Tag Archives: 90 Miles

Davidoff, Gonzo Santeria, Flor de Gonzalez and Epic Cigars

Davidoff Nicaragua SamplerI’ll start out with a cigar I smoked last Sunday evening after a really great day which included my daughter and her family coming over and making me a birthday cake. We got a lot accomplished throughout the day and  I decided to celebrate with a Davidoff Nicaragua Box Pressed, having never smoked the Davidoff Nicaragua before. I received a very nice care package from Davidoff after the show, it was  huge box, and the presentation was amazing. The Davidoff Nicaragua came in a leather-bound box, with a box of cigar matches, a brochure, and some sort of metal box that I haven’t quite figured out yet. It seems to have a bottle opener on the end, and a compass and a flashlight inside. I’d be grateful if someone would shed some light on the purpose for this item! It’s still really cool, and I was anxious to fire up one of the Box Pressed Toros. I don’t have a lot of experience with the Davidoff line, but I expect a high quality smoke based on reputation and price, and I wasn’t disappointed. The cigar burned about as perfect as you’d want, and tasted fantastic, solidly Davidoff_NicaraguaBox Pressed_Toromedium and some spice and a bit of cocoa. I’m sure “yummy” isn’t as classy a description as Davidoff might like, but that’s what I’m calling it.  Note the cool Screwpop Ashtray in the photo. I love the Screwpop Punch, I have the original and the 2.0, and while I prefer the design of the 2.0 and the larger diameter punch, the original is great for very small ring cigars. These guys have a vast selection of key chain tools, the only thing missing from the lineup is a large keychain to hold them all! Anyway, this ashtray is a pretty nicely designed little item. This isn’t the ashtray you are putting out when you have a bunch of people over, but it’s perfect for a single cigar, it’s designed with a post in the tray to knock off your ash (particularly handy if your cigar goes out and you want to get as much ash off before re-lighting), and two different sized rests, one for a large cigar and one for a cigarillo. It’s made of melamine, so it cleans up easily and won’t break of dropped, and it looks nice too. I haven’t been able to figure out how to open a bottle with it, or put it on my key ring, but other than that it’s a nice little item! The coolest part is that a mainstream company embraces cigars and makes useful tools for them, along with their other tools. Cool designs from cool company! The Davidoff Nicaragua Box Pressed was great too!

 
Gonzo_Santeria_ToroThursday I picked out an IPCPR sample, although not necessarily a new cigar really. Recently Steve Ysidron joined Kuuts Cigars as their president, and brought a couple of his lines with him, the Carnavale and the Gonzo Santeria. The Gonzo Santeria features a cool dia de los Muertos skull band and a pigtail cap of sorts.  The 6″ x 52 Toro has a San Andrés wrapper, a dual binder with San Andrés and Jalapa leaf and Nicaraguan fillers. I smoked the Santeria a couple years ago and really enjoyed it, as I really enjoyed this one. It’s got that kinda sweet, kinda dirty flavor that the Mexican tobacco brings. Right up my alley and a really nice cigar. Steve Ysidron is a really cool dude, and I wish him the best with Kuuts!

 

Flor de Gonzalez_90MilesUnidos_RobustoFriday I got off to a late start so I went with a robusto sized Flor de Gonzalez 90 Miles Unidos on the back porch. There’s not a lot of information out there about this cigar. I can tell you that it’s a dos capa, barber pole style cigar with what appears to me to be Habano and Connecticut shade wrappers. beautifully applied. If I had to guess on the filler, I’d go with Nicaraguan. It was a really tasty cigar, although, like many cigars wrapped in this style, did not have the straightest burn line.  I don’t really think the barber pole wrap brings anything  too much to the table flavor wise, no more than a double binder would, but it looks cool and I admit to smoking with my eyes. I appreciate the artistry of a well done dos capa (or tres, more on that next week), as it takes some talent and patience to pull off, especially with the consistency needed to line a bunch of them up in a box and have them all look exactly the same.  I’ve long been a fan of Yadi Gonzalez’s 90 miles line, and the new line extensions are off to a good start with the Unidos (there is also a Habano and Connecticut).

 

Epic_San Andres LE_ToroFinally, I wrapped up another busy Saturday with another IPCPR sample. This is another much-anticipated cigar for me, as I enjoy the other cigars in the line a lot. Epic Cigars had their Limited Edition Project E San Andrés at the IPCPR show, although they had temporary bands on the samples. The regular release will have a tobacco “band” applied to the cigar, a cut-out “E” which has to piss off the poor people who have to cut out and apply it to the cigar, but it’s a cool touch. The cigar comes on one size, the Gran Ola, a 6½” x 54, and has  little pigtail cap. Once again, you know my tastes, this should be a cigar I love, right?  Well, it was. This cigar burned my fingers, and had the prettiest burn and ash I’ve seen on a cigar in some time. It was a joy to smoke and tasted great.  It was loaded with espresso and earthy flavors with some sweetness. Once again Dean Parsons gets his shot on net with this one.

 

That’s it for today, I’m off to do some holiday weekend demolition which will include moving some of the humidors, followed by a couple of great cigars this afternoon! There’s apparently a reason they call it Labor Day weekend!

 

Until the next time,

 

CigarCraig

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Flor de Gonzalez, Gurkha and Opus, Countdown to the 2014 12SDoCG

This will be my last post before kicking off the fourth annual CigarCraig’s 12 Spectacular Days of Cigar Giveaways!  This year may just be the best yet! I have an absurd amount of cigars in the  2014 12SDoCG coolerdor!  Stay tuned for the big kick off on Thursday, December 11 (yes, a day earlier than I originally announced).  Tell your friends and neighbors, subscribe to the e-mail list, keep an eye CC_Logo_xmas_son Twitter and Facebook!  Don’t miss the chance to win some goodies from our generous sponsors, listed here in no particular order: Drew Estate, Joya de Nicaragua, General Cigar Co., Miami Cigar and Co., Arandoza Cigars, Nomad Cigars, Smoke Inn, 2 Guys Smokeshop, Gurkha Cigars and Tortuga Cigars. Thanks to all these great friends for their contributions and support!  For those of you who don’t know or remember, the rules are simple!  Leave a comment on  the day’s blog post to enter. After day one, I’ll announce the winner of the previous day’s giveaway, and the current day’s present. It makes my life  easier if the winner e-mails me with their address, instead of me having to track them down, but no need to send your address proactively!  Once you’ve won, you’re done! All decisions are final, you’d be surprised at how difficult is can be to count through thousands of comments to find the winner! OK, hundreds, but in the pre-dawn hours it’s tough! I will throw a new twist in asking a question each day about that days sponsor, let’s try to give these brands a little useful feedback for their troubles.  So that’s the deal, have fun with it!

 

90Miles Reserva SelectaI have managed to smoke a couple cigar over the last few days, starting with a Flor de Gonzalez 90 Miles Reserva Selecta in a pigtailed 5 ¾”x 48 size they call Natural Robusto.  It’s a very comfortable size for me, almost a corona gorda, but a few ring gauges fatter. This cigar has been in the humidor since the 2013 IPCPR show.  It’s a nice, medium bodied cigar with a refined, well aged sweet tobacco flavor.  I have long been a fan of the Flor de Gonzalez offerings, and this is probably my second favorite in the range, second to the San Andrés wrapped 1980, but it’s hard to go wrong with anything from the 90 Miles line-up.

 

Gurkha_Seduction_robustoFriday my wife and I trekked up to New York City to go to the 34th Annual John Lennon Tribute at SymphonySpace on the upper west side. This tribute featured Debbie Harry, David Johanson, Marshall Crenshaw, Kate Pierson and Ben E. King, among others. It was a great show with the performers singing John Lennon ad Beatles songs.  We would have liked to meet up with any cigar friends who were still in town from the Big Smoke Thursday night, but we got in a little late and ended up walking down Broadway, smoking a Gurkha Seduction Robusto.  This cigar is one of the last few from a box I got in 2011.  These have been a favorite of mine, as they aren’t too mild or too strong, the flavor is sweet and spicy and they just do it for me.  I think I have two left, time to keep an eye out for more, I guess!

 

Opus X Fuente FuenteSaturday was an ugly, rainy day, spent working on more home renovation projects.  By the end of the day I just wanted an hour or so of relaxation, so I picked out a special cigar that has been hanging out in my humidors for at least ten years, a Fuente Fuente Opus X Fuente Fuente.  This is a classic, in one of the original sizes released back in 1995.  The Fuente Fuente is 5 5/8″ x 46, a corona gorda and one of my favorite sizes. I am always hesitant to smoke a cigar like this, I’m afraid of being disappointed, I suppose. This cigar was excellent. The years in the humidor really smoothed it out to a nice, medium bodied cigar with nice flavors.  It burned with the grace that a well aged cigar burns with, no draw or burn issues at all, just about right.  I didn’t find it to be overly complex, but I rarely do. I’d like to get a couple more of these someday, one to smoke fresh, and another to forget in the humidor for a while and compare notes.  It’s amazing that these cigars, after being on the market for nearly 20 years, still sell for ridiculous prices (I remember seeing them in a shop in Vegas in the late ’90s for $110 each, I tried to sell them one of mine!), but Holt’s is right down the road and they sell them for MSRP. It’s not a cigar I’d spend more than a little over MSRP on, but it’s a classic, and worth smoking now and then.

 

That’s it for now. Don’t forget to check in Thursday for the 12SDoCG!  Until the next time,

 

CigarCraig

 

 

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IPCPR 2013 – Flor de Gonzalez Cigars with Yadi Gonzalez

I’ve been sampling through the range of cigars by Flor de Gonzalez over the last few days.  I have smoked a few of their mixed filler line and enjoyed them, they make a tasty Churchill and large torpedo in the $2 range.  I won a 5-pack of the 90 Miles robustos a few years ago and enjoyed them quite a bit.  I was introduced to Yadi Gonzalez at the IPCPR show by Antonio Lam of Reinado Cigars and got to sit down with her for a few minutes and hear about what’s new.

Flor de Gonzalez

I was  interested to try the 1980. When Yadi said it had a San Andreas wrapper AND an Ecuador Broadleaf binder I was very interested.  It was a darned good smoke, although maybe I jumped the gun smoking it so soon after bringing it back from Vegas. It will be an awesome smoke all the way through in another month or two.  The one I smoked was incredible up until the last third,  which had a hint of ammonia, which is why I think another few months in the humidor will benefit the cigar. I’m looking forward to smoking more of these.

 

The Reserva Selecta in the No. 4 size (5 3/4 x 48) has a neat pigtail cap and is a very smooth, subtle and refined smoke.  This one gave me a lot of enjoyment sitting on the back patio on a sunny Saturday afternoon. It burned perfectly and I easily could have lit another one right away. I thought this cigar was very different from the others in it’s delicacy and complexity. This is the cigar you smoke in a tuxedo, although I thought it was darned good in the shorts and t-shirt I was wearing.  Very good!

 

The 90 Miles Churchill was a longer version of the robustos I’d enjoyed in the past. One thing that struck me while I smoked this was how I’ve come to feel like a 7” x 47 cigar isn’t a really big cigar any more.  The 60+ ring gauge cigars obviously dwarf what used to be considered a large cigar, and I guess I’ve become desensitized.  Funny that a corona doesn’t seem like a toothpick or anything, but the 47-52 rings seem smaller.  That’s neither here nor there, the  90 Miles Churchill is a nice, solid smoke for any time of day.

The Q-ban Fuerte is a full bodied Nicaraguan cigar.  The foot of this cigar had a dark core, likely the ligero, that comprised about half of the cigar.  I really enjoyed the flavor, but again some humidor time is going to do wonders for this cigar.  If I had to line these up in order of preference, this would come in in the middle, with the 1980 being first, the regular line being fourth, and the Q-ban and Reserva Selecta exchanging places depending on my mood. All four lines were very enjoyable and cigars I’d reach for again and again, and would be happy sharing with friends.

 

That’s all I have for now, until the next time,

 

CigarCraig

 

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