Category Archives: Editorial

by CigarCraig | May 1, 2011 · 12:37 pm

An Exceptionally Good Saturday: A Celebration Cigar with Guillermo Leon and a contest!

Yesterday was a fantastic day. It kind of began Friday evening with a call from our daughter that her water had broke (it’s VERY important to know at this point that she was pregnant at the time, but not due for a couple weeks). We received a text message at 3:30 yesterday morning that she has delivered a 6 pound, 13 oz baby girl, much to our delight. Naturally, there’s no getting back to sleep after receiving such news! We were at the birth center before 7 to meet our first grandchild. We spent a couple hours admiring the child and left them alone to get their new parent training. They were in a “birth center” that was very small, not really conducive to visitors, and very busy. Under normal circumstances they would be sent home twelve hours after delivery! Crazy stuff. So we went about our business running usual Saturday errands. “Pop” and “Tynnie” are very proud grandparents!

After lunch I took a ride down to The Wooden Indian in Havertown, PA (coincidentally where my daughter and son-in-law live). They were having a La Aurora event with a longest ash contest (in which I didn’t participate), hosted by Guillermo Leon, as well as Chris Lenzo of Miami Cigar & Co. Another point relevant to this story: Our daughter’s name is Aurora, and the first box of premium cigars I purchased were LA Aurora Bristol Especiales back in 1996. So with the intention of smoking a celebratory cigar, and meeting Señor Leon, I picked up a La Aurora 107 Lancero and a Guillermo Leon Signature Corona Gorda and got to work celebrating. I expected a large crowd. Previous events I’ve attended at the store have been packed. I wish the event had drawn a bigger crowd, but it was much more comfortable and I was fortunate to have the opportunity to hang out with Guillermo and really get to chat with him. Such a gentleman, very easy to talk to and really embraces the “new media”. Of course, I had to smoke the Signature Corona Gorda that he handed me, and it was a dynamite cigar. Very smooth and flavorful. He told me that it has two binders, one of which is Cameroon which definitely comes through midway through the cigar. Very complex and interesting, and ideal cigar to celebrate the day. Havertown is about 45 minutes from Downingtown, and the ride home was wonderful.

When I got home I watched the last period of game one of the NHL Eastern Conference Semifinals in which the Flyers lost badly. Besides that it was a great day. My wife and I then went shopping for baby girl stuff and went back to the hospital to visit baby and parents, who had been checked in as a precaution and are going home today.

I’m often asked what this blog is about, and I tell them it’s about what I’m doing when I smoke a cigar, and why I like the cigar I’m smoking. I am not a good technical reviewer, there are plenty of them, (CasasFumando.com and Stogiereview.com come to mind immediately. BTW, many thanks to Tony at CasasFumando, I recently won a pair of Para Japón cigars by La Aurora from him!) see the sites in the left hand sidebar for some of my favorites, so I don’t feel the need to compete. I simply relate the things I’m doing, some my be exciting, some may be mundane, but it’s my way of enjoying cigars!

In my estimation, the recent turn of events calls for a contest! I have another 5 pack of La Gloria Cubana Serie N JSB cigars, generously provided by the fine folks at General Cigar. Leave a comment with your guess of my new grand daughter’s name to enter. Just leave a comment. In the moments after publishing this article, my daughter and her husband settled on the name Willow, so guessing it would be very easy. I’ll select a winner randomly. Contest rules can be found on the Winner and Rules page. Keep in mind that I don’t know the baby’s name at the time of writing! She was a couple weeks early and the kids hadn’t decided yet!! Honestly I’ll accept any comment as an entry, just trying to make it a little interesting, guessing baby names isn’t exactly a guy thing, is it? I’ll pick a winner next weekend sometime (it’s Mother’s Day, don’t forget!)

Anyway, I’m trying to decide between the enormous La Aurora Puro Vintage 2003 or the 107 Lancero for today’s walk, or there’s a really old Perferido someplace, or even a Bristol Especiales that’s probably 10 years old….

Until the next time,

CigarCraig

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Filed under Contest, Editorial, Events

by CigarCraig | April 27, 2011 · 10:47 pm

Some Cigars I Smoked at Cigar Safari, a Punch and a Grimalkin

I realized recently that while I was recounting my experiences in Nicaragua on Cigar Safari, I didn’t really talk too much about the cigars I smoked. One of the reasons was that I was tying in a contest to guess the number and I didn’t want to make it too easy to figure out, and the other was that there were so many other things going on that I really didn’t think too much about it! One of the things that I noticed was that I enjoyed all of the cigars I had, and all of them performed perfectly. From the first Liga Privada No.9 on the bus at leaving the airport, to the Tabak Especial Negra on the bus back to Managua, every cigar burned great and drew perfectly. I didn’t say I was surprised, I don’t think I’ve ever had a poorly constructed cigar from Drew Estate, or recently from Joya de Nicaragua. I smoked several of the Joya de Nicaragua Cabinettas, including a yet to be released Lancero, and I even had an Acid Kuba Maduro, and I didn’t hate it! I didn’t snap a picture of every cigar I had, but here’s a sampling:

On the “Take a Cigar for a Walk” front, Monday night I smoked another Punch Rare Corojo 10th Anniversary, courtesy of General Cigar. This is the third one of these I’ve smoked and I enjoyed it quite a bit. I taste hints of what I remember the Rare Corojo tasting like, which was very savory and full of flavor. There was a time in my cigar smoking life that I would always leave new arrivals sit in my humidor for a year or so before smoking. In this day and age, cigars seem to be coming to market ready to smoke, and I feel obligated to smoke samples sent to me in a timely manner. It’s a bit of a Catch 22 for me. I would love to see how these age, and, after smoking three of the five samples, I may allow the final two to sit in the humidor for a while more and revisit them in six months or so.

Along those same lines, I recently received some samples from Gary Griffith of Delaware Cigars and Emilio Cigars. One of the cigars he sent was the Grimalkin Toro. This 6″ x 50 cigar was described as being made in a factory in Esteli which they cannot reveal due to contractual obligations. I had my suspicions, which I think were confirmed after smoking one of the samples. I’m not going to reveal where I think this is made because that wouldn’t be right. I really enjoyed the first sample, it had a bit of spice to start out with and was pretty lush and tasty. The construction was top notch and I enjoyed it to the band, which sports a cool pair of feline eyes on a green background. It was definitely a visually appealing cigar and felt good in the hand. I put it down at the band, it got a little funky, another aspect that would be remedied by some additional humidor time. He also sent a couple of his Emilio cigars that I am looking forward to smoking. Again, a very nice cigar. I’d love to try this in a corona or lancero. Delaware Cigars has several locations in Delaware (duh), which is probably a half hour drive, I really need to make my way to one of the stores one of these days. They also host a cigar festival at Delaware Park, a great racetrack, in September, I might have to see about making it to the event.

That’s about it for today, I still need to hear from Wayne Nye with his mailing address so I can send out the StogieBoys.com Stogie Registers. I prefer to make one trip to the post office, so my apologies to MoBarbq and jimbobber for the delay in shipping.

Until the next time,

CigarCraig

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Filed under Editorial, Review, Take a Cigar For a Walk

Tagged as cigar, Cigar Safari, cigars, Contest, drew estate, general, general cigars, Grimalkin, joya de nicaragua, punch, Stogie Boys, stogie re

by CigarCraig | April 17, 2011 · 3:21 pm

Sunday Cigar Ramblings: La Aurora 107, Vegas de Santiago Lancero

Finally a bright, sun-shiny Sunday afternoon, which would be perfect without the gusty wind. Wind or not, here I sit on my deck, in the sun, smoking a Vegas de Santiago Don Luis Secreto del Maestro maduro lancero. This is a beautifully made cigar, with a little bit of a pigtail cap. It measures7.5 x 38 and is referred to on their site as a Laguito No.1. Actually, this size isn’t listed on the website, but is available by request. I had been contacted some time ago by Lani and Rudi at Vegas de Santiago asking what I liked in a cigar, and I did a little daydreaming and mentioned that I would be interested in what the Sectretos del Maestro blend would be like in a lancero, and while I was dreaming, what would it be like with a maduro wrapper. A few weeks later a package of 5 of these show up in my mailbox! Anyway, I had smoked one over the winter, and I decided I needed to smoke one again, and I had the time for a 7½” cigar. The ash is a little brittle, but the burn is fantastically even and the draw is perfect. The flavors are very nice, it’s medium bodied and quite pleasant. It’s not a dark, chocolaty/espresso maduro, which is what I look for in a maduro, but still a very nice cigar. Vegas de Santiago is a kind of unsung Costa Rican brand that has been around for a long time and makes really nice cigars at a very good price point.

Friday evening after coming home from work, then running to the cycle shop to pick up the scooter after getting inspected and the belt changed, I decided to take a La Aurora 107 Corona for a walk. My son, Corey, who went with me to Cigar Safari, decided to come along and smoke one of the cigars that we blended (on paper, from the emergency hospital!). At that point on the trip he wasn’t feeling well and made up an Equador Connecticut Shade wrapped, mostly seco, blend that he said tasted a little ashy. His blend was bound to be super mild, I hope that they round out a little for him with age. The 107 was one that I picked up on a visit to De La Concha in Manhattan last year. It’s the only size I’ve smoked in the line, and it was a very nice cigar. Burn and draw were perfect and while the flavors aren’t exactly my style, it was still a very satisfying smoke.

I want to thank Tommy Berry for sending me some cigars this week! I told him that sending cigars was MY job, but he didn’t listen and sent a nice package anyway. I’m glad to have a Diesel in my humidor again, and Rocky Patel‘s are always quite welcome! There are another two that I’m not familiar with and have been too lazy to research. Hopefully Tommy will fill me in on those two. Thanks buddy! I hope your house buying is moving forward and I look forward to you next “Take a Cigar for a Walk” submission!

That’s all I got for now, until the next time,

CigarCraig

3 Comments

Filed under Editorial, Review, Take a Cigar For a Walk

Tagged as cigar, Cigar Safari, cigars, La Aurora, Take A Cigar For A Walk

by CigarCraig | April 13, 2011 · 7:10 pm

Take a Cigar for a Walk – Partagas Serie D No. 4

I took a half a vacation day today (the second half!) to go to a doctor appointment, and have a nice late lunch with my wife. I also had to drop the scooter off at the shop for some service, and when I got home I decided to take a cigar for a walk to burn off some of my lunch. It was a rainy day, temps in the high 40s, so I struggled with what cigar to choose. The weather reminded me a little of what English weather might be, so, beneath my umbrella, I lit up a gifted Partagas Serie D No. 4 for my walk. I know what your thinking: Why choose an amazing Cuban cigar to take a walk in the rain? Well, what better occasion to treat ones self for taking a walk in the rain! And what a treat it was! I have a small assortment of Havana cigars that I smoke sparingly, some with some age on them, others without so much age. This particular robusto was one of the more recent visitors in the humidor, a gift from a friend and reader. The cigar was fairly light in color and heft, and had a bit of a ragged burn, but the flavor was a delight, I barely noticed the foul weather. I think the current cigars coming from Nicaragua, Dominican Republic and Honduras, and, to a lesser extent, Costa Rica, have been of such exceptional quality in the last few years that the cigars from Cuba have taken a back seat to them, at least to me. That being said, there’s a flavor in Havana cigars that hasn’t been replicated. The construction isn’t always the best, but the little zing that they have is something special. Many thanks to DB for the opportunity to smoke this classic Habano, and I’ve never met a Partagas I didn’t love.

This gets me thinking ahead. Last August when my birthday rolled around, I started a personal tradition of smoking a cigar with a ring gauge to match my age. I went with a Havana Punch Churchill with a 47 ring gauge. This year I need to find a 48 ring gauge cigar. It occurs to me that the Hermosos vitola fits that requirement, so I need to go through my humidor and see if I have any of those. This tradition will get harder to continue when I get past 50 in a few years.

That’s all I have for now. I hope to have another guest post from Tommy soon, he’s busy with the daunting task of home buying. While I’m thinking about it, it seems that cardiologists don’t necessarily condone “Take a Cigar for a Walk”, but the one I talked to did understand that taking a long walk with a cigar was better than a short walk or no walk at all!

Until the next time,

CigarCraig

5 Comments

Filed under Editorial, Review

Tagged as cigar, cigars, habana, Partagas

by CigarCraig | March 25, 2011 · 10:29 pm

La Gloria Cubana Serie N Contest and a Visit to NYC!

In honor of La Gloria Cubana Serie N Day, I’ll be giving away two (2) Five packs of Serie N JSB (5½ x 54) to two people who leave a comment on this page. Winners will be drawn randomly on or around Wednesday, March 30, 2011. I will also be giving away five packs for the next 3 weeks, so stay tuned!

I had the honor and pleasure of participating in the Serie N day webcast, and, in case you missed it, I asked how they could possibly manufacture the Serie N cigars with the light tobacco leave “N” and sell it for a reasonable price. Having recently seen all the steps that go into the manufacture of a cigar, it’s incredible that the cost can be kept as reasonable as it is, and the “N”s are hand applied. If you look at a box of Serie N cigars you will notice that all the “N”s line up and are nice and straight. This is a testament to the attention to detail paid to this one little distinctive feature. The cigars smoke great, and if you like maduro cigars with some oomph to them, the La Gloria Cubana Serie N is well worth a try. General Cigars was very generous in providing samples as well as the cigars for these contests, many thanks to all involved in this very special event. It was fun to participate in this event, and I always appreciate the opportunity to embarrass myself!

We took a family trip to New York City today (Saturday) and I had an opportunity to stop by De La Concha and pick up a few cigars. It’s very convenient that the store is right around the corner from Tiffany’s, where my wife always likes to visit. Of course, I spent more than I normally would on cigars, but I wanted to try some of the New York only cigars that have been released recently. I picked up a La Aurora Broadway, a couple sizes of the Alec Bradley New York Series and a Gurkha Para la Gente. These cigars were created specifically to help out New York State cigar retailers after the cigar taxes were raised. The cigars were pricey by my standards, but probably provide the retailer with better margins than other cigars. I wanted to pick some up as much for the novelty as anything, and I’ve never had a Gurkha, believe it or not. Maybe I’ll have a “NY Cigar Week” in the coming months! As a side note, we walked at least 50 blocks on our visit, but I passed on having a cigar because it was so crowded, cold and windy I wouldn’t have enjoyed it. How many miles is 50 city blocks?