by | September 5, 2010 · 4:58 pm

Drew Estate Contest Winner Announced! – Sunday, September 5, 2010

I struggled with finding a creative and entertaining way to select a winner in this month’s contest.  The cats haven’t been cooperating, the dartboard thing was downright embarrassing, and my attempt at making a wheel of fortune fell through. I assigned a number to each entrant based upon the order the comments were received, 1 through 24.  I was all ready to use a pair of 12 sided dice and live with the possible outcome of having 2 winners (it’s VERY difficult for 1 to come up with 2 dice, so I would have given out two prizes if I had rolled snake-eyes), but I figured that the odds were weighted poorly for the poor guy who was number 24.  I decided to wuss out and let the “True Number Generator” at Random.org do the dirty work for me.   So here’s a video of the official selection:

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QJ-h8-2irZ0

We were having a heck of a time getting the camera to focus, but you can see that there was at least some feline involvement as my frequent smoking buddy Frank stopped by.  I’ll need an address from the winner e-mailed to craig@cigarcraig.com at his earliest convenience so I can get the Drew Estate hat, Liga Privada cutter and T52 Belicoso in the mail.  The music in the video is “You Get Me So Excited” by Jim Babjak’s “Music from Jim Babjak’s Buzzed Meg, Vol. 1”.  I want to thank Jim for allowing me to use his music.  Many thanks again to Drew Estate for the great cigars and goodies they sent me so that I can give away cool stuff without having to go deeper into debt :-).

Cigars

As far as cigar content, I’ve stuck to the old familiars so far this weekend, first being a Friday night Chateau Real Maduro Gran Cru Perfecto which will be sorely missed in my humidor when they are gone.  Real nice cigars as far as I’m concerned.  Saturday was beautiful but windy and, not wanting the wind to spoil a cigar I’d want to pay attention to, I grabbed a National Brand Maduro robusto.  These are such solid performers in flavor and burn that I forgive the sweetened cap.  For $2.25 they get the job done.  Finally, as I type this, I am thoroughly enjoying a  Hoyo de Tradition Toro.  This has made the process of putting the video together which usually makes me swear a lot, quite a bit easier and less profanity laden.

You’ll notice a new thermometer on the right.  My wife Jennifer has joined Team Price is Right as a “virtual walker” in the 26th annual AIDS Walk Los Angeles.  She has mapped out a 10k route locally so she can do her part (Maybe I’ll  walk with her, I need to figure out what cigar will last me 10 kilometers).  If you have the inclination, please consider making a donation to a cause that really doesn’t get that much attention anymore.

That’s it for now, just waiting for an address so I can send off the prize.  Thanks to everyone for your comments, even though, as one person pointed out, I get a lot more when there’s free stuff on the line, I still enjoy comments and e-mails so keep them coming.

Until the next time,

CigarCraig

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by | September 3, 2010 · 6:20 pm

New Cigar: CAO Brazilia Corcovado – Friday September 3, 2010

The CAO Brazilia Corcovado was an IPCPR sample that was given to me by Paul Spence, whom I’ve had the great pleasure of meeting several times and is a real good guy.  I had my eye on a Brazila robusto in the humidor when I remembered having this one and figured it was one I really hadn’t seen any reviews or heard much buzz about.   This cigar is in a format that seems to be growing in popularity.  Sam Leccia’s NUb line came on the seen a few years ago in this short and fat format and I would guess it’s just about the most coppied vitola in recent memory.   The CAO Brazilia I had had a jet black wrapper and had a very prominent vein running the length of the cigar.  I will say right now that I should have left this one sit for a while longer in the humidor.  It seemed “not ready” to me, which is a shame for a IPCPR sample which is s

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upposed to entice the smoker to buy these cigars.  I work near a company that manufactures molases, so I’ve occasionally smelled the pungeant aromas that is produced there. This had a raw molases flavor to it thatbrought to mind that factory.  It also left me a little queezy afterward, which is not a sensation I am looking for in a cigar.  No doubt a year or so of age would settle this cigar down in my opinion and I do regret smoking this one too soon.  In the same bag from CAO was a LX2 in a 60 ring gauge, but 6″ l

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ong which I will let mature for a year or so, as past experiece with the LX2 has told me that I like these more with some age.  I should have smoked the LA Traviata Maduro from the same bag, but it seems like it’s being reviewed to death and as much as I look forward to smoking that particular cigar I think I’ll wait a bit.   Unfortunately this particular sample didn’t really do it for me this time.  I would never trash a cigar based on one example though and I will try this one again if I have

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Editorial

This cigar got me to thinking about why it is that everyone is putting out cigars with enormous ring gauges lately?  Is it possible that, since the SCHIP tax is the same for any size cigar, that fatter cigars are perceived as a better value?  Could it be that smoking bans cause people to have less time to enjoy a cigar and a short, fat cigar gives the impression that they smoke quicker?  I am really baffled by this as I had thought that (or hoped may be a better word) that we had moved past the “bigger is better” thing.  I’ve actually gotten to the point where a 50 ring gauge cigar looks pretty slim!  I personally enjoy a smaller ring gauge cigar, although I smoke darned few of them it seems.  Anyone who has any theories they’d like to share on the subject is welcome to leave them in the comments.

Contest Update!

I know I had promised a contest winner announcement, but I’ve been slacking off!  Hopefully by Sunday I will have concocted a clever and entertaining (yet totally fair and impartial) method of selecting the winner.  There have been 21 entries so far, and the contest remains open until at least midnight Saturday, September 4.  You can leave a comment to enter to win a hat, cutter and Liga Privada T52 Belicoso courtesy of Drew Estate here.

That’s about it for now (as I enjoy a Chateau Real maduro while writing this).  Until the next time,

CigarCraig

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by | August 30, 2010 · 7:13 pm

Weekend Cigars: Oliva, Padron, Partagas and Punch – Monday August 30, 2010

I started the weekend out with an Oliva Serie V Belicoso which was given to me by the Oliva rep who was handing them out on my friend Mitchell‘s New York City dinner cruise we attended back in June.  It was a very nice cigar, a short torpedo more than a belicoso with a very pointy head.  It was pretty full flavored and satisfying.  Nice cigar, I really haven’t been disappointed with anything in this line, especially the Serie V.

Saturday afternoon I enjoyed a Padron 1964 Anniversary Superior in a natural wrapper that was given to me for my birthday last year.  Another very good cigar that burned well and was lush and flavorful, just as it should be.  I can’t recall ever really being let down by a Padron, whether the regular line or the Anniversary.  I can’t say I’ve smoked the higher end Padrons, just a smattering of 1964s and the odd 1926. Later in the evening I sat down with another Partagas Petit Coronas Especiale which has become a favorite of mine lately.

Sunday I celebrated completing yet another journey around the sun, and. after my wife and children took me out to a nice breakfast, I dug deep into the humidor and selected a Havana Punch Tubed Churchill.  This cigar came into my possession sometime in 2000.  It was part of

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a prize pack that came from a gentleman named John Chunko who started a thread on the alt.smokers.cigars newsgroup and awarded random prizes to contributors.  John was a generous sou

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l who, though various events, was responsible for introducing me to some wonderful cigars that I wouldn’t have otherwise had the occasion to

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sample.  I’ve forgotten what other cigars were included in this package, except for a Romeo y Julieta Celestiales finos from 1977, which I still have.  I had decided that it would be appropriate to celebrate my 47th trip around the sun with a 47 ring gauge cigar.  This Churchill was really very pretty once it emerged from it’s aluminum tube and lit easily.  I was surprised by the firmness of the draw for such a well aged cigar but the flavors…..oh the flavors!  It was a delicate and subtle cigar, not the full flavored powerhouse one would expect.  I was often amazed by some of the fascinating flavors that danced around my mouth.  Truly a sublime experience.  I smoked this at my local cigar store, JM Cigars in Exton, PA, in their lounge while catching up with an old friend Bruce who recent;y moved into the area.  Often times I felt like I was being rude as I got lost momentarily in the cigar.  I selected this cigar over a Romeo y Julieta Tubed Churchill because I’ve had a few RyJ Churchills (non-tubed) that didn’t really “wow” me.  This one must also be approaching 10 years old, so I have high hopes for it.  It was a nice way to celebrate the day.

That’s about it for now.  Please remember to enter the current contest which will end this week sometime.  You could win a Drew Estate hat, Liga Privada cutter and a Liga Privada T52 Belicoso.  Click here to leave a comment for a chance to win!

Until the next time,

CigarCraig

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by | August 25, 2010 · 7:55 pm

The Week’s Cigars So Far: CAO, Dirty Rat, Chateau Real…and a Contest! – Wednesday August 25, 2010

Got the week of to a good start with a really nice CAO VR Moby, a 6″ x 50 maduro toro.  I have enjoyed the three examples I’ve had which my wife bought for me for Valentines Day.  They were part of several 5 pack samplers she got from Cigars International.  I believe these are made for CI.  I think these are a nice, medium maduro that is very well made.  I’m not one for identifying specific flavors, but peppery is definitely a flavor descriptor that I’d use with this cigar.    I don’t know that I would drop a c-note on a box of 20, but I suppose they are worth $5 each compared with a lot of cigars out there.

I decided to wrap up the weekend with a treat and grabbed

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a Liga Privada Dirty Rat from the humidor.  This was one that Steve Saka had given me a few months back.  I have to say that this is just about cigar perfection.  The corona size is very appealing to me, and it’s just a really pretty cigar.  The dark and oily wrapper, the funny pigtail, it’s just so appealing.  Then you light it, and it burns razor straight with a nice flat coal and draws perfectly.  Steve says they cost more to make than the double coronas, and considering this little corona had five different filler tobaccos packed into it’s stalk cut Connecticut wrapper, it’s no surprise at the cost.  The leaves have to be scissor cut to fit them in.  Lot’s of labor involved but what a fantastic smoking experience.  I’ve enjoyed all of the Liga Privadas I’ve had, and I don’t often spend upwards of $10 on a cigar.  Exceptional cigar that will be worth the occasional splurge when they hit the shelves somet

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ime this September.

Monday I went for a Chateau Real Gran Templar in claro.  Another cigar I really like and is consistently good.  I decided on this particular cigar since

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I had just come off the excellent experience of the Dirty Rat, and wanted something quite different, but without any surprises.  This cigar shared the excellent construction with its cousin the Rat, and had a clean and smooth flavor.  The Connecticut shade wrapper was without flaw and quite pretty.  Another cigar that’s

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more expensive than I generally prefer, but worth it. I really think Drew Estate is making good cigars, but I have to say that while their website is nice and flashy, it’s kind of a pain if one wants to link directly to a specific cigar and sometimes takes a little while to load up.  It does have a lot of good information though, which is better than some sites.

On to the contest!

Since I smoked a couple Drew Estate cigars this week, let’s go ahead and give away a DE hat and a Liga Privada cutter.  As a special bonus I will sweeten the deal with a brand new Liga Privada T52 in the Belicoso size.  While I was visiting the IPCPR show and saying goodbye to Saka, he threw several of these at me, so I feel the need to pay it forward!  I have yet to send out a cutter prize without including something to use the cutter on anyway, but this time it’s something that may not be in the stores yet.  So there ya go, that’s the prize.  Since I’ve been having trouble with my feline assistants lately, I’ll work on figuring out a clever selection process.  So leave me a comment which will be your entry.  I always enjoy comments anyway, but for some reason it seems that I get more when I give stuff away…not sure why that is…so bring on the comments and win some awesome stuff courtesy of Drew Estate!

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

CigarCraig

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by | August 21, 2010 · 1:01 pm

The Week(s) In Cigars – Friday August 20, 2010

Haven’t had the opportunity to talk about any of the cigars I’ve smoked recently, so here’s a little rundown of the past couple week’s highlights.

Back on the first night of our vacation in New Orleans I went to the hotel pool with my sons and fired up a Flor de Gonzales 90 Miles Robusto.  I’ve enjoyed the 5 pack I won on MyCigarAshes.com several months ago.  They are a nice, smooth tasty cigar that is well made.  If the Flor de Gonzales sa

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ndwich cigars are good, and I think they are, (especially for around $2.00 for a large torpedo or Churchill), these are even better.  Recommended.

The next night, as I had mentioned in my previous article, we found ourselves at Tobacco Exchange where I picked up a couple Tabacos Baez  Robustos.  Tabacos Baez Serie Sf cigars are made at Pepin Garcia’s My Father tabacalera in Nicaragua, they are 70% long filler and 30% short filler. It was one of the more reasonable priced cigars in the shop at $3.75 each.  I found it to be a well made cigar that was mild to medium bodied.  I enjoyed mine, but my eldest son felt that it didn’t have enough flavor.  He’s still learning, and has been smoking the occasional Acid and was particularly impressed with a Liga Privada T52, so I really wasn’t surprised by his impression.  I found it to be an acceptable cigar that fit the situation for me, which was standing outside in New Orleans on a hot and muggy evening enjoying The Tobacco Exchange’s block party.

We went out to dinner with our old friends, the Sakas, as well as half the cigar store owners in the state of New Hampshire (2 of them at least, how many people can there be in New Hampshire anyway? :->), but oddly didn’t manage to smoke any cigars.  Steve did pass around a box of Dirty Rats, the first I’d seen with Liga Privada bands and box.  The Dirty Rat box was unique in that it had a notched strip at the head of the cigars to protect the pigtail cap and held 10 or 12 cigars (memory fail…).  I still have a handful of the pre-production Rats floating around the humidor someplace, these are really beautiful cigars. The restaurant was not smoke friendly, but the food was very good, I had a hanger steak which melted in my mouth.

Monday night my boys and I took a wander on Bourbon Street where I smoked a Partagas Petit Coronas Especiale which was just fantastic.  I really enjoy these cigars from Germany.  While we were wandering around we stopped f

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or a while at the Cigar Factory of New Orleans little shop and watched a gentleman bunch cigars and load up molds.  He was a very skilled torcedor and it was educational for my sons.  I had a nice chat with the shop keeper about their cigars, even though I had gotten the whole story before at the main store.  I always enjoy hearing someone speak passionately about his product. I am looking forward to smoking the three cigars from Cigar Factory New Orleans in the near future.

Tuesday morning before we left I stopped in the IPCPR show I introduced myself to Pete Johnson and he very generously gave me an El Triunfador which must have been a No.2, if I remember the size correctly.  I smoked it while I walked around the show floor and found it to be a solid smoke.  It was satisfying without being overwhelming, which was a good thing for the early hour. Pete was a very nice guy, and I haven’t smoked s many of his cigars as I would like to have, so I was grateful for the gift.

After getting home it was back to business as usual.  I have been pretty lazy and have been avoiding some of the new cigars I received at the show and stuck to cigars I could smoke without worrying too much about them.  Smoked my last Vegas de Santiago Secretos de Maestro 4″ x 60, which was nice, but not as good as I remembered.  I had a really nice Chateau Real Maduro Gran Templar, which is a 6″ x 52 Toro.  The Chateau Real line is among my current favorites as far as flavor and consistency goes.  Smooth, low maintenance cigars that always seem to deliver for me.  I like them in both wrappers, but prefer the maduro.  I also smoked a Puros Indios Vieja corona which was OK, and a Maria Mancini Robusto Larga, which was better that the Puros Indios, but the PI wasn’t bad for a $1.00 cigar.  I have to say that the Maria Mancini was better than twice as good as the PI, despite being twice the price at $2.00.  The worst cigar I had over the last 2 weeks was a Vegas de Santiago Chaman Panatela Extra.  These just don’t do it for me, but are well made and certainly a quality cigar.  Not sure what it is that I don’t like about them, maybe a grassy profile or something.

That’s the catch-up for this week.  I have some interesting new cigars from the show that I’ll be getting to in the very near future.  I am really no good at reviewing cigars, but I do know a good cigar from a bad one, and I know what I like.  Hopefully folks can pick out some value from my brief impressions.

Until the next time,

CigarCraig

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