Monthly Archives: June 2012

by | June 10, 2012 · 9:39 am

It’s Been a Long Week: J.Fuego, Partagas, My Own Blend, News, and a Contest Winner!

I had a long week!  I worked at my second job last weekend, went to a one year old’s birthday party, we went to NYC on Tuesday, and my youngest son graduated from high school Friday night.  I still managed to get a few cigars in though!

 

Going way back to Sunday, I sat down that afternoon with a J. Fuego 777 Zero robusto.  Jesus gave me this cigar at the IPCPR show last year, and I’ve been looking forward to smoking it.  I’ve really enjoyed the maduro and Corojo in the 777 line, so I was sure I’d like this one.  Visually, the cigar is stunning.  The wrapper is flawless and the triple cap was very prominent, a certain sign that it was the work of a skilled torcedor.  I loved this cigar.  Like many Ecuador Connecticut wrapped cigars these days, it leaned more to the side of medium than mild.  As I suspected, it burned beautifully and was a perfect smoke for a fine Sunday afternoon after coming home from the birthday party. I can highly recommend the entire 777 line, give them a try.

 

I dug into the samples of the new Partagas 1845 cigars this week.  these arrived just after Memorial Day, so I wanted to let them rest a little after spending the long weekend in the hands of the USPS.  I couldn’t resist any longer and selected the robusto, which measures 5½ x 49, as it does in the regular Partagas line.  I like the size quite a bit.  A quick aside: the Partagas 1845 website is well done. It presents all the information, sizes, blend information, bios of the team, very well done.  I was critical of the CAO website and was told it was a work in progress, but they still don’t have any size information and they should take a look at their sister site for  some inspiration!  The cigar is well done also.  It’s a solid, satisfying medium smoke with loads of flavor. It’s reminiscent of the Partagas line, with a little something extra. A fine smoke and I look forward to working through the rest of the sizes.

 

Friday evening was my son’s graduation ceremony, and before we left I had time for a special smoke.  I selected one of the cigars I blended on my Cigar Safari trip last March.  I’ve smoked a couple of these and been really happy.  For those who don’t recall, the blend was a Mexican Oscuro wrapper Indonesian binder,  seco  from both Esteli and Dominican Republic,  half a leaf of Esteli ligero and filled it out with Brazilian Mata Fina viso.  The size is 5×44, and they were rolled by the team that rolls that Liga Privadas.  The construction was perfect, the flavor was dark and delicious and it was the perfect cigar to celebrate the end of an era, our participation in the public school system!

 

Yesterday I went back to Partagas, but this time it was a Partagas Black Magnifico.  This is a big, ugly cigar, but boy, is it good!  I love the Connecticut broadleaf wrapper, great smoke.  I sat on my front porch for nearly 2 hours enjoying this cigar.  I can’t actually recall a Partagas cigar I didn’t like, from either manufacturer, they all bring something a little special to the table.  It’s an iconic brand, it’s usually reasonably priced and readily available.

 

News

I’ve received a ton of press releases this week, and everyone else has gotten them published, so here’s a little recap:

CAO Cigars and Two Foot Fred to Rock CMA Music Festival – TheCigarmy.com

Butthead’s Tobacco Presents a Virtual Cigar Workshop – Cigar-Coop.com

Dona Flor Cigars Reaady To Unveil Its “BRAZILIAN BLACK TREASURE” To The U.S. Market – ACigarSmoker.com

Emilio Cigars Upcoming Releases – Halfwheel.com

 

Thanks to all of my fellow bloggers for taking care of this so I don’t have to! 🙂

 

Contest!

Today is the day we announce the winner of the contest.  The winner will receive a signed copy of the book “Once Upon a Time in Cuba” , by Mitchell Orchant and Micheal Mirecki.  I’ll, no doubt, include some other goodies with the book as well.  I return to Random.org to select a number between 1 and 31.  The number is 28, which corresponds to the 28th comment which was made by “Tonbofrogman”.  Please e-mail me your address so I can get this out to you!  Thanks to Mitchell for contributing this great prize and for his support and kindness!

 

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

 

CigarCraig

 

 

 

 

 

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by | June 6, 2012 · 7:54 pm

A New York City Cigar Dinner Cruise and a Contest!

For the third year in a row my wife and sons and I were invited on a three hour New York City dinner cruise hosted by our dear friend Mitchell Orchant and his wife and daughter, along with Guy Hancock.  Mitchell and Guy are international cigar merchants and host this party for their friends and customers.  The venue was the Cabana, a Marco Polo Cruises boat out of the New York Sky Ports marina.  We were able to board about an hour early, which was great since we had left home plenty early to avoid traffic and delays.  We were each given really cool goodie bags with a couple cigars, some candies, little bottles of whiskey, cutters, matches, a lighter, all sorts of terrific stuff.  There ended up being over 90 invited guests, and the boat had plenty of room on two decks.  My sons both lit up the Grafton Reserva corona from their gift bags, which is a house brand for the Decent Cigar Emporium in Dublin, Ireland.  This is made for them in the Dominican Republic and the boys enjoyed it and reported that it was a nice, mild smoke.  I lit up a Room 101 Connecticut that I had gotten at the event I attended several weeks ago.  The Room 101 Connecticut is a very nice cigar, rich and flavorful with a perfect draw.  After we set out to cruise the East River, and we finished our first cigars, sushi was being served and a jazz combo was playing on the lower deck.  A lavish buffet was set out with salad, chicken, eggplant and manicotti, everything one could want.  Once again, Mitchell outdid himself and pulled off a fabulous evening.  After dinner my son, Corey, and I lit up some special cigars that we brought back from Cigar Safari last year,  Liga Privada Dirty Rats in a 7″ x 44 size.  The additional length seemed to mellow the blend a little and it was a fantastic smoke, loads of flavor and the extra two inches really added to the cigar.  My son Christian enjoyed an Acid Kuba Kuba.  The weather, which was threatening, held off and it ended up being a really nice night, kudos to the captain for steering around what little rain there was.  Of course, the views of the city from the river are spectacular.  The new Freedom Tower is stunning and we got good views of the Statue of Liberty as well as the East River bridges.  We saw some old friends, and met some new ones, as usually happens at these sorts of events.  We always enjoy getting together with Mitchell of C.Gars Ltd. and his family, and thank him once again for including us.  Thanks, as well to Guy of The Decent Cigar Emporium for also being a gracious host.  All great folks whom I’m proud to call friends.

 

Contest

Mitchell was kind enough to  provide me with an autographed copy of his book, “Once Upon a Time in Cuba” to give away to a lucky reader.  Don’t worry, it’s mostly pictures!  I’ll throw in some assorted goodies along with the book as well.    Usual rules apply, leave a comment to enter, if you’ve won in the past six months you’re ineligible (excluding the Christmas Giveaways).  I’ll close the contest and announce the winner on my Sunday, June 10, 2012 post. Many thanks to Mitchell at C.Gars Ltd. for providing these goodies.

 

See below for some pictures from the evening’s festivities.

 

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

 

CigarCraig

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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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