CigarCraig's Blog

by Craig Vanderslice | March 24, 2022 · 6:25 pm

News: Diesel to Release Fool’s Errand

I like a lot of the Diesel cigars, as a matter of fact, I smoked an Unholy Cocktail just last night. I think that was the first Diesel. There’s been a few here and there that I wasn’t fond of, the original Whiskey Row I didn’t get, for instance, but I really like the Sherry Cask. I look forward to giving this new series a shot.

Diesel will roll out a new trilogy that blends storytelling, interactivity, and cigar mastery in one. Called ”Fool’s Errand,” the new, limited edition release will ship to retailers on April 1.

Justin Andrews, who oversees Scandinavian Tobacco Group’s (STG) cigar collaborations and the Diesel brand says, “AJ Fernandez and I recently completed the Elixir trilogy and in that time, Diesel fans grew accustomed to our cool approach to limited edition cigars. We’re keeping the tradition alive with ‘Fool’s Errand.’ It’s our next three-year series, and we’ll launch it annually to kick off spring. With Fool’s Errand, we’re taking it to the next level by adding an interactive game to the mix. As far as the blends for Fool’s Errand go, we definitely won’t disappoint.”

The first Fool’s Errand release is called “Stubborn Fool.” Blended by AJ Fernandez and Justin Andrews, this full-bodied expression is made with a highly-sought-after Connecticut Broadleaf that has been used in previous Diesel releases. The filler is a hardy blend of Honduran and Nicaraguan tobaccos beneath a Honduran Jamastran binder. In Stubborn Fool, dark chocolate, coffee, leather, cedar and light spice come together on the palate for an invigorating smoking experience.

Stubborn Fool is being released in one size, a 5” x 58 perfecto chosen because it “expresses the blend well,” according to AJ and Justin.

For the premiere of the Fool’s Errand series, the Stubborn Fool character will be introduced via a collectible tarot card inside the box. The card contains a QR code that, when activated, will launch an interactive game which invites the cigar smoker to complete the Stubborn Fool’s errand by solving a series of riddles. Special Diesel Fool’s Errand prizes created specifically for the Stubborn Fool character will be awarded at random to the top 10 participants.

In addition to the annually-released blends, new characters will be introduced annually for the next two years to complete the trilogy.

Justin Andrews hints, “The opposite of a fool is someone who’s wise, so if a wise person were to buy a box of Stubborn Fool smokes, they would put the tarot card in a safe place for the future…”

Diesel Fool’s Errand Stubborn Fool is handmade at Tabacalera AJ Fernandez in Esteli, Nicaragua. The cigars will come in 10-count boxes.

Diesel Fool’s Errand Stubborn Fool (5” x 58); SRP per cigar $9.99

Diesel cigars are produced by Scandinavian Tobacco Group and distributed by Forged Cigar Company.

About Diesel

Handcrafted by artisans in Esteli, Nicaragua, Diesel cigars are “bold by design.” The brand challenges the current conventions of the handmade cigar category through the bold, unapologetic style of its Cigar Master, AJ Fernandez. Diesel cigars are unified by their deeply complex flavor which is achieved through AJ’s steadfast adherence to time honored cigar making techniques and his insistence on using the highest quality tobacco. The Diesel portfolio includes Hair of the Dog which was released in 2019; Whiskey Row which launched two expressions, one in 2019 and one in 2018, and Diesel Grind which debuted in 2017. For more information, visit www.dieselcigars.com.

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by Craig Vanderslice | March 20, 2022 · 10:25 am

Smoking Some Black Label Trading Co. Gordos

Friday evening I picked up a selection of Black Label Trading Company cigars in the 6″ x 60 size. I actually don’t mind the 6″ x 60 format, it’s not my go-to, but I don’t shy away from it. I think if it’s done right, buy the right maker, it works, and if it fits into the time I have, it’s perfect. This five-pack of cigars had been sitting in a display of samplers on the counter at Son’s for quite a while, and it intrigued me, so I sprung for it. I smoked four out of the five, the Lawless will have to wait for another time. I started with the Emilio Cavatina on a fresh palate. I never smoked the original Cavatina, although I smoked a lot of the other original Emilios, and still have a couple AF1 and 2, Grimalkin, etc. in the humidor that are going on ten years old. This Cavatina was a delicious cigar. It has an Ecuador Maduro wrapper, Nicaraguan Habano wrapper, and Nicaraguan fillers. It had some nice cocoa and sweetness with a little spice. Thoroughly enjoyable. I’m certainly going to try other sizes.

Later in the evening I lit up the Last Rites. I’m not sure if I’ve smoked this line in the past or not, I know I’ve smoked the Viaticum, but that’s different, and this was the first time I’ve smoked anything from BLTC in 6 ring gauge. The Last Rites seems to have a similar wrapper to the Emilio, Ecuador Maduro, with a Honduran binder and a blend of Honduran and Nicaraguan fillers. As this was my second cigar of the evening, and I was doing some other things, it was hard to put too fine a point on tasting notes, but I never do anyway. It was a great cigar. Very full flavored and earthy, along with the coffee/cocoa flavors I like. Right up my alley. I could have squeezed three gordos into my 6 hour shift, but I really didn’t want to. I like to rest a little in between cigars.

Saturday afternoon I went with the Royalty. This one has an Ecuador Corojo wrapper, Honduran binder and Nicaraguan fillers. Now, this cigar has a lighter wrapper than the others, not as light as a shade grown wrapper. The Royalty has a brighter flavor than the other cigars represented here. It still has the full flavors of coffee and spice, but maybe with a little cream and sugar to take the edge off. I really enjoyed smoking this cigar on a beautiful Saturday afternoon. This is another cigar I’ll try in a toro or robusto.

Last night I went back to the darker wrappers, and smoked the Salvation. This 6″ x 60 has what they call an Ecuadoran Sungrown wrapper, Honduran binder and Nicaraguan fillers. Ecuadoran Sungrown confuses me a little, because I thought the whole appeal of growing in Ecuador was the frequent cloud cover that replicates growing under cheesecloth, or shade, reducing the labor costs. This was another cigar that suits my palate well, it’s dark, rich and heavy on the espresso and spice. I may smoke the Lawless today, or I may put it away for another day, probably the latter, but I have some general observations about this little experiment of mine. First, like I said, I don’t have a problem with 6″ x 60s, and these didn’t seem to compromise any thing for flavor or construction. All burned perfectly and had a good draw. My go-to remains a Toro. I find a general consistency in a lot of the BLTC cigars, probably because my palate lacks the sophistication to pick up subtle differences, but I think a lot of their dark cigars taste very much the same to me. that b

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eing said, I really

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like that taste, so I’m very happy with ev

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erything I smoke with a BLTC or Black Works band, I just don’t have to worry too much

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about what I grab! Makes life a little easier for me I guess. Gives me something to work on, and since I have a broad range available to me I’ll work my way through. Great cigars, nice people, I like.

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

CigarCraig

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Tagged as Black Label Trading Company, Cavatina, cigar, cigars, Emilio, Last Rites, Oveja Negra, Royalty, Salvation

by Craig Vanderslice | March 19, 2022 · 9:17 am

News: Drew Estate Releases New Gordo Size Pappy Van Winkle Barrel Fermented Exclusively for the Van Winkle Family

Just throwing this out there on a Saturday morning. I really enjoy the Pappy Family Reserve Cigar, it’s almost like a really, really refined Kentucky Fire Cured to me.

Drew Estate and Pappy

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& Company are teaming up once again to add the new Gordo (6 x 60) vitola to the Pappy Van Winkle Family Reserve Barrel Fermented premium cigar line. Crafted for connoisseurs who love large ring gauge cigars, the Gordo will launch on March 19 and will be initially available exclusively on Pappy & Company’s website, pappyco.com, before becoming accessible to Drew Diplomat Program participants nationwide in 2023.

Pappy Van Winkle’s Family Reserve Barrel Fermented cigars are the result of a close collaboration between Jonathan Drew, Founder and President of Drew Estate, and the Van Winkle family to pay homage to Julian “Pappy” Van Winkle and the unparalleled bourbon legacy he began creating more than a century ago. The cigars feature a Tapa Negra-style Kent

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ucky Fire-Cured and barrel-aged wrapper over a Mexican San Andres base wrapper, as well as aged Nicaraguan binder, and Nicaraguan and Kentucky Fire-Cured filler tobaccos. Medium- to full-bodied, Pappy Van Winkle Family Reserve Barrel Fermented cigars offer an ultra-premium smoking experience with notes of coffee, cedar and charred wood and an overall smoky sweetness that pairs perfectly with bourbon, whisky or scotch.

“Pappy Van Winkle Family Reserve Barrel Fermented cigars are a symbol of quality, distinction and rarity, just like our family’s bourbon,” says Carrie Van Winkle Greener, Co-Founder of Pappy & Company “We are proud of our collaboration with Jonathan and the rest of the Drew Estate team to produce a completely one-of-a-kind cigar that deepens our family’s legacy for producing authentic handcrafted high-quality products and expands our already widely popular collection of Barrel Fermented cigars.”

“Pappy Barrel Fermented stands alone as the most difficult, complex blend we have ever produced due to the intricate level of leaf processing in both Kentucky and Louisiana, as well as leaf placement at the factory floor,” adds Jonathan. “Pappy Van Winkle Family Reserve Barrel Fermented is complicated to produce, and this is the singular reason that we produce very few of them.”

Pappy Van Winkle Family Reserve Barrel Fermented Gordo cigars are packaged in 10-count boxes with an MSRP of $175/box or $17.50/cigar. They will be available exclusively at pappyco.com beginning on March 19.

ABOUT DREW ESTATE

Founded in New York City in 1996, Drew Estate has become one of the fastest growing tobacco companies in the world. Under their mantra “The Rebirth of Cigars”, Drew Estate has led the “Boutique Cigar” movement by innovating new elements to the tobacco industry with their unique tobaccos and blending styles that attract new and traditional cigar enthusiasts. In their Gran Fabrica Drew Estate, the Nicaraguan headquarters, Drew Estate produces a variety of brands such as ACID, Herrera Estelí, Herrera Estelí Norteño, Isla del Sol, Kentucky Fired Cured, Liga Privada, MUWAT, Larutan by Drew Estate, Nica Rustica, Pappy Van Winkle Barrel Fermented Cigars, Tabak Especial, Undercrown, Florida Sun Grown, and Java by Drew Estate.

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by Craig Vanderslice | March 17, 2022 · 8:12 pm

News: CAO Presents Pilón Añejo

Here’s some news from General Cigar about a new CAO cigar, which is interesting since Rick Rodriguez recently announced that he will be retiring after 22 years with the company. I’ve known Ricky for a long time, although I never get a call when he’s in the area, like right now! I’d love to have gotten to see him one last time. Maybe he’ll stop by Son’s tomorrow night, but I somehow doubt it. I’ve liked a lot of what he’s done with CAO, and I think his contributions will be missed, to the point where I wonder what will become of the line. I enjoy the Pilón line, I look forward to trying this aged version, especially up against some old Pilóns I have in my humidor!

CAO is set to launch a blend called Pilón Añejo which pairs labor-intensive fermentation and finished cigar aging to deliver a cigar of great depth and character.

The limited-edition line will ship to retailers in April and a total of 5,000 boxes will be released in the US.

CAO Pilón Añejo is made with the same circular pilón fermentation technique as CAO Pilón, the collection that launched in 2015. However, that is where the similarities end. CAO Pilón Añejo features a unique blend of tobaccos that are met with aging after the cigar is finished, to release an intriguingly complex smoke.

Rick Rodriguez, CAO’s blender/ambassador commented, “With CAO Pilón Añejo, we’ve combined pilón fermentation which does such incredible things to the tobacco, with a full two years of aging of the finished cigars. Together, these methods add a whole new dimension to the blend. We’ve ultimately created a layered smoking experience that we could not have achieved through any other processes. This cigar is just a pleasure to smoke, and the team and I are really proud of it.”

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Handcrafted in Honduras at STG’s HATSA factory, CAO Pilón Añejo relies on the pilón process of natural fermentation to heighten the smoking experience and aesthetics of the Cuban seed Ecuadoran Sumatra wrapper. The blend is rich and savory, consisting of Nicaraguan and Dominican fillers, beneath

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a Honduran Habano binder. CAO Pilón Añejo is a medium-to-full-bodied smoke that bears a deep, rich color and an array of notes including wood, earth and toast, with a touch of spice.

CAO Pilón Añejo will be presented in 20-count boxes, in the three sizes listed below.

CAO Pilon Añejo Robusto (5.5” x 54) — SRP per cigar $8.89

CAO Pilon Añejo Toro (6” x 52) — SRP per cigar $8.99

CAO Pilon Añejo Gigante (5.88” x 60) — SRP per cigar $9.29

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by Craig Vanderslice | March 13, 2022 · 10:55 am

Memento Mori and CHC Serie E Cigars and a Short Rant

Friday evening I got back to working at Son’s after a two week hiatus, and the new Memento Mori from Black Works Studio had just come in. Of course, I had to sample one, so I selected the Lonsdale. This cigar has a Pennsylvania Broadleaf wrapper, Ecuador Habano binder and Nicaraguan fillers and starts out smacking you on the face with a load of pepper. This is a fairly heavy cigar, it’s rich, decadent, and loaded with flavor. I think it’s quintessentially Black Label, if that makes sense. I really like this cigar. I’ll certainly be picking up some more of these, they hit my palate just right, although I wouldn’t recommend smoking one on an empty stomach! One of my goals working at Son’s is to smoke more BLTC cigars, since they have a large selection and a great relationship with the company.

I had a whole Op-Ed piece written on the “responsible marketing” stuff that’s been in the cigar news lately, actually it was fairly short. I’ll summarize it here. I think , probably cynically, that the government doesn’t really care about cigars, they just want to see tobacco eradicated. To the brand owners who insist on “having fun” with their marketing by using names and images that could maybe in some way appeal to a child, think about all the people that will be displaced when the government shuts down the industry for a minute. When manufacturers family legacies are destroyed, and their employees families are starving, you can think of all the fun you had selling childishly branded cigars. That will be a pretty cool feeling, I imagine. Not really. By the way, I think “Self Regulation” means be responsible adults and do the right thing, not that there’s going to be a cigar industry rulemaking committee with Jorge Pardón, Carlito Fuente and Pepin Garcia sitting around telling everyone what to do. Let’s resist the urge to draw attention to ourselves, maintain the traditions of this 500 year old art form and not say f*ck the FDA every chance we get, or they are going to f*ck the cigar industry.

Another cigar I picked up was the Crowned Heads CHC Serie E Hermoso No. 2. While I have not typically been enamoured with Crowned heads cigars, or marketing (tho not irresponsible), I have been impressed with cigars made by Tabacalera Pichardo, so I thought I’d give this one a try. This is the cigar with the Eddie Van Halen theme on the band and box, the E in the name stands for Eruption, one of Van Halen’s famous guitar solos. I’m a musician, I’ve never made the connection between cigar flavors and music, but good for Jon Huber for conceptualizing cigars in that manner. Some people smoke in color too. This cigar has an Ecuador Habano oscuro wrapper, a binder from Jalapa, and fillers from Jalapa, ometepe and Pueblo Nuevo. They say where the tobacco is grown, but not the varietal. Pichardo likes using the Pueblo Nuevo tobacco, perhaps that’s a common denominator in cigars I like from that factory. I found this cigar to be thoroughly enjoyable, even delicious. There’s a sweetness, like warm breakfast rolls of some sort, along with some leather and spice. Despite not liking a lot of what Crowned Heads does (even though I like Miguel Schoedel!), I really liked this one.