It was a busy week, lots to do and not a lot of time for cigars. I’m fully ready for spring to arrive, it’s getting very old bundling up to go for my walks and freezing my tuckus off! I felt like I missed a few days worth of evening walks, which as you know, is when I enjoy most of my cigars. I know, excuses, excuses. I did manage to smoke some new-to-me smokes over the last couple days.
Wednesday evening my wife and I went to the Flyers game and stopped at the Cigar Bar in the Wells Fargo Center on the way out to let the traffic clear. I smoked a cigar I had gotten at the IPCPR show last summer, a Total Flame 8 Ball. I didn’t actually get to this booth, but they had someone walking the show floor handing out sample bags (I guess they weren’t getting a lot of traffic in the booth). I seem to recall the booth having a pretty interesting biker theme, which is evident in the naming scheme of their cigars. From the looks of the website, they are a Russian company, and their cigars are made in either the Placencia factory in Nicaragua or the La Aurora Factory in the Dominican Republic. I selected this short perfecto shaped cigar because I wouldn’t have the time to spend with a larger smoke. The cigar was OK, nothing particularly exciting. I’m not entirely sure if this is from the Dominican or Nicaraguan line, but I’m leaning toward the Dominican based upon the flavor profile my own taste perceptions of many of the La Aurora blends. Just my opinion, of course, everyone’s tastes are different, and I have a hard time loving all of the cigars that anyone makes (La Aurora stands out to me because I REALLY want to like everything they make for sentimental reasons, but I find that I only like a select few marques). While at the Cigar Bar I asked when his new cigar shapes were due out, and he indicated that they would be released sometime this month. I’m looking forward to seeing the new band and smoking the box pressed Torpedo and the round Toro that will be added to the short robusto that was originally released (the BSB#1). The Flyers won the game rather convincingly over the Capitals, and it was a good night. Even if the cigar was so-so, it still added to the enjoyment of the evening.
Friday evening my brother-in-law stopped by, so he joined me on my evening walk. I set him up w
ith a cigar, and selected an El Suelo Campo for myself. I recently got a couple of these with a Smoke Inn weekly deal. I’ve been wanting to smoke something from the L’Atelier Imports folks, so when I saw two of these, two My Uzi Weighs a Ton 7x60s and a Toraño Loyal for around $13 delivered I figured it was a no-brainer. Now, I don’t love the MUWAT 7×60, but it will make a very nice afternoon in the pool cigar this summer. The El Suelo is an inexpensive bundle type cigar from L’Atelier Imports, which is a company that Pete Johnson (Tatuaje) started with his brother KC Johnson, and his friend Sean Johnson. I believe the company is based in Rock Ridge, along with Reverend Johnson, Gabby Johnson and Howard 
Johnson with the orange roofed outhouse. Sorry, it was hard to resist making a Blazing Saddles reference. Anyway, this 6 ¼ x 60 cigar was milder than I expected, but had very nice flavor through the first half. In the second half it showed some signs of youth, a bit of an ammonia bite that was off-putting. I will let the second example rest in the humidor for a few months and see if this little unpleasantness ages out. Still well worth the price of the sampler for the experience and the comedic opportunity.
Saturday afternoon, after watching our grand-daughter while her parents went to the Flyers game (another win – woohoo!!), I was ready for a nap, but decided to take a cigar (and dog) for a walk. I selected a Rocky Patel Burn Toro that was given to me by my area’s rep, Mark, at the IPCPR show. I still have a handful of samples that I’m trying to work in, but most are of larger sizes. This was a pretty 6½x52 Toro with a nice Ecuador Sumatra wrapper. This was another cigar that I expected to be a bit fuller bodied than it was. What it turned out to be was a very nice, milder smoke that burned well and gave me a fair amount of pleasure. It was smooth and flavorful and just a pretty nice smoke all around. It wouldn’t be something I’d choose again, necessarily but it was a nice change of pace. Thanks to Mark at Rocky Patel for throwing this at me while I stopped in their very busy booth.
That’s all I have for today. I may need to dig around for something interesting to smoke today!
Until the next time,
CigarCraig
Saturday turned out to a bit if a father/daughter day in my family.  My wife has been busy driving with her father down to Florida so he can spend a few weeks at the Phillies spring training camp, my son-in-law got to spend the afternoon with my grand-daughter and I got to take my daughter to the Flyers game.  There’s nothing quite like taking in an afternoon of gratuitous violence and ice hockey with ones little girl (she’s 29 and expecting her 2nd child and I don’t think she likes it when I refer to her as my little girl!).  It was a great game, lots of action and the Flyers came out on top.  I would normally stop at the Cigar Bar in the Wells Fargo Center for a smoke while traffic cleared out, but that wasn’t appropriate in this instance, 
I just wanted to throw this out to anyone who is looking for embroidered or printed stuff, I’ve had amazing luck with 
