Monthly Archives: November 2011

by | November 30, 2011 · 8:01 pm

Square Press Week: A Oja Anniversary and a G.A.R. White Label

I seem to be on a square press kick this week.  Don’t know why that is really, I like square cigars, but I don’t really go out of my way to select them.  They are perfect for my bi-weekly walks to the convenience store, where I usually rest my cigar on the Redbox machine while I go in.  I hate it when a cigar rolls off and I find it on the ground when I come out.  I had that happen with a Liga Privada last week and I thought someone stole it, but I found it under the machine!  Phew!  I was scared there for a bit!

 

Monday evening I had a call from Luis of Oja Cigars and felt inspired to smoke the Oja Anniversary Robusto that he gifted me  when I saw him last in Vegas.  This is a pretty square pressed robusto with a dark Brazilian Samba wrapper.  It’s full of dark and decadent flavors and was perfectly constructed.  This cigar was made to celebrate the first anniversary of the brand.  The whole line has been a highlight for me this year, all three wrappers in the regular line are very good, and a toro, torpedo and 6″ x 60 gordo are good sizes, although I have to say this robusto fits my cooler weather smoking needs the best.

 

Tonight I grabbed a G.A.R. White Label Corona Gorda for my walk.  This cigar was sent to my by one of my loyal readers, Lloyd, who seems to be very lucky when it comes to winning cigars!  As a matter of fact, he won a box of Oja cigars right here a few months back.  Here we had a 6″ x 46 cigar with am Ecuador Corojo wrapper, Ecuador Connecticut binder and Nicaraguan Filler.  I’ve only had the pleasure of smoking a few cigars from the Gran Habano lines, and they’ve been pretty good so far. This one was perhaps a little light for a chilly evening, but it performed admirably and provided a satisfying smoke.  Thanks, Lloyd, for the opportunity to sample this cigar!  Best of luck to you in future contests!

 

Don’t forget to send an e-mail to mailinglist@pipesandcigars.com to get on their mailing list and get a free PipesandCigars.com calendar with special monthly deals.  Also, use the “Write to Congress” widget in my sidebar (between the IPCPR and CRA graphics) and e-mail your elected officials asking them to support the bills to keep the FDA out of our humidors!

 

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

CigarCraig

 

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by | November 27, 2011 · 5:36 pm

Holiday Weekend Cigars: Joya de Nicaragua, La Sirena and a 777

I hope everyone who celebrated Thanksgiving had a wonderful day, filled with family, food and cigars!  We kept it small this year, my wife cooked up a delicious meal, and my brother-in-law joined us and enjoyed a cigar with me after the meal.

 

I first enjoyed a Joya de Nicaragua Cabinetta Lancero on the first day of Cigar Safari in Nicaragua last March.  Jonathan Drew passed them around on our way to dinner after an amazing day of travel and sight-seeing.  The cigar was amazing, so when I spied one in the gift pack from the blogger party that Drew Estate threw at the IPCPR show, I was quite pleased.  So I selected that cigar for my post-turkey smoke, and gave my bro-in-law it’s shorter, fatter sibling, a Cabinetta robusto.  Obviously, the lancero lasted a little longer thank the robusto, but it needs to be smoked slower, but it waswonderful.  Smooth, reasonably mild, with nice flavors, this is a cigar that I need to get more of, and I don’t like not having one size or another of the Cabinettas in my humidors.  It’s a perfect cigar for any time of day.

 

Friday, following another family feast, I decided the La Sirena Prince that I picked up at the Delaware Cigar Festival was in order.   This robusto is a little hard to find behind the enormous band.  Fortunately, once the large band is removed, a smaller one is still there so you don;t forget what you are smoking.  I found this to be a tasty treat, wrapped in a dark, broadleaf wrapper.  I quite enjoyed this cigar, it burned perfectly and had a unique flavor that defies my ability to describe. All I know is that I liked it, and thanks to Chris Lenzo of Miami Cigar and Co, for hooking me up with this after someone bought up all of the cigars they had brought to the expo!

 

Saturday turned out to be a very nice day, so I grabbed a Jesus Fuego 777 Maduro Belicoso for my evening walk.  I really like these cigars.  They have all of the deep, dark flavors I want out of a maduro.  I had previously only smoked the coronas, but this Belicoso came from the hand of Jesus Fuego himself at the IPCPR show.  Terrific cigars and not unreasonably priced.  The burn was a little ragged in the first half, but ended up being perfect in the last half.  Jesus Fuego is pretty consistently coming out with some great cigars.  You can see a little video I took of him here.

 

As I write this I’m enjoying a La Gloria Cubana Artesanos Retro Especiale on a mild evening. I’m contemplating taking a ride up to Easton, PA next Saturday to attend the LGC Event at Famous Smoke Shop.  I haven’t been up there yet and look forward to seeing the new store.  I’m also plotting something special for the Christmas holiday season, so stay tuned!  Finally, don’t forget to check out the special deal mentioned in my last post.  Get your free calendar and a cigar from PipesandCigars.com !

 

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

 

CiagrCraig

 

 

 

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by | November 23, 2011 · 7:13 pm

Happy Thanksgiving, a Fuente Hemingway and a Special Offer!

First off, let me wish my US readers a very Happy Thanksgiving.  I’m quite thankful for my family, as well as all of the cool opportunities that have been presented to me this year.  Thanks to all of my readers. Who would have thought that scribbling down my random cigar thoughts would entertain people!  (OK, my wife thought so, I’m thankful to her for giving me the site!)

 

Anyway, Wednesday evening is my traditional “Take A Cigar For A Walk” night, and since it’s practically a Friday, I chose a nice cigar to start the long weekend.  I came across a lonely Arturo Fuente Hemingway Signature that came to me by way of my good friend and UK Fuente distributor, Mitchell Orchant.  This is a long time favorite that I haven’t had in years.  I smoked a bunch of these in the ’90s, and have a lot of great memories associated with this cigar.  I love the flavor from the Cameroon wrapper, and the 6″ x 46 perfecto shape is just about perfect.  It was a great cigar, although it burned faster than I would like as it was over too soon.

 

Special Offer!

I received an e-mail today from Travis at PipesandCigars.com with the following offer for you, my loyal readers.  I took a look at the site and was pleasantly surprised.  The selection and pricing is top-notch and they even have singles. I like the feature they have that lets you build your own sampler. Check them out.

 

PipesandCigars.com is releasing a 2012 Cigar Calendar. This calendar features two of the greatest things in the world – beautiful women and fine cigars. Each month features an eye-popping female along with an eye-popping deal on the featured brands. A calendar sure to add some spice to your office or smoking lounge, and also sure to give you the best values on your favorite smokes. To get your free copy, subscribe to our special offers mailing list by simply sending an e-mail to mailinglist@pipesandcigars.com with your mailing address. We’ll start off your subscription with this free calendar along with a free cigar. Calendars & cigars will ship the week of December 5th. Enjoy!

 

 


 

 

 

 

 

So check out PipesandCigars.com and e-mail them to sign up for their e-mail list and get a calendar and a cigar, how can you go wrong?  If you find yourself in the Albany, NY area look them up and tell them I said hello!

 

Enjoy the holiday!

CigarCraig

 

 

 



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by | November 20, 2011 · 2:58 pm

A Monte Pascoal, an ORTSAC 1962, a CAO OSA Sol and a Video

My Wednesday “Take a Cigar for a Walk” cigar was a Monte Pascoal Belicoso courtesy of Wes Gensel at Monte Pascoal. I recently included one of these in a prize pack and figured it might be a good idea to sample one myself before I give them all away!  This is a 5½ x 52 belicoso that really burned well. It’s a Brazilian puro that has a very nice, well balanced flavor.  I often think of Brazilian wrappers being maduro, which this one is not, but I’d love to try this cigar with an Arapiraca wrapper.  One does not often find a Brazilian puro, but this is one to seek out and try.

 

Friday I took the heater out on the back deck and fired up an ORTSAC 1962 Bulletproof Robusto.  I got this from the IPCPR show, where an old friend happened to be working in the booth.  Mike introduced me to Victor Vitale who gave me the tour. I  included a video of Victor talking about this cigar before (here).   I think the name ORTSAC is dumb, I don’t mind saying it.  However, it’s a well made and reasonably tasty cigar, although it wasn’t overly distinctive to me. One of the interesting things about this cigar is that it comes packaged in a ballistic nylon/kevlar “box”, which really does nothing to enhance the flavor of the cigar, but it is kind of neat and stands out on the shelf.  Again, dumb name, pretty OK cigar.

 

Saturday’s “Take a Cigar for a Walk” cigar was an CAO OSA Sol Lot 54.  This is a hefty 6 x 54 cigar that  I’ve enjoyed before.  I really enjoyed this one.  In the past, I’ve thought that the Lot 50 was better, and that may be true, but this particular example was much better than the previous one I smoked.  These have a “bright”, kind of refreshing flavor to them that I enjoy.  Good for a mile or so and the necessary “cool down” in the front porch afterward.

 

Since I don’t have too much to say this time around, so I thought I’d include a video from the IPCPR show.  I met Don Juan of Dignity Cigars at a General Cigar event which was held at a swanky night club.  I had just wandered in and was at the bar to get a Coke and he introduced himself.  We made arrangements to meet the following day on the show floor.  He gave me one of his organically grown and eco-friendly Costa Rican puros at the time and I recall enjoying it, although it’s really hard to pay a lot of attention to samples smoked at the show.  Needless to say, I didn’t take notes, but I will pick one up to re-sample the next time I come across one.  Here’s a little video from the show, standard volume disclaimers and apologies apply!  Thank you to Don Juan for taking the time to talk to me, he’s a super nice guy!

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

CigarCraig

 

 

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by | November 16, 2011 · 7:50 pm

A Book Review, an EPC New Wave, and a Joya de Nicaragua

When I’m not listening to podcasts or socializing when smoking a cigar, I’m usually reading. Sometimes it’s something in the fantasy genre, or something having something to do with Cuba or cigars.  When the opportunity came my way to read and review a book about growing tobacco, I had to jump at it.   Now, I have a black thumb, I don’t know what’s a weed and whats a regular plant, and I’m not a fan of gardening.  My wife, daughter and son-in-law are the gardeners in the family.  Along with the several visits to cigar country I’ve made this year, I knew the subject matter would leave me overwhelmed and confused.  Fortunately, “How To Grow Your Own Tobacco Freom Seed To Smoke” by Ray French, breaks the process down pretty neatly.

 

I started reading this with a nice little E.P. Carillo New Wave Connecticut Stellas (5.125″ x 42) that I had recently purchased at one of the nearby shops, G&G Cigars In West Chester, PA.  This lovely little corona isn’t your standard, mild Connecticut shade wrapped cigar.  Side bar: There seems to be a trend toward Connecticut shade wrapped cigars that aren’t mild, leaving us stuck with silly cliches like “this isn’t your mother’s shade cigar” or nonsense like that.  I blame Christian for starting this with the CT (I’ve grown weary of typing Connecticut) shade Camacho.  Always the trendsetter, that guy…Anyway, good cigar, look forward to trying it in a larger size one of these days.

 

Back to the book.  Mr. French touches on several varieties of tobacco that he’s grown, some of which are good for cigars, others for cigarettes, pipes and chew.   As I said before, there are SO many steps involved with getting one darned plant to grow, it seems impossible that they can plant fields of the things and have enough of a harvest.  I may have to get my hands on some broadleaf seed and try this out on a small scale.  We are fairly avid composters, although our yard lacks sufficient space to plant more than a few plants.  It might be interesting to follow the steps in the book and try to make some tobacco grow here in south-east, PA.  I know the Amish grow varieties of tobacco all the time, so it can’t be as hard as it sounds (if any Amish folks are reading this…..er…..strike that…).  Beside discussing soil and fertilizers, he talks about insect control as well.  Everything is approached organically too.

 

I read the second half of the book with an old favorite, the Joya de Nicaragua Antaño 1970 Robusto Grande.  This is a strong cigar that’s supposed to be a strong cigar!  Not as strong as it’s Dark Corojo sibling, it’s still a nice, full-bodied cigar with loads of flavor.  I can remember years ago smoking the JdN and not caring for them, I suppose because they were pretty mild in the late 90s.  Then they came out with the Antaño line, and I really started to enjoy them.  Having visited the factory, I find myself with a deeper appreciation for their cigars.  One of my favorites now is the Cabinetta, which is a milder cigar. Figure that one out!

 

Anyway, the book, “How To Grow Your Own Tobacco Freom Seed To Smoke” by Ray French, is a nice primer if growing your own tobacco is something that piques your interest. I especially like the detailed journal provided at the end to track the various stages of planting, growing, harvesting and curing, as well as links to sources to purchase seeds on line. Thanks to the publisher, Cool Springs Press for contacting me and providing me with the copy.  The book is available at Amazon.com and, I’m sure, your local book store.

 

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

CigarCraig

 

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