by | October 12, 2022 · 5:55 pm

News: The Return of Rocky Patel Olde World Reserve 

This is kinda interesting.  I remember the Olde World Reserve being pretty tasty, and I might have an old  lancero floating around somewhere. These are the ones that used to have a homogenized tobacco paper sleeve, right?  Phillips and King seems to be more prevalent on the west half of the country I think, maybe I’m wrong about that. I’ll have to ask my local store owners about that.  

 

Phillips & King now exclusively distributing the much-sought-after cigar in Corojo and Maduro. 

(October 2022) Phillips & King is giving a hero’s welcome to Rocky Patel Olde World Reserve. This highly  desired cigar is returning to the premium cigar category 10 years after its initial release, and is now being exclusively distributed by Phillips & King as of late September 2022. Known in the industry for  their exceptional product sel

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ection and service, Phillips & King is pleased to add this customer-favorite,  whose bold blend helped put Rocky Patel on the map when it was first launched. 

 

“Rocky Patel’s Olde World Reserve is an iconic cigar that every premium tobacconist should  have in stock,” says Jason Carignan, President of  Phillips & King. “And the royal treatment from  Phillips & King is ideal for its grand re-entry to the market. We are excited to partner with the great minds and industry veter

ans at Rocky Patel, and are even more excited to get these cigars into the hands of our retail customers. The smokes are beautifully nuanced, and truly incomparable. We see great success ahead for both of our brands.” 

 

One of Rocky Patel’s best-selling cigars to date, the Olde World Reserve offers a medium-to-full-bodied  profile, with Nicaraguan binders and fillers, and two wrappers that bring th

eir distinct regional flavors to  the overall experience:

 

The Maduro. Richly dark in color, this cigar is hand-rolled at Rocky Patel’s TaviCusa Factory in Esteli, Nicaragua, and delivers flavors of volcanic earthiness, natural tobacco sweetness, and black pepper with a salted caramel finish. It is available in the following sizes: Robusto, Sixty, Toro.

The Corojo. Hand-rolled at the Paraiso Factory in Danli, Honduras, this smooth cigar offers notes of toasty wood and graham cracker complemented by the natural sweetness of the Corojo leaf. It is available in the following sizes: Robusto, Sixty, Toro.

 

With an extensive network of distribution and tax compliance capabilities, Phillips & King will be  shipping the Rocky Patel Olde World Reserve cigars to retailers in all 50 states, the U.S. Virgin Islands,  Guam, Puerto Rico, and globally to US military bases. For more information or to place an order to carry  Rocky Patel Olde World Reserve, please visit phillipsandking.com or call 800-532-4427. 

 

About Phillips & King 

Phillips & King, a subsidiary of Kretek International, Inc., is a leading distributor of specialty tobacco,  alternative smoking products, and accessories in the United States. Since 1906, the company has built a  strong reputation by focusing on independent and small chain convenience, tobacco, and liquor  retailers. Phillips & King offers an unparalleled catalog of products and ships to all 50 states, the US  Virgin Islands, Guam, Puerto Rico, and globally to US military bases, providing hassle-free tobacco tax  compliance, easy web-ordering and a team of knowledgeable customer service experts. For more  information, please visit phillipsandking.com.

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by | October 9, 2022 · 10:02 am

Epic, La Sirena and Brickhouse Cigars

There was a lot of news last week, and I didn’t get to most of them, but one I wanted to touch on was from Scandinavian Tobacco Group, STG, owner of General and Forged Cigars and. Cigars International. The press release was announcing an exclusive with Southern Draw, but what I found interesting was that this was the first time I had heard of Cigora, as explained below:

 

About Cigora
Launched in August 2022, Cigora is an exclusive cigar community and ecommerce site that represents the future of cigars online. With a clean, modern aesthetic, the site includes a robust online forum with informative content, unique discussion boards, and an ecommerce section that features top-shelf cigars as well as rare, limited-edition releases from brands including but not limited to Davidoff, Ashton, Tatuaje, Viaje and others. A rewards program, invitation-only virtual events and exclusive members-only content round out the site’s wide range of offerings.Cigora is open to all consumers of legal smoking age.

 

I don’t have a problem with this, I just find it curious that I hadn’t heard about it.  Maybe it’s all over the Cigarworld forums, which is General’s online presence. Does Cigora replace Cigarworld?  It’s hard to tell.  I see some familiar names in the forum, so I’m not sure how this escaped my notice.  That being said, I’m terrible about participating in website based forums! Still, it’s something I’ll explore. 

 

Let’s get to the cigars!  After a couple of trade show samples that I just didn’t like, I tried a new-to-me cigar from Dean Parsons’ Epic Cigars. Dean gave me this one at the TPE show, it’s the Epic Police 299, which is an homage to his police service in Canada. The 299 is his regimental number in the department.  The cigar is made inthe DR, has a Brazilian Arapiraca wrapper, Cameroon binder and Dominican and Nicaraguan fillers. It’s a 6½” x 54 cigar.  I like that size, it’s a wonder it lasted this long in the humidor.  This was a terrific cigar.  I am a fan of the Epic Maduros, and the San Andrés, and this was a nice addition to the line. I got some espresso, and dark fruits, and it burned very well. It was a nice recovery from a couple not-so-good cigars the night before. 

 

I finally had the right amount of time yesterday to smoke the new addition to the La Sirena Mexican Mermaid line, the 4×54. Any guesses what size it is?  They skipped the large band on this one, going with just the small band that they usually put under the big one.  I really like the Mexican Mermaid blend, it suits my palate perfectly. It’s unlike other San Andrés blends in that it’s a little meatier I think.  I liked this new size, better than the “Lancero”, which is more of a lonsdale, but not quite as much as the Toro.  That might change as I will certainly try to sample more of these in the future. It’s a nice

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little size.  

 

Finally, it’s Bricktoberfest this month, and J.C. Newman has come out with a special Bricktoberfest 2022 Brick House cigar, a pigtailed 6″ x 52 cigar, a limited edition with a Nicaraguan wrapper from Jalapa and dual binders from Estelí and Condega over Nicaraguan fillers. The are running a promotion where if you buy 7 cigars you get a boot-shaped beer glass, which they erroneously call “Das Boot”.  Of course, in German, Das Boot means “The Boat”. It should be “der Stiefel”, but the boot shaped glasses have a long history for some reason.  Some stories about military hazings involving drinking beer out of an actual boot or something. The cigar was quite good, and I like the Bri

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ck House line, especially the maduro. I found it quite enjoyable, it’s a fairly straightforward cigar, but what it has tastes good to the end.  

 

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

 

CigarCraig

 

 

 

 

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by | October 4, 2022 · 6:34 pm

News: Tobacco Plaza Launches Website

I was talking with Danny Ditkowich and he mentioned to me that his store, Tobacco Plaza in Great Neck, NY, just launched a website.  They have several store exclusive cigars that people have been calling the store to order, and the website became a necessity.  Some of the cigars they have are the Tatuaje TP DD, a 6” x 60 Torpedo, and

the Tobacco Plaza 50th Anniversary Quesada Keg, another 6” x 60.  The site is https://tobaccoplazany.com/ .  

Tobacco Plaza is also a great place to get La Sirena cigars, which,

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of course, are some of my favorites.  I like just about every cigar in their line.  The new Mexican Mermaid is exceptional, and the classic line is one I go to frequently. 

That’s all for today, until

the next time,

CigarCraig

 

 

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by | October 2, 2022 · 10:41 am

Villiger Miami and Exclusivo USA and an Abuelo Cigar

It’s raining, 54 degrees and I’m not having a cigar on the porch as I type this.  Autumn is here. Soon I’ll have to close in the porch for the winter, because, you know, I need to have a comfortable place to smoke! Over the last few days I’ve enjoyed some cigars, let’s talk about them a bit. When I was at the PCA show I talked to my old friend Rene Castenada, who is the president of Villiger North America.  Rene gave me a pair of their  Villiger Miami Laguito No. 1 cigars, and I  received another pair in the mail later.  This blend originated as Rene’s special cigar to gift people, and is being released as a limited edition. in this Lancero size (7½” x 38) and a Robusto, made in the ABAM factory in Santo Domingo, DR. The wrapper is Ecuador (Connecticut Desflorado), and the fillers and binder are Dominican. I shouldn’t really care for this blend, but I really enjoyed it.  It was kind of nutty with some sweetness. Like the Joya de Nicaragua Numero Uno, it’s a really good cigar that is accessible to most palates.  I smoke Lanceros very slowly, so as not to overheat them, which brings up a point I often make about the small ring myth.  Small ring cigars taste different because they burn hotter, it has nothing to do with some magical ratio.  Tobacco flavor is dependant on varietal and primings, wrapper tobacco isn’t some special leaf with loads more flavor than the rest of the components of a cigar. Small ring cigars can taste sharper and be perceived differently because of the temperature of the combustion. I get so tired of the myth of the wrapper to filler ratio. Watch the ash on this one, it’s a bit messy! 

 

This week I got another new cigar from Villiger.  This one, the Villiger Exclusivo USA, is made at La Zona, like their TAA release.  This was a box pressed toro, and it also comes in a box pressed torpedo. I like the sizes, 6″ x 52 and 54 respectively.  The make-up of this one is a Nicaraguan Habano Rosado wrapper, Jalapa Binder and Esteli, Jalapa and

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Condega fillers, making it a Nicaraguan Puro.   I’m a fan of a lot of Espinosa’s La Zona offerings, this one is no different.  It’s a really good tasting Nicaraguan cigar, with some Espresso notes and sweetness.  I liked it, maybe not as much as the TAA cigar, but it was really quite good. I’m not real sure of Villiger’s presence around the world in the premium cigar space, obviously they are huge in the “mass market” cigars internationally. I kind of thought a lot of their premium cigars were US exclusives!

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Yesterday I smoked an Abuelo Nieto, which I had been looking forward to trying for quite some time.  This is a cigar from United Cigar Group, made by Julio Eiroa celebrating Dave Garofalo’s grandparenthood.  It’s funny to see guys my age and older becoming grandparents for the first time, I’ve been at it for eleven years!  Anyway, I’ve heard rave reviews of this cigar, I was anticipating a great ex

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perience.  It’s a good cigar, well made, good flavors. It didn’t bowl me over, it was just very nice.  I think I’d opt for any number of Aladino cigars over this, but I like the branding, and appreciate the sentiment!  

 

That’s all for today. I’m hoping that this week is a little bit lighter on the news than last week was.  There were a ew items I didn’t post, some because I didn’t find them interesting, and some that I just didn’t get around to.  I’m not dedicated to news, so I pick and choose.  Anyway, I’v

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e got some stuff to do on this rainy Sunday, until the next time, 

 

CigarCraig

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by | September 30, 2022 · 8:28 pm

News: Announcing Blackened Cigars “M81” by Drew Estate

Maybe I’m late to the party, but here’s the news from Drew Estate about the new brand they launched on the Freestyle Live event Wednesday.  I’ve smoked the samples in the pack, and I personally enjoyed the Toro most of the three.  Very interesting cigars!

 

Blackened Cigars “M81” By Drew Estate

BLACKENED Cigars “M81” by Drew Estate is a passion project that brings together three immensely talented and vastly experienced cigar enthusiasts—Jonathan Drew, Founder and President of Drew Estate; James Hetfield, Metallica co-founder, singer and guitarist; and Rob Dietrich, the Master Distiller and Blender of BLACKENED American Whiskey. The collaboration began with Hetfield and Dietrich, who frequently enjoy cigars together.

 

“It is really a fun social thing for me, a fellowship, to have a few buddies sit around with a few sticks,” Hetfield says. “My buddy, Rob Dietrich, BLACKENED’s Master Distiller, and I frequently enjoy cigars together and he introduced me to Jonathan from Drew Estate. The three of us connected and shared each other’s vision and story about where we’ve been, what we like to see and what is important to us now, and we all came up with what a BLACKENED ‘M81’ Cigar would look and taste like. I love the Maduro leaf and I’m super excited for everyone to try this.”

Having been friends for well over a decade, Dietrich and Drew always wanted to combine their talents to collaborate on something special, and this seemed to be the perfect opportunity. Samples from the Drew Estate portfolio were sent to Hetfield and Dietrich who kept cigar journals to critique the cigars and identify what they liked and disliked about each one. After two years of enjoying and sampling cigars together, the group decided on the exact flavor profile that would become BLACKENED Cigars “M81” by Drew Estate.

 

“This was a project that was purely born from passion …for music, for fellowship, for life, and all the in-between moments within,” says Dietrich. “James, Jonathan and I worked together to create what we feel like is the perfect cigar. The result is truly a monster of flavor—all-maduro, designed with definitive depth for darker and bolder palates.”

 

BLACKENED Cigars “M81” by Drew Estate presents a journey through different Maduro leaves, starting with a thick and oily Maduro wrapper that’s grown in the rich volcanic soil of Mexico’s San Andres Valley. The blend includes a thick and meaty Connecticut River Valley Broadleaf Maduro binder and a filler blend of Nicaraguan and Pennsylvania Broadleaf Maduro tobaccos, including the boldest Pennsylvania Broadleaf ligero in Drew Estate’s vast tobacco inventory. Maduro to the Core, BLACKENED Cigars “M81” by Drew Estate is dark, bold, rich and powerful with alluring notes of espresso, leather and dark chocolate.

 

“Hetfield, Dietrich, and the DE team have dedicated an immense amount of time into this historic brand,” adds Drew. “BLACKENED Cigars ‘M81’ by Drew Estate reveals layer-after-layer of Maduro’s deepest, darkest, most magical, and mysterious character that narrates a defining story of just one thing … passion!!!”

 

Presented in beautiful copper-accented black 20-count boxes, BLACKENED Cigars “M81” by Drew Estate debuts in four sizes: Robusto (5 x 50), Toro (6 x 52), Corona Doble (7 x 50), and Corona (5 x 43). Exclusively available to Drew Diplomat Program participants beginning on Sept. 29, BLACKENED Cigars “M81” by Drew Estate’s MSRPs are: $183/box or $9.15/cigar for the Corona; $189/box or $9.45/cigar for the Robusto; $197/box or $9.85/cigar for the Toro; and $207/box or $10.35/cigar for the Corona Doble.

 

 

 

 

ABOUT ROB DIETRICH

Rob Dietrich is the Master Distiller and Blender of BLACKENED American Whiskey, and the former Master Distiller for Stranahan’s Colorado Whiskey. Dietrich has more than 15 years in the industry and is well-regarded for his unique limited-release, cask finish expressions such as Snowflake, Sherry Cask and more recently, the Masters of Whiskey series. Dietrich is responsible for every aspect of production and is committed to not only maintaining the original recipe of BLACKENED, using artisanal methods and a handcrafted approach, but is also dedicated to creating contemporary and unique world-class whiskey. Dietrich initially learned the art and science of distilling from legendary distiller Jess Graber whom he proudly calls his mentor. His passion for music was honed throughout 10 years spent in the music business, beginning with working with Bill Graham Presents, and also as a freelance agent for a variety of venues like Colorado’s Red Rocks Amphitheater and The Fillmore in San Francisco and Denver, as well as producing and managing many tours and festivals. He is a veteran of the U.S. Army’s 10th Mountain Division and served from 1992 to 1995. His two tours in Somalia, as well as relief operations in Haiti, helped shape his life-affirming philosophy.

 

ABOUT SWEET AMBER DISTILLING CO.

Established in 2018, Sweet Amber Distilling Co. is a producer of hand-crafted spirits. Helmed by Co-Founder and CEO John Bilello, Sweet Amber launched with the creation of BLACKENED—a masterful collaboration between late whiskey luminary Dave Pickerell and rock icons Metallica, which is now available in all 50 states and parts of Canada, with plans to expand rapidly. Sweet Amber is a nimble, dynamic organization that is completely virtual, allowing a greater flexibility, efficiency, and geographic coverage across the U.S. with depth of experience in the spirits and music industries.

 

ABOUT METALLICA

Formed in 1981 by drummer Lars Ulrich and guitarist/vocalist James Hetfield, Metallica has become one of the most influential and successful rock bands in history, having sold nearly 120 million albums worldwide and generating more than 15 billion streams while playing to millions of fans on all seven continents.

The band’s several multi-platinum studio albums include Kill ‘Em All, Ride The Lightning, Master of Puppets, … And Justice for All, Metallica (commonly referred to as The Black Album), Load, Re-Load, St. Anger, Death Magnetic, and most recently Hardwired…to Self-Destruct, released in November 2016 and charting at #1 in 32 countries. Metallica’s awards and accolades include nine Grammy Awards, two American Music Awards, multiple MTV Video Music Awards and a 2009 induction into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. In June of 2018, the band was awarded one of the most prestigious musical honors in the world: Sweden’s Polar Music Prize.

 

ABOUT DREW ESTATE

Founded in 1996 in the DUMBO neighborhood of Brooklyn, New York, Drew Estate has singlehandedly defined modern day cigar culture through a hard-hitting, authentic, bottom-up approach to lifestyle branding and culture building. Our mission and manifesto is “The Rebirth of Cigars,” which we amplify through our uncanny authenticity, high energy and through deeply-loved brands produced from La Gran Fabrica Drew Estate in Estelí, Nicaragua, such as: ACID, 20 Acre Farm, Deadwood, Factory Smokes, Herrera Estelí, Isla del Sol, Kentucky Fire Cured, Liga Privada, Nica Rustica, Pappy Van Winkle Barrel Fermented Cigars, Tabak Especial and Undercrown; and the celebrated Barn Smoker, Cigar Safari and Freestyle Live experiential events. Learn more about our story and our brands by visiting Drew Estate.

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