I’m on the road, mooching internet connectivity where I can, so this will be a short one! Here’s a video from the road. Please see the end where the winner of the final Hoyo de Monterrey Reposado en Cedros contests is revealed.
FF184, please send your address, I’ll ship your cigars when I return from Florida! Again, thanks to the folks at General Cigar for sponsoring this contest!
Stay tuned for more to come over the next few days!
CigarCraig
Filed under Contest, IPCPR, Stores, Trip Report, Video
Last week I received an e-mail from CigarBargains.com about a Combo Cigar Cutter/Knife w/ Belt/Money Clip. CigarBargains.com is a site run by CheapHumidors.com which allows one to negotiate with “Suzy” and work the price down. I thought it would be a neat experiment and always kinda wanted a knife like this, knowing full well it would be crap for properly cutting a cigar (more on that later). I buy stuff for a living, Buyer is actually my job title, so I know how this works. I start out looking at the shipping and deciding 
how much I’m willing to pay. In this case, the farther under $10 the better. Their starting offer for this item was $10.99, so my opening offer was $3. “Suzy” replied with “I might have peed myself a little at your offer of $3.50. You need to be closer to $9.68.”. This went on for a while, with various comments about needing a new purse, feeding the kids and such. When all was said and done, I ended up getting this for $9.05 delivered, which met my requirements. Shipping from Florida was reasonably quick as I received it on Thursday after completing the transaction last Friday. As anticipated, the knife does a reasonably good job of mangling a cigar, I had the strangest cut, but I have to admit it cut cleanly and I ended up having an excellent smoking experience. I think it would work better using the blade to make a V cut, or, and I haven’t tried this yet, putting the cigar in the hole, putting the blade up to the cigar with a little pressure, and rotating the cigar, then pealing off the cap. It was a worthwhile experiment, and there are some decent deals to be had with enough patience to follow through with the negotiating.
The cigar I cut with the new knife was a Flor de Gonzales 90 Miles Robusto, the last of a 5 pack I won well over 2 years ago. I’ve enjoyed smoking these cigars, the construction was flawless and the flavors agreeable. The poor cut, while offensive to my CDO (OCD in alphabetical order as it should be) addled brain, was not a factor and didn’t take away from the experience. It was a smooth, flavorful medium bodied smoke which I enjoyed to the fullest. The two years or so of age didn’t hurt this cigar either.
Friday evening calls for a little bit of a special cigar, so I selected a San Lotano Habano Lancero for my evening walk. I had picked this up at a San Lotano event at Olde World Tobacco in Lancaster, PA several months ago. This is a beautiful 7″ x 38 lancero, with a nice little pigtail cap. I went back to my regular cutter for this one, no reason to risk mangling this cigar. Burn was perfect. I love it when a cigar burns with a nice flat ember, not pointy, all the tobaccos burning at exactly the same rate. It’s a miracle that this can be accomplished and I always appreciate it it when I see it. AJ Fernandez makes some terrific cigars, this was no different. I love the lancero format.
Saturday morning I had the great pleasure of being the guest on Kiss My Ash Radio‘s Bloggers Corner segment. I was nervous as hell, and there were some things I planned on mentioning but missed. Fortunately, Abe had done a piece on pairing root beers with cigars, which I’ve been doing for years. I wanted to suggest Victory Brewery‘s root beer, as it is exceptional and made right here in my home town. I even had notes and in my nervousness I didn’t look at them! Oh well, I hope I didn’t make too much of a fool of myself, I appreciate being invited on the show. Saturday afternoon I stopped by JM Cigars in Exton, PA to say hello to Jon Lipson, the Alec Bradley rep, who was having an event there. I picked up a few American Classic Blends in Corona and Robusto and smoked a Corona while catching up with Jon and the folks at the shop. For an absolutely stunning day I was surprised at the traffic in the store. I guess I figure people have better things to do on a stunning Saturday, I know I did. I enjoyed the American Classic Corona very much and went home to change the oil in the scooter and mow the lawn.
To finish up the day I fired up a Partagas 1845 Gigante that I received in a sample pack from General Cigar. It’s a 6 x 60 that feels much bigger for some reason. I took my son’s dog for a nice walk and enjoyed the heck out of this cigar. So far I think I liked the Robusto better, but this monster was very good, burned well and lasted for quite a while. So far I’m impressed by this line, although I really can’t think of a Partagas cigar I really haven’t enjoyed, General Cigar Co. or otherwise. Dirty little secret: Havana Partagas Presidente is one of my all time favorite cigars. Give the Partagas 1845 a try, it’s a very tasty smoke.
I’m off today to Whippany, NJ to meet up with ACigarSmoker.com‘s Peter Glad at JR Cigars‘ store and lounge. It’s always fun going to the store there and having a nice lunch and cigars, and I’m looking forward to meeting Peter. Of course, stop on by if you’re in the area and say hello and join us for a smoke!
Until the next time,
CigarCraig
Filed under Accessories, Review, Stores
Thursday evening I found myself on the phone with Verizon support. I had been fighting with them about the upstairs TVs that we were initially promised would work without a box, only to find that we needed a special box. Not that $4 a month is a lot for the box, but it was the principle of it, and they figured out a way to give me a box for free so we could have more than one TV in the house again. I had to call to get the box activated, and had been looking forward to an evening cigar. After several minutes listening to the planet’s worst hold music, I decided to grab a cigar and wait on the porch for them to pick up. I grabbed an Arturo Fuente Hemingway Best Seller, put the phone on speaker and fired it up. I’ve long been a fan of the Hemingway line, at least from the Signature down, as anything larger just doesn’t do it for me for some reason. I would have preferred a Short Story, since I didn’t know how long I’d have, but I didn’t have any on hand. The Best Seller is a great cigar. I love the “Camerooniness” of the line, that wrapper really really is delicious on these. It’s not too cheap of a cigar, but I had picked a few of these up last year with a Groupon for half off, so they weren’t too bad. I got about half way through before the representative picked up and I went inside to get squared away, which did eventually happen. I went back out and re-lit the cigar, but I didn’t get to smoke as much of it as I’d have liked. Still, a terrific way to temper the frustration of having to deal with phone support. I really think they want you to hang up, but I wasn’t giving them the satisfaction!
Friday evening’s walk called for a good smoke, so I grabbed an Emilio AF2 BMF and my elder son and I hit the bricks (concrete mostly, but actual bricks in a few places…it’s just an expression!). I had picked a few of these up at my local shop a few months back. Needless to say, this is a solid cigar, and sizable at 6″ x 58, truly a big MF! I find this to be milder than the AF1, but loaded with flavor, a little sweet, and delicious. I blame myself for this, but it’s a much better warm weather cigar than cold, but that’s my problem. I wanted to smoke it, and the colder weather wasn’t going to deter me. Still a solid smoke, highly recommended by me for whatever that’s worth!
I had picked up an odd cigar at my local shop, JM Cigars in Exton. It was labeled with the shop owners name, and I was told that it was made by Rocky Patel (but I bought one anyway!). This was a 6½” x 48 cigar, with what looked like a dark Habano wrapper. Unfortunately, it burned a little crappy and was pretty ho-hum in flavor to me. I don’t smoke a lot of RP cigars anyway, as they don’t really suit my palate for whatever reason. Maybe I don’t smoke the right ones, maybe the breadth of his lines confuses me and is a pit of a turn off, I don’t know. I still like to try peoples house or personal blends, and this experience won’t stop me from picking up the occasional oddball cigar when I see one. I was told at the shop that this batch wasn’t as good as the first batch, but just because I didn’t care for it doesn’t mean that it isn’t someones favorite cigar, and for around $4 it was worth trying.
Sunday morning my wife, youngest son and I went out to breakfast with my brother-in-law, who was in town visiting. My son, Christian, recently turned 18 and has been enjoying the occasional cigar, sometimes with me, sometimes with his friends. As can be expected from someone in his demographic, he’s been digging the Acid line, trying a few here and there. So Christian, my Bro-in-law Jeff and I stopped at JM Cigars for a post breakfast digestif. Jeff had asked me to recommend an inexpensive daily smoke a while back and I told him to try the National Brand robustos from Camacho, which he loves (and he’s from New Jersey, so he gets a real good deal purchasing in PA because of the taxes). I wanted something all three of us would appreciate so I grabbed a handful of Camacho Habana Monarcas. I’ve loved this line for years, and haven’t had one in forever. Even though I typically don’t care for Criollo wrapped cigars, this one works really well, I thoroughly enjoyed it from start to finish. The cigar is light enough for the novice and has enough flavor and 
body for someone who has a cigar or two a day or a long-time cigar nut like myself. It was nice to sit in the lounge and chat for a while. Myson and his uncle share the rock climbing gene, so they have a lot in common, and Jeff and I are roughly the same age and have known one another for 26 or so years, so the three of us, despite the disparity of ages, were able to have a nice, relaxing hour or so with a fine cigar and one-another’s company. It also went a long way toward aiding in the digestion of an over-indulgent breakfast!
The annual Habanos Festival just ended, and I wasn’t there. I did notice an interesting press release about the lots in the auction that is held every year. Looks like a nice box, but the price is a little steep for me!
Humidor bought by Italian entrepreneur at 14th Habanos Festival in Cuba. The humidor comes with microprocessor controlled adorini humidifiers, 520 Cohiba cigars, and remote-controlled hydraulic system to open the humidor.
Why the heck you’d need to open your humidor from across the room is beyond me, but it sure sounds cool! I guess you have to let those 520 Cohibas living inside get a breath of fresh air once in a while.
Anyway, that’s it for today, until the next time,
CigarCraig
Filed under Review, Stores, Take a Cigar For a Walk
While perusing CigarEvents.com it came to my attention that Eddie Ortega of EO Brands was going to be making an appearance at my local shop, JM Cigars, in Exton, PA. After dinner my son and I made our way over there. We promptly purchased some of the last 601 La Bombas that they had and fired one of these badboys up and visited with Eddie for a while. I have been patronizing this shop since the mid-90s and it’s one of the best around. The shop was packed and the LA Bomba was awesome. I had only previously had a pre-release sample, which I loved. These are terrific cigars with a little bit of strength. It’s always a good time hanging out with Eddie, and I got to catch up with an old friend, Rob, after the shop cleared out. Nice bunch of folks, and a fine way to spend a chilly Friday evening.
Saturday’s walk cigar was a San Lotano Oval which I received from Clay at AJ Fernandez a few months ago. These cigars are unique in the fact that they, as the name implies, are oval shaped. I smoked the 6 x 54 toro, which looks like it was squished. The shape is very comfortable to smoke, and, like a box press, it doesn’t roll off the table when you set it down. there’s a bright flavor in this cigar that I enjoy but can’t put a finger on. All I know is that this is a tasty, well made and interesting cigar! I look forward to a maduro version one day!
There were two new entries into the blogosphere recently that I think are notable. First, Frank Seltzer, who you see writing in all the big cigar magazines and around the web, is now contributing to the JR Cigars blog. Frank is a real journalist, and I’m proud to say he’s an old friend. He has a couple articles in the latest JR catalog as well. Also breaking into the blog world is Gary Griffith of Emilio Cigars, with “From Seed To Smoke“. Gary’s pretty prolific on Twitter and he’s making some outstanding cigars and is a heck of a nice guy who I’m also proud to call friend. I look forward to reading what he has to say. I HAVE to get down to Delaware and visit him at his shop one of these days!
Let’s get to the part you’ve all been waiting for, the selection of this month’s contest winner. The prize consists of the following: a Drew Estate cap and a Liga Privada cutter, a Stogieboys.com Cigar Journal, a C-Gars Ltd. ring gauge card, a Liga Privada T52 Belicoso, a Monte Pascoal Belicoso and a American Eagles Half Corona. Thank you to all of the generous sponsors of this contest. As usual, I created a spreadsheet of the eligible entries and assigned them numbers based upon the time of the entry. I consulted with the Random.Org True Random Number Generator for the 
winning number. The number 19 came up, which corresponds to an entry via Twitter by @s5592c, aka Steve Christopher. Congrats to Steve and thanks for reading! Please e-mail me your contact info so I can ship this stuff out to you! Thanks to everyone for entering, and keep an eye out for next months contest!
That’s all for now, until the next time,
CigarCraig
Filed under Contest, News, Review, Take a Cigar For a Walk
Here’s a couple of “Take A Cigar For A Walk” installments from Tommy:
Well hello fellow cigar smokers! This past weekend, I took the opportunity to enjoy a recently purchased Acid Kuba Kuba. I was sitting on my front porch, enjoying the warm weather and this great smoke, when it dawned on me…what am I doing…sitting! So, I got up…at the point where you see my cigar in the photo and began to walk. I loved every minute of it. It was mid-afternoon…hot and loads of humidity. But, that is one sure way to lose some weight! So, I ended up walking for about 60 minutes while enjoying the Kuba Kuba. Now, I don’t care for many flavored cigars, but I really like the infused collection of Acid. The Kuba Kuba starts off very sweet. The flavors are then switched around between several noticeable spices and sweet tones. You’d really have to try one as I can never explain the actual “infused flavors” as Acid takes these to a whole new level. This cigar burned evenly throughout and I only had to relight one time. I think that was due to me not puffing on it often enough as I walked briskly. Overall, the Kuba Kuba was a new one to me but I enjoyed every minute of it…I would highly recommend you try this one.
Boot camp is going well, I have lost a total of 21lbs to date but I am feeling a lot of difference in my energy, my strength, and a lot of this has to do with my modified diet as well. I have a goal to get from where I started at 326 to 185. That is a big goal, so I am taking it one day at a time. I have had some slip ups on my eating, but my trainer and fellow recruits have really helped push me to stay on course. The TACFAW really helps give me the extra cardio that I need to sustain weight loss and keep moving forward. Signing up for this has definitely been one of the best things I could have done…in a long time!
It looks like we may get to close on our new home sometime next week…my fingers are staying crossed and hopefully I will have more to give on this come the next entry.
Most importantly, make sure that you are staying at it if you too are taking a cigar for a walk. Craig is doing awesome, and now I want to hear your stories too! Be sure to comment often on your success and even failures as myself and others may can help you stay on track to a better, fitter you…all the while enjoying your passion of a great cigar!
Long ashes to ya!
Tommy Berry, Jr.”
And:
I enjoyed a Montecristo Peruvian Buena Fortuna Maduro on a walk last night, thanks to waterboy…a friend of mine over at General Cigar’s website. I took my little dog with me so he too could enjoy the breeze (and we both needed the exercise!). This particular cigar came out of an 8 pack of two different cigars that “JR Cigars” offers in a small hard case “shopping bag”. This was my first time to smoke such a cigar and I have to say that I loved every minute of it. It was a great smoke, full of flavor, stayed lit the entire walk and burned perfectly. I tend to lean towards these sizes (5×47) and I was able to smoke it for about 45 minutes, a little short on the smoke time but still well worth it. The hints of coffee and “woods” that came from this also peppery smoke was a pleasant surprise indeed.
The walk was great and it ended my Father’s Day on a great note. I bought me some new shoes last week for boot camp, some Sketchers Shape Ups…which drove me to another walk last night, where I normally, on a Sunday would have just stayed home. I have to say that I love these shoes!
Anyway, I hope you are able to get out the door and on the sidewalk to enjoy a great cigar with a little exercise. Let us know…
Coming soon, I plan on doing a contest for other fellow TACFAW “players”…more details later!
Long ashes to ya!
Tommy Berry, Jr.
The last Kuba Kuba I smoked was a maduro in Nicaragua and it was the last cigar of the day (about the 8th). It was not a bad cigar! Once the saccharine sweetness on the wrapper disappeared, that is. The Kuba Kuba is probably one of Drew Estate‘s best selling cigars, and I recall Marvin Samel telling a story of hearing that Johnny Depp was seen buying some Kuba Kuba’s and passing them out on a movie set and Marvin sent him a box. There was a similar story about Steven Tyler. Also, there was a news article about the Cuban government suing Drew Estate over the use of Kuba in the name. How many of us ever thought the Acid Kuba Kuba might be a Havana cigar? Pretty laughable….
I took a Diesel Unholy Cocktail for about a 2 mile walk last night that Tommy very kindly sent me a few weeks ago. It was a fine cigar, I really like the flavor of the Pennsylvania broadleaf wrapper. This one could have produced more smoke, but it was enjoyable none the less, and I deeply appreciate the gift! Thanks to Tommy for the cigar and for your contributions! As nice as it is to lounge around with a nice cigar, it doesn’t hurt to do some walking along with it. I keep thinking about my visit to the Vulcan Masaya volcano in Nicaragua and how I probably would have struggled with the 177 steps to the observation area had I not been a fairly avid walker.
Don’t forget we have a contest going where someone can win a box of Oja Meztizo Artefactos courtesy of Luis of Oja Cigars! Submit a patriotic picture link in the comments of the last post (http://www.cigarcraig.com/?p=1892) for a chance to win! Also, pay a visit to Stogieboys.com and check out their selection.
Until the next time,
CigarCraig
Filed under Contest, Guest Review, Take a Cigar For a Walk
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