Tag Archives: maduro

by | June 3, 2012 · 4:20 am

Another C & C Cigar, a La Traviata, a Room 101 and Some News

A few weeks back I picked up a little robusto sampler of C and C cigars that included the C and C Corojo Robusto.  The three cigars set me back a whole $10.  I really enjoyed the maduro, and had high hopes for the Corojo, which I smoked this past Thursday.  It’s a nice looking cigar, nothing fancy, just a no-nonsense robusto.  It was a delicious smoke, well behaved and as good or better than many cigars at twice the price.  Another fine cigar from the folks at C and C!  I don’t know about the orange band though, but that’s probably just me.

 

I got off to a late start on Friday, so I grabbed my last CAO La Traviata Maduro Luminoso and sat on the porch with the dog watching the thunderstorm roll by.  This is a 4½ x 50 Rothschild with the Connecticut Broadleaf wrapper.  The first time I tried the maduro I wasn’t impressed, which is odd since I usually like most maduros.  I was confused by this, I thought for sure I’d love the cigar.  That first one must have been a dud, because subsequent cigars have been right up my alley, great construction, nice flavor, just what I look for in a maduro cigar.

 

It was a beautiful Saturday yesterday, and I had to work at 9pm, so I wanted a good cigar, no surprises.  I went with an original Room 101305 robusto.  This is a cigar I really enjoy.  It’s a solid, well made, savory and satisfying smoke.  I have long been a fan of Camacho cigars, so it stands to reason I’d like the Room 101.  The whole experience is first rate, from the appearance to the band (although one band would suffice, it seems like half the cigars I find myself smoking lately have multiple bands), this is a really superb cigar.  I punched this one for a change, since there was a little bit of a crack in the cap and I was afraid to make it worse.  It turns out that the punch provided a perfect draw and made for a very enjoyable experience.

 

News

I received the following press release from Ernesto Padilla this week: May 30, 2012

PRESS RELEASE!

Padilla Cigar Company is proud to announce yet another collaboration with Oliva Cigar Company following the recently 93 rated Padilla Studio-Tobac Limited Edition.Since the inception of the Padilla brand, Ernesto Padilla (brand owner), has worked on several successful projects with the Miami Lakes, Florida based Oliva Cigar Company. Oliva will manufacture and distribute the new Padilla Premier Cru cigars to be sold exclusively in the European market. The Padilla Premier Cru will feature the most premium fillers from the Oliva Family Tobacco Farms in Nicaragua. The superb wrapper will feature a Habano tobacco seed grown in the Ecuadorian Oliva plantations. The Padilla Premier Cru will be available in 3 different sizes those being Robusto, Torpedo, and a Double Toro. The cigars will range in price from €8 – €10. Padilla Premier Cru will beintroduced this September at the Inter-Tobac Trade Fair in Dortmund, Germany and will be available through all of Oliva’s European distributors. German distributor Wolfertz, GMBH and Dutch distributor Van Horssen, BV have already agreed to begin sales this fall. For those in the United States feeling left out, Padilla and Oliva have created 2 new blends in Habano and Maduro wrappers. This highly anticipated cigar will be known as the Padilla Reserva and will be exclusively sold in the United States. The Padilla Reserva will also be available in 3 sizes those being Robusto, Torpedo, and Double Toro. The cigars will range in price from $8 – $9 dollars. Padilla Reserva will be introduced at the IPCPR Trade Show in Orlando, Florida this August.

 

In other news, the CAO Last Stick Standing promotion as been extended to July 31, so if you haven’t had a chance to get your hands on the tin of cigars and cast your vote, you now have more time!

 

I haven’t been one to jump on posting press releases as soon as I get them, there seem to be plenty of others that do that.  I will, however, listen to my readers, if this is something you would like to see more often, please let me know!

 

That’s it for now, until the next time,

 

CigarCraig

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by | May 20, 2012 · 9:12 am

C&C Cigars, Joya De Nicaragua, a Visit with Nish Patel, Xen, Thunder and News

You may recall earlier in the week I was in a quandary: smoke something rare and expensive and risk disappointment or go cheap and reliable. Wednesday I decided to do a little of both and try out another fairly new, inexpensive smoke.  I was at my local shop a couple weeks ago and came across a three cigar robusto sampler of the C&C Cigars, from the folks that used to be Cusano.  The sampler was $9.95 and contained a Corojo, a Connecticut and a Maduro. As is my normal pattern, I headed straight for the Maduro and I wasn’t disappointed.  What a tasty, well made cigar!  Burn was perfect, it had a nice balance of smooth, dark flavors and was a pleasure to smoke.  It burned very slowly, which was a plus as well.  For $3.32 each, this is a real winner.  Keep any eye out for my thoughts on the other two, as I don’t see being able to keep my hands off them for too long!

 

The end of the week called for a sure thing, and what better than a Joya de Nicaragua Antaño Dark Corojo.  This particular cigar came from a goodie bag from a blogger party that Drew Estate put on at last years IPCPR show, which probably explains why its a size that isn’t listed in their regular product line.  This box pressed cigar measured 6″ x 48 by my figuring (it’s hard to get a good read on a square cigar with a round ring gauge checker.  It’s a great cigar size, and had a beautiful dark wrapper.  I love this line.  I remember smoking one of these in the Joya de Nicaragua factory last year and having to put it down because the combination of heat and humidity in the factory and a strong-ass cigar was conspiring against me.  This was a strong-ass cigar also, but burned well and tasted great, one to try if you like them strong.  Maybe I’m getting old, or maturing or something, but I’m finding more of an appreciation for the mild-medium cigars recently. I’ll have to keep an eye on that.

 

In the News

 

HOYO de MONTERREY KICKS OFF BOX A DAY GIVEAWAY

Richmond, VA—To celebrate the launch of the new Hoyo de Monterrey website, General Cigar is rolling out a “Box a Day Giveaway” to share the unique flavor of the Hoyo Monterrey Reposado en Cedros® brand with cigar lovers across the U.S.

From now through July 31, 2012, consumers of legal smoking age are invited to visit the brand’s website (www.hoyodemonterreycigar.com) to enter to win a box of Hoyo de Monterrey Reposado en Cedros cigars, which feature a proprietary process called “Inmersión.™”

After being handcrafted by a handpicked team of artisans, each Reposado en Cedros cigar undergoes Inmersión, an innovative method of aging created at HATSA, General Cigar’s Honduran cigar factory. With this technique, each cigar is enveloped in fragrant cedar and left to rest for an extended period of time. The cigar matures to a complex, medium-bodied smoke that has won the brand stellar ratings and praise from the premium cigar category’s most discerning experts.

According to Kendall Rountree, brand manager for Hoyo de Monterrey cigars, “Since its debut, Hoyo de Monterrey Reposado en Cedros cigars has developed a cult following among serious cigar smokers who are drawn to its uniquely spicy taste. We’re utilizing the launch of the Hoyo de Monterrey website as an opportunity to increase the brand’s legion of fans through the ‘Box a Day Giveaway’ and are confident that cigar lovers will enjoy the brand’s uniquely spicy taste.”

Winners of the Hoyo de Monterrey Reposado en Cedros “Box a Day Giveaway” will be announced every Monday on the brand’s website, as well as on the brand’s Facebook page and Twitter feed.

About Hoyo de Monterrey Reposado en Cedros

Hoyo de Monterrey Reposado en Cedros features three frontmarks, each packed in boxes containing 24 cigars. At 5 ¼” x 54, Sueño is a classic robusto that is available for a suggested retail price of $6.69 per cigar, while the Liso frontmark, a 7” x 49 Churchill carries an SRP of $6.99 per cigar. Marco, a figurado(6 1/4” x 54) rounds out the collection with an SRP of $7.29 per cigar.

The cigars are packed in rustic wooden boxes, protected in canvas, and surrounded by cedar shavings to maintain the flavor and aroma imparted by Inmersión. Each box is truly a work of art, and continues the artisan tradition of the Hoyo de Monterrey brand.

Hoyo de Monterrey en Cedros cigars are produced by General Cigar Co. Inc., which manufactures and markets handcrafted cigars for the premium market. Committed to delivering cigars of the finest quality, General Cigar also produces Macanudo®, Cohiba®, Partagas®, Excalibur®, La Gloria Cubana® and several other leading premium brands. In addition, the company grows its own premium Connecticut Shade wrapper tobacco, as well as natural and candela wrapper in the Dominican Republic. General Cigar also operates Club Macanudo®, a cigar bar in New York City. Based in Richmond, VA, General Cigar sells through tobacconists nationwide. For more information, please visit www.cigarworld.com.

® Hoyo de Monterrey, Reposado en Cedros, Macanudo, Cohiba, Partagas, , Excalibur, La Gloria Cubana and Club Macanudo are registered trademarks of General Cigar Co. Inc.

™ Inmersión is a trademark of General Cigar Co. Inc.

# # #

 

The Hoyo de Monterrey Reposado en Cedros is a tasty smoke, so make sure you put your name in the hat to win a box!

 

Saturday afternoon Old Havana Cigars Co. in West Chester, PA had a Rocky Patel event featuring a visit by Nish Patel so I took a ride down to have a cigar.  I grabbed a couple of Xen Short Robustos and a couple Thunder by Nimish Robustos and smoked a Xen while I was there.  The Xen is unique because it has an Ecuador Connecticut wrapper but it’s square pressed.  It’s very difficult to make a pressed cigar with a Connecticut wrapper because it’s so thin.  They manage this, I believe, using a double binder.  I really enjoyed the cigar, it had what Nish refers to as “attitude”.  It’s not a mild cigar at all, it’s got a nice little punch to it, along with the flavor from the wrapper.  It was a very nice cigar.  Later, after dinner, I took a Thunder by Nimish Robusto to the front porch.  My son just got a dog, so she sat on the porch with me while I enjoyed this hefty robusto.  It has a nice curly pigtail cap and a dark Habano wrapper.  It had nice, dark, savory flavors. I think this is a nice cigar for someone who likes strong cigars, and I generally do.  Two very different blends, and two very rich, satisfying cigars.  Nish is a very nice guy, and it’s always a pleasure seeing Mark, our local Rocky Patel sales rep.  Old Havana Cigar Co. always has very busy events and despite it being a beautiful Saturday, they had a ton of traffic.

 

 

That’s it for now, and it was a lot!  I probably should have held something back for Wednesday when I’ll be looking for material!  I suppose I’ll have to smoke some more cigars between now and then…

Until the next time,

CigarCraig

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by | April 22, 2012 · 10:36 am

An Emilio Draig K, a Diamondback, and a San Lotano

Thursday had turned into a stressful day, and when my wife suggested a walk into town, I knew I wanted a terrific cigar to take along.  So many choices, so I came across a pre-release sample of the new cigar from Emilio Cigars and Gary Griffith, the Draig K.  This dark, oily toro just looked like it was the cigar I was looking for. I had actually just about settled on a Liga Privada T52 when I was distracted by the Draig.  Made in the Placencia factory, the only details I recall are that it features some Colombian tobacco in the filler.  I love a maduro, and I loved this cigar.  It was exactly the rich, satisfying smoking experience I had hoped for.  There were a couple points where it stopped wanting to burn and needed a relight, and there was a small tunnel about 4 inches in, but the flavor and texture of the smoke kept me relighting it down to a ¾” nub.  Yummy cigar. Yet another cigar I’m going to have to get my hands on when they hit the streets!  Thank you, Gary, for the opportunity to sample this fine cigar.

 

Friday night finally rolled around and I was in an experimental mood, so I reached for the IPCPR show sample of the Diamondback robusto from Altadis.  First, from the department of cynicism, one can’t help but draw a comparison between this cigar and another 5″ x 54 shade wrapped cigar with “diamond” in it’s name.  Pre-conceived notions aside, this was a very nice cigar.  It was solidly constructed, burned even and cut cleanly.  If you like shade wrapped cigars, you may want to try these out, considering you can get them by the box for under $50.  Not a bad cigar at all. My only complaint was that the draw was a little tighter than I’d prefer, making me have to work a little harder than I’d like.

 

Saturday was another beautiful spring day.  Showers were in the forecast for later, so I hit the back deck with a San Lotano Maduro lancero.  I’ve very much enjoyed past San Lotano maduros, so expectations were high, as I love  lancero format as well.  This was a terrific cigar, although comparing it with its fatter brethren is a little unfair.  Certainly, smoking the lancero is a little different experience,  one cannot expect the same flavors as a toro or robusto due to the difference in the filler proportions.  Where I find the larger ring gauges in this line to be rich and creamy like smoking a chocolate bar, the lancero was more like bittersweet chocolate.  In no way do I mean to imply that this is a bad thing, as the lancero was a fantastic smoke.  I spent nearly 2 hours nursing every last bit of tasty smoke from it, awfully sad to put it down when it decided it’s time had come. I had picked this up several months ago when I visited Gary Griffith at his People’s Plaza Cigar-ette City store.

 

News

 

I’m sure most of you have already done this, but if you haven’t, please head over the the White House website and sign the petition that’s there.  Here’s a terrific video from Bill Spann outlining the importance of this fight to keep the FDA out of our humidors.

httpv://youtu.be/7bfqIFGu9WM

It looks like there should be no problem getting to 25,000 signatures, but I think we often over-estimate the number of internet cigar nuts out there.  If cigar smokers are a small subset of the general population, and PREMIUM cigar smokers represent a very small subset of those, then those of us who carry our passion for cigars onto the internet are a VERY small part.  It’s important to spread the word and get others on board with this.  It will not be a happy day if the FDA is allowed to regulate premium cigars!

 

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

CigarCraig

 

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by | April 11, 2012 · 6:40 pm

A Macanudo Vintage, a La Gloria Cubana and Some Cigar News

A few weeks ago I was in my local cigar shop and I noticed the box of Macanudo Vintage 1997 with two robustos left in it.  I remember seeing the boxes being made when I toured General Cigar’s box factory, and I wanted it.  So I bought the last two sticks and was given the box.  Surprisingly, they were something like $6.99 each, certainly a reasonable price.  After getting in trouble with my wife for bringing home another cigar box, I put it on my night stand to unclutter some of the random electronics that accumulate: cameras, adapters, you know how it is. I put the cigars in the humidor, but those big metal bands they have, as cool as they are, interrupt the orderly flow of the humidor (this is my CDO showing, CDO=OCD in the correct alphabetical order).  The surrounding cigars just don’t seem to lay right around that band! Stupid, I know, but it gave me a god excuse to smoke one of these Monday night and see how they are.  They are good.  Nice and tasty, not too strong, but full of flavor.  This is right up my alley, and the 15 year old broadleaf wrapper held up very well. The band made it a little awkward in the hand, but it was different, and different is good. How do you expect a Macanudo to burn?  Perfect, right?  This one burned perfectly as one would expect.  I waited until it burned down until attempting to remove the band, which was pretty tight and I didn’t want to damage the wrapper more than necessary.  Now I need to figure out what to do with the band.  I gave it to my wife.  It didn’t fit.  Maybe I need to find some tiny napkins to roll up and use for a tiny, fancy place setting?  That’s just silly, I threw it in my band vase and it sunk about half way in.  Still pretty cool, and the cigar was very enjoyable.

 

Tuesday night’s walk was accompanied by a La Gloria Cubana Serie R Maduro No.5.  I’ve enjoyed these since they came out in 1999, but the last two I’ve smoked seemed really mild to me.  Yes, milder than the aforementioned Macanudo.  I thought the last one was a fluke, but this one was on the mild side too.  I bought a five pack of these at Famous’ store in Easton last December when I visited, remembering a stronger La Gloria, not a milder one.  Am I disappointed? A little.  I can’t help but think I’m just smoking these at the wrong time.  The flavor is great when I get it, perhaps a cool, breezy evening isn’t the best time, I’ll try one again on a nice warm summer evening.  I’ve long admired the La Gloria Cubana line, and certainly won’t let a couple cigars that underwhelm me get in the way of that!

 

News

In local news, my Eastern PA fellow cigar lovers will be interested in the following item from the Reading Eagle, which is the Reading PA local paper:

Supervisors approve plans for cigar store, lounge

The Tilden Township supervisors have approved final plans for the building of a cigar store and lounge on one of Cabela’s four commercial parcels just west of Route 61.

Township Manager Cheryl A. Haus said the approval is conditioned on completion of storm water and improvement agreements.

The parcel between Cabela’s and the Red Robin restaurant previously had been purchased for a Holiday Inn Express Hotel, but plans for that failed to materialize, she said.

The new owner is Cigars International of Bethlehem, which Haus said has two stores in the Lehigh Valley.

Haus said the company wants to build a smoking lounge and is trying to get a liquor license for it.

Cigars International moving closer to home, and next to a Cabella’s to boot!  Makes me want to grunt…can’t you just smell the testosterone?

 

In More News

Head on over to wwws.whitehouse.gov and sign the petition.  Don’t worry about having to sign up, do you think they don’t know how to find you? 🙂   We need to keep making noise about this to our elected officials.  I know I sent my umpteenth letter to my member of the House, Jim Gerlach this week, and I signed this petition today.   Of course, the IPCPR and Cigar Rights of America sites have great tools to easily write to the appropriate people.

 

That’s about it for this installment, until the next time,

CigarCraig

 

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by | March 18, 2012 · 11:28 am

A Buena Vista Cigar, An Oliva at Old Havana Cigars, a Green Camacho and a Cain

Thursday evening I grabbed a Buena Vista Short Churchill that I was given by Gary Heathcott, the company’s director of global marketing  when I was waiting for a Coke at the Cigar Journal awards reception at last year’s IPCPR show.  This cigar is unique in that it’s an Ecuador Puro and it’s rolled by Cuban rollers that come to Ecuador on special visas to work in the factory.  The cigar had a stunning appearance, very smooth and even in shape and color. I grabbed this based on the size, it’s a 4¼”x 54, so it’s a short, fat cigar, and I only had an hour to smoke.   I have to say that I really enjoyed the smoke, it was good, but not as unique as I had hoped.  There was really nothing especially different about it.  It was a good tasting cigar.  I had to touch it up frequently as it wanted to burn faster on one side, but not a bad cigar.  If this is priced right, I’d say give it a try, if it’s too expensive, I’d personally choose something else based on this sample.

 

Friday evening my son and I attended and Oliva event at Old Havana Cigars in West Chester, PA.  I’ve been to several events there and it’s always pretty crazy.  Nice bunch of folks there and I always enjoy spending time with the local Oliva Rep, Mike Staiber.  I picked up some cigars and promptly fired up a Serie G Maduro box pressed belicoso. This is a cigar that I haven’t smoked many of, and I don’t know why.  It’s got a really tasty broadleaf wrapper and really hit the spot.   I also grabbed a few of the Cameroon in the same size.  For my troubles, I was rewarded with a couple free Nub Habanos (it was buy 5, get 2 free).  Lots of people buying cigars, quite a few picking up boxes and getting all kinds of freebies and swag to go along with it.  My son had a Cain Daytona in a corona size that he enjoyed as well (and is one of my favorites).  We had a good time talking with Mike (@olivastaiber on twitter.  Follow him!), who I’ve known for quite a while and is a great cigar rep and a very cool guy.

 

Of course, Saturday was St. Patrick’s Day, so that called for a candela cigar.  Several years ago I picked up a box of the Camacho Monarca Candela because I really liked them and they were a nice change of pace.  We had to go to a percussion competition at my son’s high school, in which he plays bass guitar in the ensemble, so I grabbed one of these for our walk to the school.  If you have never had a candela cigar, you should certainly try one.  It’s a different flavor, a little more vegetal or grassy, but refreshing in a way.  In this case, we have the Camacho Corojo with the candela wrapper, so it’s no slouch when it comes to strength, as many candela, or as the were once called, American Market Selection (AMS) can be on the mild side.  Astral is a cigar that comes to mind in the mild candela area, as does the Arturo Fuente 8-5-8. La Flor Dominicana and Illusione have recently put their spin on this once popular wrapper.  Anyway, this box of Camachos has been consistently loose in the draw department, so I’ve taken to punching these to make them a little better in the draw department.  Pretty strong for a noon-time smoke, but really tasty with a long finish, so long that I could still taste it several hours later after another cigar and dinner.

 

On the walk home from the event I had grabbed a Cain Habano Tubo on the way out the door, so I fired it up.  This was the 550 Cain in a spiffy aluminum tube, and I hadn’t eaten since breakfast and had a mile or so to walk, so I was lamenting my decision to grab this one as I lit it up.  My fear turned out to be misplaced, because it was a damned tasty cigar!  I spent another 20 minutes with this on the porch when I got home, it was just too good to put down.  Perfect burn and draw.  Strong, but balanced and, dare I say, complex.  Every now and then an interesting flavor would dance across my palate, something I’ve missed in past Cain Habanos.  Perhaps this one was well aged, or aged better in the tube, I don’t know, but it was likely the best Cain Habano I’ve had.

I don’t usually have a two cigar day, but the weather was so great, despite it being a very busy day, I had two spectacular cigars walking to and from the high school.  The competition was excellent as well, lots of talented kids, and I’m a drum geek as well as a cigar geek, so I always enjoy stuff like that, cigars or not.

 

Until the next time,

CigarCraig

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