by | November 4, 2020 · 9:17 pm

News: Diesel Whiskey Row Sherry Cask Released For Holiday 2020

In lieu of my regular Wednesday post I’m going to catch up on a few news items from the last few days in a barrage of posts. Lazy, I know, but it’s been a hectic few days. As the Diesel Whiskey Row Sherry Cask is a favorite of mine, I find this one to be

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particularly exciting.

 

DIESEL RELEASES EXCLUSIVE WHISKEY ROW SHERRY CASK BLEND FOR HOLIDAY 2020

 

Diesel is ringing in the 2020 holiday season with a new twist on its wildly-popular Whiskey Row Sherry Cask blend. Created exclusively for the 2020 holiday season, the barber-pole wrapped cigar comes in just one size, packed in a branded and bonded tabletop whiskey barrel. 

 

The 5” x 56 Gordo bears the blend’s original Connecticut Broadleaf wrapper and is intermixed with a Connecticut Shade wrapper to deliver interludes of unexpected creaminess. The blend was developed by Justin Andrews, blended by AJ Fernandez and is handcrafted at Tabacalera AJ Fernandez in Estelí.

 

Diesel Whiskey Row Sherry Cask calls upon a propri

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etary aging process developed by AJ to deepen the complexity of the blend by barrel-aging the rare Brazilian Alagoas Arapiraca binder leaf in Rabbit Hole’s Pedro Ximénez Sherry barrels. This process brings forth subtle notes of honey, vanilla and molasses. When blended with spicy Nicaraguan Habano leaves and crowned with natural and maduro Connecticut wrappers, the result is a cigar that delivers all the makings of an ideal smoking experience: spice, creaminess, subtle sweetness and complexity. 

The cigars are presented in a keepsake wooden whiskey barrel that holds ten cigars and includes a lid that doubles as an ashtray. This special offer was produced in limited quantities and will sell for a suggested retail price of $124.99 for the cigars and barrel. Diesel Whiskey Row Sherry Cask ship to retailers on October 26, 2020.

The original Diesel Whiskey Row Sherry Cask launched in 2019 and has received critical acclaim, including a 91 rating from Cigar Aficionado, and inclusion in Cigar Snob’s list of the top 25 cigars of 2019.

 

About Diesel

Handcrafted by artisans in Estelí, 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.dieselcigar.com.

 

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by | November 1, 2020 · 10:15 am

Two More Providencia Cigars: Mixtape and G 5:22-23

Today starts my least favorite time of the year, Standard Time. I am not a fan of the winter months, and early darkness. I have gotten the back porch winterized, so that’s something, although I haven’t gotten my propane heaters working yet. They seem to be clogged on some way that I cannot seem to fix. It might be time to consider replacement. Are those kerosene heaters that were all the rage in the 70s still a thing? One of those would work well. The propane seems easier to deal with. Anyway, clocks are messed with, candy has been handed out, I still have to put the storm windows in the front door, but it’s time to come to grips with the unavoidable fact it’s not summer anymore. After the last 8 months, I think I could easily just hibernate and re-emerge next spring. I’ll have to soldier on. I will do so by enjoying fine cigars, and prattling on here about them. To that end, I smoked a few more from Providencia Cigars as promised.

 

The first one was the Providencia Cigars Mixtape. This is the first of what Ray teases as a series of cigars paying homage to the 80s. Ray and I are around the same age, and to my younger readers who may not know what a mixtape is, it’s a playlist recorded on a cassette tape. in the 90’s when rewritable CDs became a thing, it moved to CDs, and now it’s all online.It’s part of the evolution of music sharing. Anyway, the cigar is a round 6″ x 52 toro with a shaggy foot, or a leader in cassette tape terms. The wrapper is Habano, the binder is Nicaraguan and the fillers are Nicaraguan including Ometepe. Like the Detox and Boom, it’s made in Esteli at Tabacalera Flor de San Luis (I believe they made or make Elogio and PIO?). I will say that this was the first Providencia cigar that I found was a little too tightly packed at the head, resulting in a more snug draw than I would like. Not unworkable, but an annoyance, and surprising. The flavor was quite nice though. The Habano wrapper had a sweetness and nuttyness that I like, and there was the interesting spice from the Ometepe that is unique and tasty. I really enjoyed the flavor, I think I’d enjoy it more if the draw were looser. 

 

The last one was the Providencia Cigars G 5:22-23. This seems like a handful of a cigar name. Ray and Jim, the owners of Providencia Cigars, are men of faith, and this is a Biblical reference. it refers to Galatians 5:22-23, which, depending on your translation, says: “22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law. ” I think we can agree that this sentiment transcends religion, and can be applied no matter what your faith, or lack thereof. It can be distilled down to my personal mantra: “don’t be a d*ck”. I probably took that too far, my apologies. The cigar is a Corona Gorda, 6″ x 46, with a closed foot. I came by this revelation too late (like 20 years), but it was suggested that a closed foot cigar might be best lit with a soft flame. I wish I had heard that an hour sooner, I would have tried that with this cigar. I have to try to remember that the next time

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I come across a closed footed cigar. I’ll also have to try to find a soft flame lighter. This cigar has a Habano wrapper, Nicaraguan binder and Peruvian and Ometepe fillers. This cigar had the perfect burn and draw I’m accustomed to with Providencia cigars, and it provided a wondrous smoking experience. The smoking time compared favorably with a Toro, just shy of two hours, and the flavor had the sweetness of the wrapper, and the Peruvian and Ometepe tobaccos played very nicely with one another. There’s some different spiciness that each tobacco has that were complimentary, and

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enjoyable. Considering it was Halloween, there were some flavors that reminded me of some of the obscure candies that maybe kids don’t really like but parents end up eating and enjoying. I’ll find that damn candy one of these days…great smoke, probably not a commercially viable name, but a great smoke.

 

Thanks to Ray for sharing these cigars, as always. I need to pick up some more of the Detox and G 5:22-23 (and another Mixtape or two) for sure. He’ll have to point toward a retailer that has these in the comments!  That’s all for today, until the next time, 

 

CigarCraig 

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by | October 28, 2020 · 9:24 pm

Providencia Detox and Boom Cigars

Ray at Providencia Cigars shared some of his new cigars with me recently, and I smoked two of them this week. I was intrigued by two of them in particular, the Detox and the Boom. Naturally I was drawn to the fact that they were both 6″ x 52 Toros, and they both had dark wrappers. When I looked at the blends, they both had San Andrés wrappers, Nicaraguan binders and fillers from Nicaragua, including Ometepe. All Providencia cigars were made in Honduras, however with Covid causing production delays, they are having cigars made at the Flor de San Luis factory in Esteli. I was anxious to compare these two cigars, the Detox is box pressed with a closed foot, the Boom is round, and has a shaggy foot. On paper, these cigars should saste the same, but this is an exercise in how the shape influences the flavor. Both cigars, like every Providencia cigar I’ve smoked, burned perfectly. The Detox had some power, it had a nice flavor of bitter cocoa and espresso. The Boom, based on it’s name, I expected to be stronger, but actually seemed mellower than the box pressed version, with the same flavors. I can

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‘t say for sure if the blend is exact, except that in a brief conversation with Ray, he simply mentioned the shape contributing to the difference. As with a shaggy footed cigar, the cigar started rather bland until the wrapper started burning, whereas the closed foot on the Detox gave a blast of earthy San Andrés right off the bat. I really enjoyed both of these cigars, but I think I liked the box pressed Detox more than the Boom, it had a little more intense flavor than the Boom. 

 

I have a couple of Providencia‘s Habano offerings up next, I can’t wait to try them. I might even dig into the humidor for some older Providencias. Like I said, whoever’s making their cigars know what they are doing, I’ve never had one that didn’t

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perform perfectly. 

 

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

 

CigarCraig

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by | October 27, 2020 · 7:00 am

News: CAO Presents a New Vision Cigar

CAO proudly presents Vision, a limited edition cigar inspired by the fans of CAO and the tutelage of the brand’s Blender/Ambassador Rick Rodriguez by the legendary Benji Menendez.

 

“Whether traveling across the world visiting cigar shops and even in doing virtual events as I have been for the last several months, the CAO fans always tell me that CAO C

ameroon is one of the absolute best Cameroons on the market. It got me thinking about the time I spent learning the art of leaf primin
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g and selection with Benji Menendez. Back then he loved Cameroon wrapper (he still does, by the way), and he spent a lot of time teaching me which tobaccos are the best for bringing out the Cameroon’s natural sweetness. I’ve never developed my own blend with a Cameroon wrapper, and I thought it was time to do it, to share my take on a Cameroon-wrapped cigar with Benji and the fans of CAO. It’s my way of saying thank you for this amazing career I have in the cigar business,” said Rick Rodriguez.

Rick and the CAO blending te

am in Nicaragua experimented with dozens of combinations before ultimately meeting Rick’s ideal of what CAO Vision should be. Calling upon the knowledge imparted in him by Benji Menendez and based on the preferences of his own seasoned palate, Rick settled on a blend that features tobaccos from three countries and four growing regions.

 

After meticulous selection for aesthetics and flavor, only the finest Cameroon wrapper leaves were chosen for CAO Vision. The delicate, toothy wrapper was placed over an Ecuadoran Sumatra binder and Nicaraguan Habanos fillers from Estelí and Jalapa. The result is an unforgettable cigar that delivers elaborate notes of nuts and spice and culminates in a subtly-sweet finish.

Just as Benji Menendez’s knowledge was a gift to Rick, Vision is a gift to the fans of CAO who continue to support the brand year in and year out. CAO Vision is packaged as such, in a custom-made, 20-count humidor, constructed out of Spanish cedar with piano hinges. The humidor features cascading lights that illuminate the sheen of the Cameroon wrapper and underscore the cigar’s meticulous construction.

 

Handcrafted at STG Estelí in Nicaragua, CAO Vision will be rele

ased in just one size, a 7” x 50 Churchill called Vision which will sell for a suggested retail price of $18.99 per cigar. For the U.S. market, 2,500 boxes will be made available beginning on November 9.

In support of the brand’s popularity in export markets, CAO will release 2,000 boxes of Vision to select retailers in Europe and Asia.

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by | October 25, 2020 · 10:39 am

An E.P. Carrillo Pledge Cigar, Some Drew Estate News and The Contest Winner

My last visit to the cigar shop had me procuring some new cigars, the last of which was the E.P. Carrillo Pledge. They had both sizes, the 5″ x 50 Pequel and the 6″ x 52 Sojourn, of course I selected the Sojourn. It’s funny, there was a time when I opted for the robusto every time, and I’m not sure it wasn’t cost over preference. I think as I’ve gotten older (I’m hesitant to say “matured”), I’ve valued the experience over the cost, and I prefer the experience I get with a toro. Sure there are times when a Robusto fits my schedule better, I might smoke a couple today, but it’s because I have so damned many of them in my humidors and I usually find myself unfulfilled when I finish one. Anyway, back to the Pledge Sojourn. This cigar has a Connecticut Havana seed wrapper which may or may not be grown in Massachusetts, depending on the source of information. I’ve seen tobacco farms in Massachusetts, so it’s totally possible. It’s a dark wrapper, and it’s beautiful. The binder is from Ecuador and the filers are from Nicaragua. Of course it’s made in La Alianza, Ernesto’s factory in the DR. I forgot to check my band to see if it’s signed, Ernie signed six of each size and if someone finds one they win a humidor. Hang on, be right back. Nope, no golden ticket for me! It was a 1 in 1250 shot. I bet Kameron at the shop checked them all, the band came off awfully easy 😁.  I kid. This is a delicious cigar with a beautiful burn and draw. It’s full bodied and full flavored. It has some cocoa and pepper, and I might have initially mistaken it for broadleaf, but it wasn’t as sweet. As a longtime fan of EPC’s work, I am once again impressed, this is another winner. Considering how rarely I spend $12 on a cigar, this one is worth every penny. Yum.

 

Here’s some news from the folks at Drew Estate that I was too lazy to post separately a few days ago:

 

Drew Estate announces today that it will donate $50,000 to Operation: Cigars for Warriors (CFW) during its virtual Barn Smoker Live event, which will broadcast direct

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ly from the Florida Sun Grown farm in Clermont, Fla., on Drew Estate’s Facebook page (facebook.com/drewestatecigar) on Nov. 14, from 2 p.m. to 5 p.m.

 

Due to COVID-19, Drew Estate cancelled the five Barn Smoker events that had been planned for 2020 in Connecticut, Kentucky, Pennsylvania, Louisiana and Florida. Instead, Drew Estate decided to Bring the Barn to the People, announcing its Barn Smoker Good Will Act, through which Drew Estate fully refunded all Barn Smoker ticketholders, sent each of these ticketholders all the incredible swag they would have otherwise received at the in-person events, and decided to showcase a virtual Barn Smoker open to all adults free of charge.In 2014, Drew Estate hosted its first Barn Smoker at Hopkinsville, Ky. The event brought premium cigar consumers onto a real American tobacco farm and educated them on how the dark fire-cured tobacco used in the company’s Kentucky Fire-Cured cigars is grown, processed and finished. The event, which included local cuisine and spirits samplings proved so popular that the company has expanded its Barn Smoker program to a total of five annual events.
Jonathan Drew, founder and president of Drew Estate, notes, “I kinda view life as a great big mosaic of stories. As a tobacco man, I love the deep, raw, emotional and authentic stories of real American tobacco farmers and families. One of our goals at Barn Smoker is to immerse our DE family into farm life and premium leaf culture. This year, we have a virtual spin on things, but the team is hard at work loading in super duper surprises and cool shit. I have to say that most of all, I’m just lookin’ forward to chillin’ with you guys. Much love!”

 

A hallmark of each Barn Smoker has been assisting CFW, a 501(c)(3) charity that has shipped approximately 1.2 million cigars to deployed troops and has also provided them with boutique coffee, cigar accessories and other items. Drew Estate’s association with CFW dates to before the charity’s establishment in 2012 when Drew met CFW’s CEO, Storm Boen, and provided legal advice on how to set up a charity.

 

“Drew Estate has been our biggest supporter and J.D. [Jonathan Drew] has always been a big proponent of ours,” Boen says. “His legal background provided the foundation for Operation: Cigars for Warriors. Since then, he’s ensured that we are at all of Drew Estate’s Barn Smokers, which has helped us a

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lot, especially after 2016 when the FDA declared that manufacturers couldn’t donate cigars to troops anymore.”

 

Prior to 2016, Drew Estate had donated more than 150,000 cigars and has also donated approximately $250,000 to the charity to date. While the FDA now prohibits cigar companies from donating cigars to charitable causes, it still allows cigar companies to donate money to charities. A portion of each Barn Smoker ticket sold supports CFW, and Drew Estate also donates raffle items to raise additional money for the CFW at every Barn Smoker event. Despite not holding in-person Barn Smokers in 2020, Drew Estate will add another $50,000 to its charitable contributions to CFW on November 14th.

 

“While Covid-19 has seriously impacted all of us, it has had a tremendous effect on charitable contributions worldwide, but the missions these charities serve have not diminished,” says Drew Estate CEO, Glenn Wolfson. “In the face of tremendous challenges brought on by the pandemic, Cigars for Warriors continues to successfully fulfill its mission of sending deployed soldiers and sailors cigars and other much needed items they request. With gratitude to these brave men and women serving overseas, Drew Estate is proud to support Cigars for Warriors and we encourage everyone to consider donating their cigars, time or money to this worthwhile charity.”

 

Financial donations to Cigars for Warriors may be made via PayPal. Cigar donations may be made at an authorized Cigars for Warriors donation center or sent to Attention: Cigars for Warriors at 8585 SW Hwy 200 Unit # 16, Ocala, FL 34481. For more information, visit cigarsforwarriors.org.

 

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.

 

 

Contest

It’s time to announce the winner of the cool AshStay ashtray, Western Digital Hygrometer and DAHOT Sampler from my humidor! Thanks to Chaim at Cigar Oasis for the Ashtray and Hygrometer! Cigar Oasis has been a great supporter of CigarCraig.com for decades! OK, you’ve told me a million times not to exaggerate, it’s been a long time, and I use Cigar Oasis  products in my humidors, as well as an Ashstay on a daily basis! So, I put the entries into a spreadsheet, randomized the list, then used a random number generator, and came up with Patrick Hart as the winner! KingOHarts, please send your address, and you really don’t need to prove your age, because I remember you from the Usenet days, so you MUST be of legal age! Let me scrounge around and see what I can come up with for a future giveaway, the holidays will soon be upon us! It’s getting harder and harder! 

 

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

 

CigarCraig

 

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