Monthly Archives: November 2012

by | November 28, 2012 · 7:52 pm

The CAO Concert Event at G & G Cigars

It snowed! It’s not even December yet and we have a blanket of snow on the ground. Last year the only major snow we had was at the end of October 2011, so maybe we get it out of the way again and have a nice, mild, uneventful winter? I can hope. I like cigars too much to limit myself to coronas and petite coronas all the time. Don’t get me wrong, I think a smaller ring cigar is fine, love a lancero and coronas, but variety is the spice of life! Go away snow!

 

Right before it snowed I had an opportunity to attend an event at G & G Cigars in West Chester PA. This is a nice little shop in the downtown area in what was once the Warner theater and is now the Warner Hotel. The hotel is a new addition and just looking into the lobby from the street (what was once the movie theater lobby, I think I saw the Muppet Movie there! back when you could smoke during the movie and you d didn’t think twice about rats running over your feet…you know, the good old days!) it looks like a very nice place. G & G Cigar Co. has been here for 13 years and is capably run by Doug and Jan, who I run into at the trade shows more than I see in the shop. Admittedly, I don’t get to this shop as much as I’d like, but that’s because I really don’t frequent any one shop over another in my area. I end up going to cigar events wherever they may happen to be and am not one to just go hang out at any one shop. If I were and lived a little closer, this shop would be the place. They work things a little differently here, the lounge and their events are for their members and not open to the public. I was lucky enough to weasel and invite out of Doug because my buddy Rick Rodriquez was bringing his CAO Concert tour to my home town. Rick is the man when it comes to the new blends coming out of CAO and I was fortunate to get to know him a bit when I visited General Cigar Co. in the Dominican Republic last year. He has studied the blending arts with Benji Menendez among others and knows his stuff and is a heck of a cool dude too.  A big thank you to Doug and Jan for extending me their hospitality and Ricky and his crew as well.  As you can see in one of the pictures, they even had a cake for Ricky’s birthday that’s this week, Happy Birthday Bro!

 

I enjoyed a CAO Concert Roadie while enjoying the company of several of the members. I have to say that many shops, membership or not, can be a little intimidating at first. I have been a guest of Doug’s in his lounge on two occasions and was welcomed and treated as a friend both times. This says something for the clientele at this shop and after talking to several members, they all seem to drive past one shop or another to come to this one. I wasn’t a fan of the members only lounge and events model but it’s working quite well here and if I were closer and would spend more time hanging around I would gladly pay the membership. Good group of folks for sure. As far as the CAO Concert goes, it’s a nice smoke. Medium bodied with a nice sweetness here and there that probably comes from the broad-leaf binder.  I enjoyed the heck out of the cigar as well as the time I spent talking to all the folks at the event.  It was a fun time.  If you get a chance to meet Rick on one of his tour stops do it, he’s a great guy and really knows his art.

 

Since it’s cold and there’s still stinkin snow on the ground I grabbed a short smoke for my walk, a CAO OSA Sol Lot T.  This 4 ½” x 50 box pressed torpedo is quite a neat little smoke.  It was loaded with  flavor and burned perfectly.  It’s a different experience from the Concert, it’s got refreshing, bright flavors that will be even better on a 80 degree summer afternoon by the pool than a cold evening with the moon and Venus lighting up the snow.  It was perfect for my walk.  I picked up a few of these at  Cigars International when I was at the new super store and they were in the $5 range, quite reasonable.

 

That’s it for this installment, enjoy the rest of your week and take some time to relax with a fine cigar, whether it’s at home in your favorite smoking spot, or in a nice lounge like G & G Cigars has.

 

Until the next time,

 

CigarCraig

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by | November 25, 2012 · 9:49 am

A Turkeyday Liga Privada T52 and an Alec Bradley Event at Old Havana

After a fine Thanksgiving turkey dinner with my family I figured something a special cigar was in order. I was in a Liga Privada mood, so I was riffling through the Drew Estate box and came across a 6″x 60 Liga Privada T52. Now tell me, what could be better than more of a good thing? Probably just about every other size of the T52! Not that it wasn’t a spectacular cigar, it certainly was! It was loaded with flavor, just not quite the concentration of flavor that the narrower ring gauge T52s present. I enjoyed every last bit of this cigar, but couldn’t help to think that the wrapper to filer ratio just isn’t quite right to showcase the wrapper on the T52 line. I think this came from a goodie bag at a blogger party Drew Estate threw in Vegas at the 2011 IPCPR show. Great cigar, but I’m not really surprised that it isn’t in regular production, but it’s always fun to see how blends translate into different sizes. It’s a cigar I’m glad to have had the chance to try in this format to see the impact that the wrapper has on a blend.

 

Friday evening I took a drive down to Old Havana Cigar Co. just south of West Chester, PA. for an Alec Bradley event.  This shop always has good events and they have a really nice lounge as well as a huge, well stocked humidor.  They have food in the lounge and always have quite a crowd. I picked up a couple of American Sun Grown robustos and lit one up. For right around $5 these cant be beat. I think I prefer them over some of the pricier lines. I had a nice time talking with “the Player”, Jonathan Lipson, and hanging out and enjoying my smoke. Since I moved a few months ago I’m a lot farther away from this shop than I used to be, but I’ll make the trip occasionally to catch an event. I ended up with new Connecticut offering from Alec Bradley which I’ll smoke in the not too distant future (maybe today).

 

Last night, after a two day battle with a migraine, I went for a favorite, a Gurkha Seduction Robusto.  This is an excellent smoke that I really like and didn’t have to think to hard about, I could just enjoy it .  A year ago I don’t think I’d even had a Gurkha cigar, and now I find that I have a handful floating around the humidors.  So far the Seduction is my favorite, but I have a bunch more to sample.  I’ll wait until the weather is nicer though as the all seem to be toro sized!

 

I hope everyone had a fine Thanksgiving and is ready for the start of my 12 Days of Spectacular Giveaways coming up in a few short weeks!  It’s looking like it’s going to be even better than last year!   I’m going to go string some more lights outside after I send a few e-mails lining up stuff for the contests.

 

Until the next time,

CigarCriag

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by | November 21, 2012 · 8:55 pm

Thanksgiving Week Cigars – Cain, ORTSAC, Reinado and an Opus X

It’s the eve of Thanksgiving, and leading up to the holiday I smoked some tasty cigars!  I know, what makes this week any different, you ask?  It’s one of the many things I have to be thankful for.  In addition to having a nice home and a wonderful family, we have some great cigars to smoke!  Things could be a lot worse, and they are for a lot of people.  Anyway, I smoked a few cigars this week, so here’s a little recap:

 

I started off the week, or ended the weekend, with a really nice Cain F 550.  This is a beautiful 5¾ x 50 cigar with loads of flavor and strength.  I have enjoyed the Cain line since it’s launch, generally prefer them with some age.  This one I believe came from the IPCPR show, so it didn’t have too much age, but enough to round out the rough edges. The tubed lancero in this line is awesome, and this cross between a robusto and a toro was just as tasty.  Smoke one after a nice steak dinner, you won’t be disappointed!  I’ve got Cains scattered around the humidors and I’m thankful that I do!

 

Monday evening I just knew I had to try the ORTSAC 1962 Habano.  I received a pair of these along with the ORTSAC 1962 San Andreas that I raved about in a previous post.  This was a different, but outstanding cigar.  It was well rounded and smoked very well.  If you’re keeping score, I didn’t really much care for the regular ORTSAC 1962, but the San Andreas and Habano have made me a believer.  Since I’m a fan of the Tortuga line from Victor Vitale’s stable, I’m quickly becoming a fan of this gentleman’s blends.  One can’t be expected to like everything, but the last several blends have been winners for me.  Victor is a heck of a nice guy too, and I’m looking forward to meeting up with him for a smoke in the not too distant future.

 

Tuesday I selected a Reinado Grand Empire Reserve for my evening smoke.  I was given this robusto by brand owner Antonio Lam at the IPCPR show last August.  I spoke with Antonio for  minute at the show, you can watch the video below.  This is a lovely Nicaraguan cigar that burned perfectly and provided me with in excess of an hour of smokey enjoyment.  It was savory with a little sweetness that made my palate happy.  I’ll hunt down a few of these to keep in the humidor as it was a really nice smoke.

 

To celebrate the end of a short work week, and the beginning of a four day weekend, I cracked open my “special” humidor.  This humidor was a gift to me for my tenth wedding anniversary.  My wife had a furniture maker friend make it, so it’s truly one of a kind.  It’s been the home to the small selection of Havanas as well as some higher end cigars.  It’s been about ten months since I really smoked anything from this humidor, I pulled a couple of Romeo y Julieta Coronitas en Cedros from it to celebrate my youngest son’s 18th birthday.  Anyway, it’s my obligation to test a cigar from there periodically to make sure they are in good shape so I selected an Fuente Fuente Opus X Super Belicoso that must have spent the last decade or so resting in there.  I can’t remember the last time I smoked an Opus X, it could have been in 2000.  I initially thought the unlit wrapper smelled like cocoa beans, but my wife smelled cedar and I have to go along with her on that.  I guess the conditions in that humidor are acceptable, because the cigar burned great and was loaded with classic cedary flavors.  It was a great smoke, I wish I could remember where it came from.  It had a $13.49 price sticker on the amber cello, and I haven’t priced these recently so I don’t know what that means!  I think there are a couple more Opus X cigars floating around in there, I suppose I’ll have to smoke another one of these days!

That’s it for now, enjoy the Thanksgiving holiday if you are in the US.  If you are in the rest of the world, have a great weekend!

Until the next time,

CigarCraig

 

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by | November 18, 2012 · 11:27 am

Alec Bradley American, ORTSAC 1962, Nestor Miranda and Brick Cigars

Can I start out by stating that this is my least favorite time of year? It’s dark when I get up, it’s dark when I get home, and the temperatures are dropping. It makes it harder to smoke larger cigars and really be able to relax. My evening routine usually involves walking the dog with a cigar. I’ve been walking with cigars for years, at least walking keeps me warm and I generally walk for half or more of a cigar and finish the other half off while I “cool down”.  An added benefit is that I get a little exercise while I enjoy a smoke. I have found that stronger cigars tend to hold up better in the cold and milder cigars tend to get lost.

 

Wednesday I grabbed an Alec Bradley American Sungrown robusto that I had purchased a couple weeks ago at the Cigars International grand opening. I had wanted to try these since they came out and this was the first time I thought to buy some. I love the American Classic blend, it’s a really nice cigar that’s smooth and tasty and well priced. I hoped for something a little bolder from the Sungrown version and I wasn’t disappointed. It was a very tasty cigar that was quite satisfying.  At the $5 price point this is a must try, along with its American Classic sibling.  Both are excellent smokes at a really reasonable price.

 

Thursday I went with a ORTSAC 1962 San Andreas from The Cigar Agency. I had smoked a sample at the IPCPR show reluctantly, and I say that because I love San Andreas wrappers and when Victor gave me a sample at the show and I lit it up, I was concerned that smoking it at the show wouldn’t give me the best opportunity to enjoy it.  I find it very awkward to walk into a venders booth smoking someone else’s cigar, and I had an appointment shortly after I spoke with Victor.  I was thrilled when a couple more showed up in my mailbox a few weeks ago.  If I’m honest, and I try to be, I’m not a huge fan of the regular ORTSAC 1962 Bulletproof, it just doesn’t suit my palate.  However, the addition of the San Andreas wrapper makes all the difference for me.  It’s got just the right balance of strength and rich flavors that I crave, especially in the colder months.  It’s a primo smoke and I’m looking forward to giving the Habano wrapped version a try as well.  These shouldn’t be tough to miss on the shelves as they are packaged in colorful EVA material zippered boxes that are unique.  This one’s a winner.

 

Friday evenings I usually grab something special, and this time it was a Nestor Miranda Grand Reserve 2012 which arrived a few weeks back in an unexpected package from Barry at Miami Cigar Co.  This is a beautiful torpedo with a nice Connecticut Broadleaf , another favorite wrapper of mine.  This cigar had a really nice  feel, it was appealing in both appearance and flavor.  I have not smoked many cigars from the Nestor Miranda Collection, but the few I have smoked I’ve enjoyed.  This cigar was no different, although I think this is a better cigar for a nice sunny and warm afternoon than an evening walk.  I get as much enjoyment out of watching a cigar burn as I do smoking it sometimes.  This is a very limited release and I’m thankful to Barry for sending a couple my way, otherwise I probably wouldn’t have had the chance to try it.

 

A few weeks back the folks at Stogieboys.com sent me a selection of  The Brick line from Toraño.  These were all larger vitolas which gives me the additional challenge of finding time to smoke a large cigar.  I grabbed the Torpedo yesterday to putter around the yard.  It was a nice day, and I took the dog out for some play while I smoked the cigar.  This dog is full of youthful exuberance and likes to run when she gets a chance.  Thinking I could give her a little more room to explore I took her toward the back of the yard on the 25 foot cable, wrapping it around my hand like a super long leash.  She saw something and bolted at about the same time I let my guard down and pulled me off my feet, of course the cable squished my hand and I let go, and she took off through the woods.  I tried to follow, but the prickers and underbrush slowed me down and I lost track of her. I actually did a somersault when she first bolted and the ash stayed on the cigar!  I ended up putting the cigar down to go hunting for her and came back to it later, but at some point the wrapper developed some cracks and started to flake away.  I didn’t exactly give this cigar the attention it deserved.  The good news is that this is an inexpensive bundle cigar that doesn’t skimp on quality and flavor.  I have to admit that I wouldn’t have opted to smoke this if I were just going to be sitting outside on a beautiful fall day relaxing, but it gets high marks for dog chasing!  I still have a Churchill for another day, hopefully a warm day, and I thank the folks at StogieBoys.com for sending these samples and for sponsoring a day in the 12 Days of Cigar Giveaways coming in December.

 

I’ve droned on enough, it’s time to run some errands so I can find something nice to smoke this afternoon.

 

Until the next time,

CigarCraig

 

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by | November 14, 2012 · 7:04 pm

A 1502 Black Gold, an East India Trading Co. Red Witch and a Visit to Goose’s Lounge

It’s a special treat when I get to smoke two spectacular cigars in a row. I thought Saturday’s La Aurora Cameroon was as good as it got, and it was a fantastic smoke. Sunday afternoon was stunningly gorgeous so I grabbed a larger cigar, which turned out to be a 1502 Black Gold Torpedo that Gary Griffith had recently sent my way. Somehow I managed to miss this booth at the Delaware Cigar Festival, which is a great disappointment to me. The 1502 line is named for the year that Nicaragua was founded officially, and the cigars are all Nicaraguan puros. The cigar is visually beautiful, the maduro wrapper glistens with oils. The wrapper is cut a little long and folded over the end of the cigar, giving a nice burst of wrapper on the light-up. I spent the afternoon sitting in the sun thoroughly enjoying this cigar.’s deep dark, rich flavors. As I was smoking it I kept thinking that I am very happy that Gary sent me two of these torpedos and I really am looking forward to trying the other lines in the 1502 portfolio. Another darned yummy cigar!

 

Monday evening I ran across the Red Witch from the East India Trading Company arm of Gurkha. I find myself with a growing collection of Gurkha cigars where my experience with them is limited to a few lines, the Seduction being a personal favorite. I still haven’t tried the Wicked Indie, perhaps I’ll grab a couple the next time I see them. This toro sized cigar was very handsome, the Habano wrapper was quite nice. For a cigar that should set you back right around $5, this was an enjoyable smoke. the first few inches give you the impression that it’s going to be a butt-kicker, but it mellows out into a nice, smooth smoke. Gurkha has so many lines it’s dizzying, which is one of the reasons I’ve tended to steer clear, just because I can’t wrap feeble head around all the variety (much the way I feel about Rocky Patel’s cigars). I am going to make a conscious effort to pick up more of their cigars as they have proven to be well made, beautifully presented and generally tasty. Any suggestions?

 

Tuesday I got wind of an event going on at a local shop that I’ve been meaning to visit. Goose’s Tobacco Outlet is only about 15 miles from home, and I found out through the grapevine that Willy Herrera and Chris Stone from Drew Estate were doing an event there. I like to catch the Drew Estate events when I can. It gives me the opportunity to catch up with the local rep and usually score a good deal on some smokes I like. This time I was able to score another Joya de NicaraguaCabinetta lancero! I picked up a few of the Antaño Dark Corojo El Martillos and couldn’t get one lit fast enough. Delicious cigar! I ran into a couple of guys I had met at another recent event who are members, as well as Rob and Mike (?) the two DE ambassadors, one from New Jersey and one from Ohio. These guys travel considerable distances to help spread the word about cigars they love, it’s a pretty cool thing. Anyway, I got to hang out with Willy Herrera a little bit, but I got there too late, he had already stopped rolling his new Hererra Estelli cigars. I look forward to trying one when they come out in January.  The store is huge, I actually drove past it Herrera Esteli Box from the IPCPR Showonce because I was looking for a smaller place.  They have a neat walk in humidor that’s “U” shaped, and I look forward to going back to explore it further  as I said, I was late and wanted to get a cigar lit, but it looks to be well stocked.  The lounge is a Montecristo Lounge and is probably the same size as the retail area, which is enormous. I spoke with John Sr., the owner, and he gave me the grand tour, and his son, John Jr. provided excellent service in the humidor.  If you find yourself in the shadow of the Limerick Nuclear plant’s cooling towers in PA, stop in and pay Goose’s a visit.  It’s a really nice place to sit and relax with a smoke.

 

That’s all I have for this episode.  I’m off to find a good cigar to smoke while I walk the dog, or she walks me, as the case may be.  So, Until the next time,

CigarCraig

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