This week I smoked a couple cigars with a Philadelphia connection. This was purely by accident, as I had planned a different cigar for tonight’s walk, with a completely different tie in, but I couldn’t find the cigars I was looking for. This could indicate a problem, I’m not sure. Seems like I need to do some organizational work in the humidors, which are still a bit of a mess after returning from the IPCPR show. I’ll get it worked out eventually, I promise.
Last night’s cigar was a Cuban Stock Triumph Torpedo which was sent to me by Will at SJ Cigars. SJ Cigars is a chain of shops in the Philadelphia area that I have yet to visit. They’ve been around quite a while, and my son has been to the one on South Street, and I’ve been past the one in Bala Cynwyd, but I haven’t had the chance to stop in. My first exposure to the Cuban Stock brand was a dozen or so years ago when I guy I worked with smoked them exclusively (he still does, actually, I ran into him a year or two ago). He gave me one all those years ago and I remember it being a nice, mild cigar. This Triumph is made in the Dominican Republic and has a jet black wrapper, referred to on the website as DMS, and I don’t know what that means. Elsewhere it says it’s from Ecuador. The tobaccos are reported to be 10 years old and aged in oak barrels. Whatever the makeup is, it’e a really tasty maduro smoke. I had a strong espresso quality and burned well. I really enjoyed this cigar, and they appear to be reasonably priced. I do recall seeing a Cuban Stock booth at the trade show so they may be available nationally. I need to try getting to one of the stores one of these days!
Tonight’s cigar was a Tortuga 215 Reserva Alma, which is a 5″ x 52 robusto. I picked up a couple of these last weekend in New Hampshire. My friend Mike Perry sent me one of these in the 7½” x 58 Diplomatico size, but I haven’t had the time to smoke that one yet. Of course, I’ve enjoyed many of the 215 Edición Limitada 2011 in the past, and the new Reserva is a notch better to my palate. It is medium bodied, and except for a little slanted burn half way through, it performed well considering I bought it Saturday and got it into the humidor Monday morning. Oddly, this robusto is named after my paternal grandmother, which is a little unusual. This is a nice smoke, like all of the Tortugas. Mike also sent me a 1950 Natural Aged Maduro, which I really look forward to since I enjoyed the torpedo so much a couple years ago. I forget what I paid for the robusto, but I want to say it was in the $7 range in tax free New Hampshire. Now that Victor Vitale lives in Philadelphia again (there’s the connection!), maybe I’ll get to see him once in a while!
I received an e-mail this week from Jon Fontane at Metal Shop introducing me to a cigar ashtray they are making. Here’s the blurb from the website:
A simple yet elegant piece perfect for the gentleman cigar smoker. Our Cigar Stand with Ashtray is made from solid brass and weighs in out over 7 pounds. The interior of the ashtray is blasted with quartz crystal to contrast the machined brass and the entire piece is finished in lacquer. The piece is 4.5″ long, 2″ tall and 2.5″ wide.
Pretty cool, eh? Check it out here.
That’s it for today, until the next time,
CigarCraig
since EMS stands for English Market Selection, my guess about DMS would be Dominican Market Selection (given that it’s apparently made in the DR).
Great week in smokes buddy Looks like you had a nice trip up north and glad to see you back, now only if we can get the flyers back on track!. That Ash Tray looks pretty bad ass
The Cuban Stock sounds nice. Apparently, DMS stands for Dominican Maduro Special. Isn’t it fun when manufacturers make up their own acronyms?
I’ll have to get my hands on the Tortuga somehow.
Tortuga’s are always top notch! Victor puts so much time into his creations that everything that comes out is always so well balanced. Hence why the majority of my humidor is full of his cigars! Definitely recommend trying out all the Tortugas! (1948, 1950, 215 Edición Limitada 2011 and this 215 Reserva.) YUM YUM IN MY TUM TUM!