Happy Easter and Passover to those who celebrate. I watched The Ten Commandments last night to celebrate. Not all of it, but this time I managed to watch the second half; I usually tap out around the Exodus. Anyway, it’s 
my policy not to discuss religion or politics, so let’s get on to some cigars. Obviously, Fox Cigars advertises on CigarCraig.com, so there is some inherent bias on my part. I do like to promote companies I enjoy, and this is one of them, so let’s go with that. It feels better than thinking of this as a blatant shill post. I noticed that Mitchell Fox had a big birthday recently, and they offered a five-cigar sampler for $50 delivered, so I purchased one, unprompted, with my own money. I have fond memories of my 50th birthday celebration, although it was a long time ago! The sampler consisted of the following: the Montecristo 1935 Anniversary Nicaragua No. 2, the Romeo y Julieta Vintage Corona Glass Tube, the La Flor Dominicana Maduro Cabinet No. 6, the Casa Carrillo Pledge Prequel, and the Fox y ChìMolly Robusto E. I’ve had the EPC Pledge and the Romeo before, so I concentrated on the LFD, Montecristo, and ChiMolly this week.
I started with the La Flor Dominicana Maduro Cabinet No. 6. This cigar is unbanded, so I wanted to get it out of the way before I forgot what it was. The Cabinet No. 6 is a 5 ¾” x 54 torpedo with a Connecticut Broadleaf wrapper over what I’ve seen described as “estate-grown” Dominican fillers and binders. I’m not sure what “estate-grown” means, but it sounds cool. I can’t believe it’s taken me so long to get around to this delightful cigar. The wrapper has an oily sheen—it’s a beauty, for sure. It was loaded with lush, dark fruit and espresso flavors; very much my kind of cigar. I always wonder why companies choose to put unbanded cigars on the market. It seems like it could be a problem. I guess if one is buying the whole box it’s fine, but with singles, there are issues beyond the end-user forgetting what it is. You’d think companies would want the advertising.
Second up was the Montecristo 1935 Anniversary Nicaragua No. 2. This is another torpedo, 6 ⅛” x 52, but the box press makes it seem a lot thinner. It’s well-documented that when it comes to Altadis USA, the majority of the cigars I like are made in partnership with A.J. Fernandez. I’ve smoked tons of them, and that’s just the way it is. Upmanns, Trinidads, Romeos, Montes—all the A.J. Fernandez-made lines appeal to me; the rest, not so much. This Montecristo was no exception. My only problem was the secondary band featuring the Cigar Aficionado rating; that seems cheesy. Put a sticker on the box or a shelf talker in the store, but the band is a little much and takes away from an otherwise classy presentation. Still, this is another cigar right up my alley. It’s a Nicaraguan puro made with tobacco from A.J. Fernandez’s farms, featuring nice espresso and chocolate flavors. I’m pretty sure these first two cigars alone retail for over $30, so this sampler is a good buy so far.
I’ve heard of ChiMolly cigars, but never really looked into them, cigars but never really looked into them; I assumed it was a house brand for someone, somewhere. Doing some quick research, it seems a couple of young men with Chinese roots are behind the brand. The characters on the band, 青墨琼琳, translate to “Azure Ink and Jade Gems,” apparently a reference to the cigar accessories business that preceded their cigar venture. They make some beautiful ashtrays. The cigars are produced in Nicaragua and, despite my experience with this Fox y ChiMolly collaboration, I’m interested in sampling more of their offerings. The Fox y ChiMolly Robusto E is a 6″ x 52 toro with an Ecuadorian Habano 99 wrapper, Nicaraguan binder, and Nicaraguan/Dominican fillers. It burned well. Long-time readers will know that when the first thing I mention is the burn, I’m generally not a fan of the cigar. I had expectations that weren’t quite met. This is a woody, leathery cigar that wasn’t bad-tasting, it just isn’t a good fit for my palate. For people who like, for instance, ADVentura cigars, it may be a great fit. I smoke everything, but I can’t possibly like everything.
I really need to get to Arizona one of these days and check out one of Fox’s retail locations. That’s all for today, until the next time, when I may shill for someone else,
CigarCraig
