Tag Archives: Cigar Dojo

Protocol, La Gloria Cubana and Oz Family Cigars

I attempted to do something interesting for today’s post, but that didn’t work out, more on that later.  My first cigar today is the Tenure by Protocol Cigars.  This was made for the Cigar Dojo‘s tenth anniversary last year.  Please note that in September of this year CigarCraig.com will celebrate it’s 14th year.  There are a couple of independent blog sites that have been around longer, but not many.  Anyway, Dojo has built a community, and has sold a bunch of exclusive cigar brands, and Protocol has been one of their partners on several of them.  This sample was generously gifted to me by me Secret Santa, Mitch, who was overly generous and sent all cigar I wouldn’t otherwise have had the opportunity to try.  Remember this when Secret Santa comes around next year, it’s a good time!  The Tenure is a 6″ x 52 box pressed toro, it has a Mexican San Andrés wrapper, Nicaraguan Corojo binder, and Nicaraguan fillers from Estelí and Condega. This was a neat tasting cigar.  It had some earth and coffee notes like you’d imagine, along with some tanic sort of flavor.  It was quite a good cigar, I liked it, besides yesterday’s Fratello Pennsylvanian, it was the highlight of the week.

 

I’ve been sampling some new La Gloria Cubana cigars and have made mention of my disappointment with the Serie S, but the La Gloria Cubana Society Cigar was pretty good. This, like the Punch “The People’s Champ” was made with input from the La Gloria Cubana Society, of which I’m a member (no. 631 on my card). I don’t recall being asked for my input, but that’s OK, I admit that I don’t participate in the club.  Apparently 2000 members gave input on the cigar, which is a 6¼” x 54 box pressed toro.  These are made in the El Credito factory (within the General Cigars factory) in Santiago, DR.  Oddly, it’s Honduran puro, with the Olancho San Augustine wrapper, a Jamastran binder and fillers from Jamastran and La Entrada. General must get really good yields on this OSA leaf, because it comes up everywhere. The fist time I saw it was on their first CAO release, the OSA Sol, which was a good cigar (especially in the little torpedo they had), but was a commercial flop, although it was no CAO Concert!  I seem to recall seeing the OSA leaf on Partagas, Cohiba and other La Gloria cigars. I find it generally neutral in flavor, but that’s just me.  This La Gloria Cubana Society Cigar had some hard candy sweetness, some coffee and nuts, and was quite enjoyable to smoke. It was far superior to the Serie S, which might be the least San Andrés tasting San Andrés wrapped cigar I’ve ever smoked. 

 

Yesterday I tried to go to Tobaccology in Manassas, VA for the launch event for Fratello‘s Vice Versa cigar.  I sampled this cigar last May, or should I say, “these” cigars, because one has to try the cigar both ways to understand it.  Kevin from Cigar Prop somehow convinced Omar to make this cigar, and Omar spent the better part of two years working with the La Aurora factory to bring this to fruition.  Anyway, I left in plenty of time to make the 2½ hour drive, but less than an hour in I hit traffic on I-95 just into Maryland. It turns out a tractor-trailer overturned and blocked all three lanes, and both shoulders, closing the highway (story here). After about 2+ hours I finally got turned around and aborted my mission. I was disappointed, because I wanted to be among the first to buy some of these, and hanging out with Omar is always a good time. I’ll buy some when they become available, I know TrashPandaCigars.com will have them. I “wasted” a good hour of that time smoking a delicious Fratello Pennsylvanian.

 

I had come across the Oz Family Cigars Pi Synesthesia in a local shop a few weeks ago and picked one up.  This one was a 6″ x 52 toro with an Ecuador Connecticut Shade wrapper, an Ecuadorian Habano binder and Nicaraguan fillers, made at the Pichardo factory. I have a few questions. The UPC sticker on the cigar has the Crowned Heads logo on it. I know they have a partnership, but I thought Oz Family cigars was its own thing and not a subsidiary, although Tim Ozgener’s financial involvement in CH has recently been confirmed. The other wildcard here, and one that makes anything I have to say about this particular example moot, is CH’s split from Pichardo. Unless this particular Pi Synesthesia is a one-and-done limited, it will have to find a new factory in which to be made. Whatever, it’s a $15 cigar, but, to me, there wasn’t anything to distinguish it from so many other Ecuador shade wrapped cigars. There are plenty available for less money that are just as good, or better.  It was a good smoke, just not too much different or special to me, not that I have a great palate. Standard bread, some nuts, and creamy.  I have smoke a lot worse!

 

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

 

CigarCraig

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Room 101 Cigar Dojo Noodles Cigar and a Papas Fritas

Yesterday my wife and I took a little drive to Connecticut. My wife bought a really cool antique rooster cigar cutter in an auction, and it would have been a big hassle to have it shipped, so we decided to drive up and pick the thing up. A bit frivolous, I realize, but these days just getting out of the house to do something is something! We did manage to have our first Popeyes  chicken sandwich on the way, and picked up a White Castle Crave Case to nibble on on the way home! That’s kind of a Russian roulette move, isn’t it? Eat White Castle sliders on the road and see if you can make it home in time! I paced myself, one every two exits (credit to Jenn for the idea, btw. I may not have had the willpower).  By  I guess I have a strong constitution, it wasn’t a problem. While the cutter isn’t sharp enough to be functional, I think it’s really cool, and Drew Newman, of J.C. Newman, commented on Instagram that they have one in their museum, so that’s kinda neat. When I got home, I was ready for a cigar, I was going to have one on the drive, but I was too busy navigating the traffic to take the time to cut and light, I figured it would be less stressful to just wait until I got home. 

 

I selected a cigar that was new to me, and was shared with me in a Secret Santa pack last Christmas. Many thanks for that! The cigar is a Room 101/Cigar Dojo collaboration that was made in the William Ventura factory in the Dominican Republic and didn’t really seem to have a name, but was called “noodles”. I thought I saw a comment from Matt with a more specific name, but I can’t find it, and who knows with him anyway, he’s a little loony! It’s a good sort of loony, mind you, but loony, nonetheless.  This has a natural colored San Andrès wrapper, Sumatra binder and Criollo ’98, Corojo ’99,  and Havana Vuelta Abajo fillers. Oddly, as much as I like a Maduro fermented San Andrés wrapper, Natural San Andrés rarely does anything for me. Such was the case with this cigar. One would think the Sumatra binder would be a saving grace, sadly no. While technically the Belicoso shape was a perfect delivery system, the flavor didn’t excite me, it was sour to my palate, and, except for a short stretch where I got an interesting flavor of something I couldn’t put a finger on, but liked.  For the right palate, this would be a great cigar. 

 

Since the Room 101 was only a 5½” x 52 Belicoso, and seemed to smoke pretty fast, I was left wanting. Since I had been chowing down on White Castle burgers non-stop all afternoon, I figured what goes better with burgers than fries, right? So a Drew Estate Papas Fritas was the obvious choice, and since I had one out for the ride, I fired one up. These little 4½’ x 44 mixed fill cigars, while a little pricey for what they are, they are exceptional. They aren’t too far off in flavor from a Liga Privada, they use the same Broadleaf wrapper and Brazilian binder and filled with trimmings from the benches where Ligas are rolled. The original version was presented in four count tins, somewhere I have a Havana Romeo y Julieta tin of the same design from the 60’s or 70s. They used to offer these tins on transAtlantic flights! Those were the days! Anyway, great little cigars! 

 

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

 

CigarCraig

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News: Drew Estate Ships Undercrown Dojo Dogma Sun Grown to Drew Diplomat Retailers

I didn’t get around to posting any original content on Wednesday, I had a Tuesday news item with a short editorial comment and then I got distracted and didn’t get around to writing a Wednesday post. So here’s a Drew Estate news item. I’ve smoked the “Sun Dog”, and it’s good. I may break open the other sampler I have and smoke another one. My only complaint is that it’s too short. but the size seems to suit the blend, so I guess it’ll have to do. Smoking the current Maduro Dogma is still on my to-do list. I wonder if I should open up that other Media sampler? I thought about having a contest and giving it away, but I really want to smoke this Dogma Sungrown…I guess I’ll be able to buy the Dogmas soon, so I’ll just wait. Watch for that contest soon. 

 

Drew Estate announces today that it is now shipping Undercrown Dojo Dogma Sun Grown to Drew Diplomat Retailers nationwide. The Dojo Dogma Sun Grown was announced during the #DESummerTakeover campaign and it was highlighted on Freestyle Live: Special Edition.

 

Undercrown Dojo Dogma Sun Grown is a 5 x 54 box-pressed robusto chosen by Drew Estate Master Blender Willy Herrera and Cigar Dojo Master Sensei Eric Guttormson for its bolder profile. The Sun Grown Dojo Dogma features an Ecuadorian Sumatra Sun Grown capa, with Connecticut River Valley Stalk Cut/Cured Sun Grown Habano binder, and a complementing, powerhouse blend of Nicaraguan premium filler tobaccos. One leaf of extensively aged Ligero from the Nueva Segovia region, along the border of Honduras, has been carefully selected to enhance the intense character of the blend. It is packaged in a 24-count wooden box, featuring the dual emblems of Undercrown and the Cigar Dojo community.

 

From Sag Harbor, N.Y., Jonathan Drew, founder and president of Drew Estate, states, “The SunDog, as we affectionately call it around here, has been shipped to participating shops nationwide. While the SunDoggyDog is certainly related to its cousin with the maduro capa, the SunDog has a flavor profile that’s distinctly spicy. Both of my good homies, Philly Phil and Nevergood, out here in East Hampton, New York, say ‘SunDog smokes like a Cuban cigar on very spicy overload.’ So … let’s get our Dojo gear on, t-shirt and cap, and post it up in the Drew Estate Facebook Group, Drew Diplomat and Cigar Dojo.”

 

The Undercrown Dojo Dogma Sun Grown is packaged in 24-count wooden boxes with an MSRP of $244.80. It is now shipping to Drew Diplomat Retailers nationwide.

 

 
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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News: Drew Estate Launches “Sun Grown” Undercrown Dojo Dogma

One more!  This is interesting. Is there a Sungrown Corona Viva? Because the original Dogma was based on the Corona Viva blend, which had some extra ligero giving it some more oomph. I might have to check out this Facebook Live event…

 

Drew Estate Launches Undercrown Dojo Dogma in “Sun Grown” and “Maduro” Wrappers

 

Drew Estate announces today in partnership with Cigar Dojo, the national release of Undercrown Dojo Dogma Sun Grown exclusively to DDRP retailers, in addition to the 2020 release of Undercrown Dojo Dogma Maduro. This release will be showcased on the upcoming Freestyle Live: Special Edition hosted on facebook.com/drewestatecigar on June 11thfrom 7:00-9:00pm EST.

 

The Undercrown Dojo Dogma is the manifestation of the continued fellowship between Drew Estate and the Cigar Dojo online community. The original Undercrown Dojo Dogma (Maduro Wrapper) was released in 2014 to mass fanfare to celebrate Cigar Dojo’s One Year Anniversary. In 2017, the Undercrown Sun Grown was named Cigar of the Year by the team at Cigar Dojo.  The unique box-pressed size that we celebrate today marks the next chapter in the Dojo Dogma story.
From the Cigar Dojo studios in Lakewood, Colorado Master Sensei Eric Guttormsom adds, “How could we possibly follow-up the original Undercrown DOGMA? We did it by taking our Cigar of the Year from 2017 and DOGMA-fying it! The Dojo team can’t wait to drop the details on Drew Estate’s Freestyle Live Facebook show TONIGHT!”

 

Undercrown Dojo Dogma Sun Grown is a 5 x 54 box pressed robusto chosen by Cigar Dojo Master Sensei Eric Guttormson and Drew Estate Master Blender Willy Herrera for its bolder profile. The Sun Grown Dojo Dogma features an Ecuadorian Sumatra seed, Sun Grown capa, with Connecticut River Valley Stalk Cut/Cured Sun Grown Habano binder, and a complimenting, powerhouse blend of Nicaraguan premium fillers. One leaf of extensively aged Ligero from the Nueva Segovia region along the border of Honduras has been selected to enhance the strength of the blend. It is packaged in a 24 count wooden box, featuring the dual emblems of Undercrown and the Cigar Dojo community.

 

In addition, Drew Estate is launching the 2020 edition of the Undercrown Dojo Dogma Maduro. Like the Undercrown Corona Viva, the Undercrown Dojo Dogma Maduro features a Mexican San Andres wrapper, Connecticut Stalk Cut Habano binder, and filler leaves from Nicaragua and Brazil. Unique within the core vitolas of Undercrown Maduro, the 6 x 56 Dogma is box pressed and packaged in a stunning 10 count petaca.

 

From the Wynwood Safehouse, Jonathan Drew Founder and President of Drew Estate highlights, “Community is a huge part of our soul at Drew Estate. We rely on each other through ups and downs; we lean on one another, disciplined, determined, and accomplish tremendous feats while enjoying the ride. Our partnership with Cigar Dojo has never been stronger and together we bring you the str8 fire that is the Undercrown Sun Grown Dojo Dogma! It’s definitely Muy Caliente!”

 

The Undercrown Dojo Dogma Sun Grown is packaged in 24 count wooden boxes with an MSRP of $244.80 and shipping in August.

 

The Undercrown Dojo Dogma Maduro is packaged in a 10 count petaca with an MSRP of $107.87 and shipping in September.

 

For full coverage of Undercrown Dojo Dogma Sun Grown and Maduro and all of Drew Estate’s upcoming national releases check out our 2020 #DESummerTakeover promotion at www.drewestate.com/summertakeover and be sure to tune in to Freestyle Live: Special Edition hosted on facebook.com/drewestatecigar on June 11th from 7:00-9:00pm EST.

 

 

 

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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A Toraño, an Undercrown, a Cain and Hockey With No Cigars!

ToranoVault_A008_ToroThursday I took a half day at work because I won tickets to the NCAA Frozen Four at the Wells Fargo center in Philly from our local NBC TV Station. So, in preparation,  I took a walk with the dog and a Toraño Vault A-008 toro thst I believe came out of the 90+ sampler that Jack Toraño sent me last year (many thanks again, Jack!). The cigar has a flawless shade grown Nicaraguan wrapper, and there’s some filler from Ometepe that gives it a distictive flavor. The cigar lit and burned perfectly and was an excellent after lunch smoke. These Vault releases are unique in that they are blends that the Toraño family have had tucked away for years. This one is a really nice smoke and I give this a 98 on the new CigarCraig scoring scale (more on that later).

 

I had expected to have a cigar in the cigar bar at the Wells Fargo Center, but apparently you can’t have indoor smoking in a CIGAR Bar at a NCAA event. Sell all the beer you want, but smokers are relegated to a fenced off area outside, which is where I enjoyed a PDR A. Flores Gran Reserva Half Corona between games (a 97 on my scale, a great short smoke). I also was able to prevent a horrific injustice from happening. As we were standing there, a FrozenFourcouple guys walked out with BSB#1 Bernie Parent by Rocky Patel HOF 84 torpedos and started lighting them up. These are expensive cigars, in the $12 range in a shop, if they bought them at the arena they would have been nearly double that. Much like the Toraño Vault, they have a foot band, and I had a feeling the one guy was going to try lightning his without removing the band. It turns out, I was right,  and I intervened at the last second, yelling “wait!” (imagine it in slow motion for dramatic effect), and telling him that smoking the band isn’t the best way to appreciate the flavor of that particular cigar. Meanwhile, his buddy smoking a cigarette was howling with laughter as he apparently had told the guy that lighting the cigar that way was the right way to do it. I chastised him for his transgressions and finished my smoke. All the games were great,  I hadn’t paid any attention to college hockey and it was really entertaining. We also went to the finals last night and saw a really good game. Too bad the cigar bar was no smoking, it was packed with people drinking though!

 

Undercrown_DogmaFriday evening I decided to break out one of the samples of the Drew Estate Undercrown Dogma, which was recently released in very limited quantities and celebrates the one year anniversary of the Cigar Dojo Community app and website. Sadly, I just can’t seem to find the time to dig into another cigar community, and I’ve never been a big fan of web forums. The time required to keep up with them is more than I care to spend. So the Undercrown Dogma is a 6″ x 56 box pressed toro that is based upon the blend for the Corona Viva, which is slightly different than the regular Undercrown line in that the ratios of the fillers were tweaked to fit into the corona gorda format, resulting in a little different taste. I personally like the Corona Viva the best of the line and have smoked them the most.  So, I was interested in trying this new size. This is a spectacular cigar, and I hope they broaden the distribution of these, and make them a regular product. It’s rich and delicious, with a little bit of power. I don’t know hw Eric, Master Sensei at the Dojo, manged to pull this off with Drew Estate, but I’m glad to have had the opportunity to try this (Thanks to JB at DE), although it bums me out a little that I won’t be able to get my hands on them easily!  This is a 99 on my new scoring scale.

 

I few weeks ago I was interviewed by a gentleman for an article on SpareFoot about cigar storage. I didn’t make a big deal about it at the time, as it happened to be published about the same time I made a little rant about “experts” and I certainly don’t consider myself one.  However, I find myself in good company in the article, with Patrick Ashby of StogieGuys.com and Tad Gage, author of “The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Cigars”.  The article is at  www.SpareFoot.com and you can also read it below.

[pageview url=”http://www.sparefoot.com/storage-tips/how-to-store-cigars/” title=”Tips From the Experts on How to Store Cigars” border=”yes” scrolling=”yes”]

 

Cain_Daytona_LanceroYesterday, before the Flyers beat the Penguins, and I went to the NCAA Finals game, I slipped in a Cain Daytona Lancero on a nice, Saturday afternoon walk.  This is a cigar that’s hard to get a hold of, and I was the fortunate recipient of a couple of these from my formerly local, former Oliva rep a couple years ago.  The Daytona blend is probably about my favorite of the line, although I do enjoy most of them for one reason or another. I find the Dayona to be slightly more refined than the rest of the line, and this Lancero is probably the most refined of the bunch. Great burn and draw, outstanding flavors and lasted a good hour and a half.  I’ve long held the belief that the length of a cigar is more of a determining factor in the smoking time than the ring gauge. This burned for easily an hour and a half, straight as an arrow and perfect from start to finish. If you see these, snag them up. I think the No. 4 corona is a reasonable substitute, as it’s right up there. Definitely a 98 on the scale.

 

I’ve decided to play around with a scoring scale.  My scale will be a little different as it will be a 10 point scale from 91 to 100, with a 91 being a really terrible cigar to a 100 with is the pinnacle of perfection in all aspects.  I can hear you now, “CigarCraig, that’s the biggest bunch of BS I’ve ever heard!  Why not just do a 1-10?”  Well, I hear you, and all I can say is that for one person to assign a score to a cigar, however arbitrary the method, is relatively useless, so I’m just making my useless scoring look really good to whoever happens to look at it at with pre-conceived notions.  So, if you see someone advertising that “CigarCraig gave our Perro Cohete Gran Reserva a 91!”, you’ll know to stay away!

 

That should make up for Wednesday’s weak post!  Enjoy the day! Un til the next time,

 

CigarCraig

 

 

 

 

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