers!