by | June 16, 2021 · 10:45 pm

A German Engineered Cigar, a Couple Drunk Chicken Cigars and the Contest Winner!

I smoked some new, lesser known, cigars this week, the first of which were some of the new NN01 cigars from German Engineered Cigars. Five years ago I wrote about the Rauchvergnügen cigar, the company’s first cigar. This new cigar is made at Tabacalera William Ventura in the Dominican Republic, and the components are undisclosed. The cigar is presented in one vitola, a 7″ x 48 Churchill, with a milk chocolate colored wrapper. By the way, the NN stands for “not named”, which is a name, isn’t it? In the past, I’ve had mixed results with cigars from this factory, in both personal taste and construction. In true German engineering form, the two samples I smoked were perfectly constructed, and burned well. I take that back, the first sample needed slight corrections a few times, but it hadn’t been in the humidor too long. They are very pretty cigars. I found them to be solidly medium bodied and smooth, with a nice sweetness, and a very pl

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easant smoke. The whole “German Engineered” thing is gimmicky, but if the cigars are good, who am I to say?

 

Since we have some chickens, I thought it would be fun to buy some of the Drunk Chicken Cigars and give them a try. This company describes itself as female/minority/veteran owned, and the cigars are made in the USA. They sell direct to consumer on their website and offer five varieties, of which I bought two, the original Drunk Chicken Cigars DCO in a 5½” x 50 Robusto and the Fat Hen, a 4″ x 60 torpedo. I have no idea wh

ere these are made, and didn’t take the time to conta

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ct the owner and ask, although one source I talked to who did ask said that the response he got was vague. Both cigar were well made. The Maduro was very good, it has a Mexican wrapper, Ecadoran binder and Nicaraguan Ligero filler (what else? it can’t all be ligero, can it? I guess it can…). This was a good Mexican Maduro cigar with some reasonable strength, but not too much, with a unique meatiness. There was a little something that made it unique, which I appreciated, considering it could easily be seen as a gimmick cigar. I’m curious about it being made in the US and being $10, but all told I was impressed and pleased with my purchase.

 

The other cigar I bought from Drunk Chicken Cigars was the Fat Hen in the Torpedo Shorty vitola. This is a 4″ x 60 torpedo, which I selected over the 6″ x 60 Gordo just for a change of pace. These have a Nicaraguan Habano wrapper, Ecuadoran binder and fillers from Ecuador and the Dominican Republic. My only disappointment with this cigar was the short smoking time, but I guess that’s what I got them for, although I thought it would smoke longer than the 45 minutes that it lasted. As I said, it was well constructed and smoked well. It had a nice spice and woody flavors. I showed it to one of my chickens and she tried to peck the cap off for me. Chickens will  chase each other around with a piece of silicon caulk, so they aren’t too smart. Good cigar, Maybe I should have gotten the Gordos. It’s always good to have some short smokes around. 

 

Contest!

 

OK, time to choose a winner! I’ve been tossing some cigars in the prize bags this week, I threw in an Undercrown Toro, and a couple Tabak Lonsdales. I’m sure a few more will fall into the box before it goes out. I don’t have to use Random.org anymore, Google has a random number generator now, and it selected Mitchell Smith, who asked about the Flow cigar pictured in the prize pack. I typically don’t comment in contest posts because it messes with my system, so I’ll answer him here. The Flow is a new line from Danli Hondura Tobacco, and I’m going to be featuring it here soon with my thoughts. So far I’m a fan, as I’ve enjoyed all the cigars I’ve smoked from that company. I’m still trying to get information about the blend. Anyway, Mitchell, please send me your information so I can pack all this cool stuff up and send it your way!  Thanks to everyone for reading along as always! 

 

Until the next time, 

 

CigarCraig

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by | June 13, 2021 · 10:03 am

A La Gloria Cubana Media Tiempo, a Karl Malone Cigar and a Diesel Crucible

Last Sunday we were dropping off our grandkids at their house, and stopped in to the nearby Wooden Indian Tobacco Shop for a quick little shopping trip. Up until very recently, the Wooden Indian was only doing curbside service, so it had been nearly eighteen months since I’d been in the store. Dan and Deanna were working the store, and left us to browse the large walk-in humidor.  I managed to find a few cigars I hadn’t smoked yet and smoked a few of them this week. The first of which was the La Gloria Cubana Media Tiempo. I picked up the Toro, naturally, attractively priced in the neighborhood of $7.50 (in PA). This is an interesting blend in that it features the Connecticut Habano Media Tiempo, which are the leaves that sometimes sprout above the ligero, Ecuador Sumatra wrapper, Connecticut Broadleaf binder, and fillers from Honduras Nicaragua and the DR. You’d think the Media Tiempo would be stronger than Ligero, but the cigar is actually a medium bodied cigar, they’ve managed the proportions in such a way as to balance it very nicely. I really, really enjoyed this cigar, I think it’s one of the better La Gloria Cubana Cigars to come out in recent years. I really like the LGC Esteli too, but this one is quite good, harkening back to the LGCs of old. I’ll be adding more of these to my La Gloria humidor (and yes, I have one humidor that just contains La Glorias, and old Foundry cigars).  

 

Last year when I went to the TPE show, Karl Malone was the keynote speaker at the opening meeting, and gave quite a good presentation. He stated right up front that we wasn’t there to talk about sports or basketball, he was there to talk about cigars and the cigar business. Obviously,  his booth at the show was one of the busier boothes, and I didn’t get a chance to meet him or get a sample of the Barrel Aged by Karl Malone cigar, so when I saw them at WI, I grabbed a couple. This cigar is made at La Aurora, and has Ecuador wrapper and binder, and fillers from Peru, Dominican Republic and Nicaragua. I have to say, the wrapper is mottled and not pretty on this cigar. I picked up the Belicoso, which is a 6 ¼” x 52 torpedo actually. Every time I smoke a cigar from La Aurora I mention, almost apologetically, that I’m hit or miss with them. I feel an obligation to like them, but often times I’m not a fan. This was a good cigar. I rather enjoyed it, ugly wrapper notwithstanding. The wrapper being attractive might have put me off if I hadn’t known something about the cigar , honestly, so it’s not unreasonable to think that  appearance is important. Put a different band on this and put it in a bundle and it wouldn’t look out of place. in the parlance of today’s youth, “just sayin’ “. As we know, you can’t judge a book by it’s cover, beauty is only skin deep, and whatever other cheesy cliché you want to use, this was a tasty smoke. It has some sweetness and wood, possibly from the tobaccos’ six months aging in rum barrels, and some earthiness. It definitely had a La Aurora signature flavor that I recognized, and I enjoyed the cigar. Not being a basketball fan, and being generally cynical about “celebrity” cigars, I don’t know how this will do, but after hearing him speak, and knowing that he has a cigar shop and lounge in partnership with his daughter, I trust his commitment. At the least it’s not just some endorsed cigar, he put a lot of family thought and passion into the project.

 

Finally, as I was browsing around, Deanna was putting away some cigars and happend to ask if I had smoked the Diesel Crucible, which is a special edition, the third in the series which included the Hair of the Dog (which I liked), and the Delirium (which I really liked). I was happy that Deanna recommended this cigar for two reasons: first, I hadn’t smoked it and the idea of sampling it appealed to me (duh), and second, my wife had been searching the humidor for cigars with very specific criteria for her cigar band table projects, that being bands with the current year on it. The Crucible just so happens to have a foot band stating Limited Edition 2021. So this cigar ticked two boxes. This is a 6″ x 52 box pressed cigar, Ecuador Habano wrapper, Nicaraguan binder and Honduran and Nicaraguan fillers. The press info states that the cigar “takes a sophisticated approach to strength. There are so many intricacies with this blend, it’s like a new experience with every draw.” per Justin Andrews. I can’t agree, not that I have a sophisticated palate. The initial full frontal palate assault numbed my taste buds. This was extremely reminiscent of the Diesel Esteli Puro in strength. Full on Jalapeńo pepper for the first inch, then it either mellowed out of the palate just surrendered, not sure which. Now, I’m not saying I didn’t enjoy the cigar, but I think it was just unnecessarily strong. I considered a second cigar as it was early yet, but then I thought “why bother”, not going to be able to taste anything, so I went and got a bowl of ice cream and called it a night. I didn’t not enjoy the cigar, once it calmed down I liked it, but I dared not pass smoked through my sinus cavity. Gotta stick with the Delirium as my favorite of the trilogy here, and probably the Sherry Cask as my favorite Diesel overall.

 

Everyone needs to go back to my last post and enter the contest (except those who already have).  Lots of cool stuff there! That’s all for today! 

 

Until the next time, 

 

CigarCraig

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by | June 9, 2021 · 9:28 pm

Contest! Drew Estate Swag and Some Cigars From My Humidor

OK, I’ve been teasing a contest for too long, and it’s been way too long since I’ve had a giveaway! So it’s time! I’ve had some goodies here that My friends at Drew Estate were kind enough to provide for me, and I’ll scrape together some Drew Estate cigars from my humidor to add as well. I’m sure I’ll find some more to throw in as the week goes by too! As it stands, here’s the stuff!

 

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There’s the Freestyle Live Travel Humidor, Xikar cutter and torch lighter! I’m also including a cool pair of cigar socks courtesy of Groovy Groomsmen Gifts! These are the “Sock it To ‘Em” style socks and are very nice socks! I’m also including a selection of cigars from my humidor, a bunch of my favorites, from La Sirena, Danli Honduras Tobacco, Joya de Nicaragua, General Cigar and J.C.Newman, as well as others to be added later, and at my whim. 

 

As with all my giveaways, the rules are simple. First, you need to be of legal age in your jurisdiction, and willing to prove it if you win. To enter, simply leave a comment on this blog post, one per person. No Facebook or Twitter comments will count, just comments on this blog post! I’ll select a winner next Wednesday, June 16, 2021. That’s it, easy stuff. Good luck!

 

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

 

CigarCraig

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by | June 6, 2021 · 8:13 am

More Ortega Cigars: The Jalapa, M3 and Cubao

I worked on finishing off the Ortega sampler that I ordered, so far I have my favorites, and I still have the Serie D Connecticut yet to smoke (I’ll probably smoke it today). I found a Cult cigar from a few years ago in my humidor which is made at the same factory which I may smoke later as well. The Cult cigars were made for Quality Importers, where, ironically, Eddie Orega spent a short time working, which may explain his association with the TACASA factory. I started out with the Jalapa Habano, which has a plain band which is reminiscent of another brand, and I hope that doesn’t cause any problems down the line. This was a tasty cigar, fairly heavy on the spice, which I wasn’t expecting. The wrapper is a Jalapa Habano, the binder is San Andrés and the fillers are Nicaraguan. I enjoyed this cigar, and I’m really interested in smoking the Maduro version, and I’ll order some once they show available on the website. I notice a lot of things are out of stock on the site right now, I’ll ask Eddie when he’s expecting a shipment. He does seem to have the samplers available though!  Anyway, the Jalapa Habano was a good smoke. 

 

The M3 Habano was next, and it has the same wrapper as the Jalapa, with difference being the binder which is is from Nicaragua in this case and the fillers from Nicaragua. This was a bit less spicy, but also had a little kick. Something I notice with the entire range of cigars is that either they all seem to burn a little faster than I’m used to, or maybe time is just passing faster this week. It’s not as if they are loosely rolled or anything, they all have burned perfectly, I don’t know the answer. Perhaps it’s just the style in which they are made. It could just be that they are good and they are gone and leaving me wanting more. Let’s go with that. Again, I’d be interested in trying the Maduro version. 

 

Finally, and perhaps my favorite of the bunch next to the Serie D Maduro, is the Cubao Habano. This is one of

the original brands from EO Brands that was originally made by Pepin Garcia. It’s now being offered in four wrappers, Habano, Maduro, Sumatra and Cameroon. I’ll take a sampler of Cubao please! If I had any complaint it would be that my device spellchecked “Cubao” to Cuban” and I didn’t catch it and had to edit m

y social media posts. The Cubao Habano hit my palate just right. It had the perfect balance of sweetness, spice and earthiness. I dug it. I smoked it later than usual, and it wasn’t so strong as to cause me any more trouble sleeping than usual. This was a terrific smoke and I greatly enjoyed it. I’m tempted to shop for some five packs as the Cubao seem to be in stock. Good stuff from a great guy. I’m looking forward to smoking that Serie D Connecticut later! 

 

I still have to put together a contest, I’ve been slacking! I’ll work on that. There’s a chance I’ll be talking to Kaplowitz on his Instagram Live or Facebook Live this afternoon, so keep an eye out for that (he’s very entertaining). Until the next time, 

 

CigarCraig

 

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by | June 2, 2021 · 10:27 pm

A Few Ortega Serie D Cigars

As I mentioned in my Sunday post, Ortega Cigars is a new partner on the site. I purchased the sampler that’s featured in the ad that’s running currently, and it arrived promptly. It’s an amazing deal, I almost feel guilty recommendi

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ng it, as it must be a big losing proposition. Anyway, Like I said before, I’ve known Eddie Ortega for many years. I believe I met Eddie at a local shop here when he had a 601 La Bomba Event, back when they were made by Pepin Garcia. It was about ten years ago because my then 21 year old son was with me and he had his first taste of Zacapa rum courtesy of Eddie. I’ve only made it through three of the seven cigars so far, but I’m pleased with the new offerings. The first cigar I tried out of the pack was the Seri

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e D Habano. This was a powerful cigar with a lot of pepper. It has an Ecuador Habano wrapper, Indonesian binder and Nicaraguan fillers. I don’t remember the old version being this spicy, but this one was very good if that’s the kind of cigar you like. All the cigars in the sampler are the toro vitola, which, of course, is great for me. The burn and draw were perfect. 

 

The second one I tried was the Serie D Black. I think I remember this cigar coming out at the tail end of Eddie’s first go around, and I wanted to try it but never got the chance. The Serie D Black sounds like it should be a maduro cigar, but it isn’t. It has an Ecuador Habano wrapper, Nicaraguan binder and fillers. While this is very close in make-up to the Serie D Habano, it was very different in flavor, much smoother and mellower. This was a pretty nice cigar! 

 

Tonight I smoked the Serie D Maduro, a sharply box pressed toro with a San Andrés wrapper, Indonesian binder and Nicaraguan fillers. This is probably the Ortega cigar with which I was the most familiar, obviously it’s been years since I’ve smoked one. I still have one left, although there’s no sense trying to compare a several year old cigar to a new one. Eddie’s using a different factory, TACASA S.A., which has made cigars in the past for Veritas, as well as having worked with Quality Importers, where Eddie worked at one time and who distributed Ortega cigars a few years ago. The new Serie D Maduro is a tasty Mexican Maduro, with some spice and rich earthiness. 

 

I still have four cigars to go in the sampler, I’m interested in the Serie D Connecticut, not that I typically gravitate toward Connecticuts, but I don’t recall that wrapper in the original lineup and I’m curious to see how it smokes. The Cubao was a great cigar that I look forward to revisiting as well and the M3 and Jalapa look really interesting, both featuring Jalapa tobacco. I’m excited. Welcome back Ortega Cigars! 

 

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

 

CigarCraig

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