Category Archives: IPCPR

by CigarCraig | October 2, 2013 · 9:15 pm

Aging Room, Alec Bradley, Debonaire, Viaje Cigars and an Upcoming Trip

We’ve had some nice weather here in southeast PA, so it’s been a pleasure taking my evening walks. I’ve managed to get some nice cigars in (so whats new?)

Sunday evening I grabbed an Aging Room Small Batch M-356 toro that Rafael Nodal gave me at the Cigarnival last June. This is a cigar that is new to me, sure I’ve heard about them over the years, but never had a chance to try one. This is a Dominican cigar with a Habano wrapper which I approached with anticipation. I found it to be enjoyable, but I had a heck of a time keeping it burning right. I had to really pay a lot of attention to it or it would go out. I smoked this while walking with the dog and my oldest son, who enjoyed a Diesel Unholy Cocktail. I would love to smoke another one to see if the burn characteristics were an anomaly. It had a really nice, sweet flavor that I enjoyed.

Monday night I grabbed an AlecBradley Tempus Maduro Robusto. I believe this cigar came from the pack that they handed out at the party Alec Bradly Cigars threw at the Palms Hotel pool at the IPCPR show in Vegas. They had three or four cigars packaged like a Wonka bar (almost appropriate since Tuesday was International Willy Wonka Day!), of which I smoked the Nica Puro while there. The Tempus Maduro has my favorite San Andrés wrapper, so I figured I was in for a treat. It was a treat, although different from what I generally expect from this wrapper. This cigar had a pretty aggressive flavor reminiscent of the Mexican tobacco of the 90s. It burned well and had a nice, long finish. This is a cigar that after you’ve smoked it, you know you smoked a cigar. I’m getting old, I prefer a smoother, creamier maduro these days, but this was an enjoyable smoke. There are so many great smokes in the Alec Bradley range.

Tuesday I, once again, dug into the IPCPR samples and pulled out a Debonaire Robusto. This is a Dominican cigar that is made by Phil Zanghi, who is the guy who originally made the Indian Tabak line in the 90s and sold it to Rocky Patel. There’s not a lot of information out there about this cigar, and I failed to make it back to the Debonaire booth at the IPCPR show to talk to Phil. In doing a little quick research, it looks like this is a pricey smoke, running in the $13 range. It was a good smoke, perfectly rolled and pleasing. Honestly, this is just me, but If I were faced with the choice of this cigar or a Liga Privada of just about any variety in the same price range, the Ligas suit my palate much more. Certainly a cigar to try.

Tonight I took my nightly walk with a recent gift I received from Will Cooper of Cigar-Coop.com. This is the first Viaje cigar I’ve smoked, and I’ve stayed away from the line largely because the selection is dizzying, there are so many small batch lines that I can’t keep them straight. This cigar was the 5″x52 Friends and Family Le Joueur, and there’s no information about this cigar on the Viaje website (there’s no information about any of the cigars on the website). Since Will gave me this cigar, see what he had to say at Cigar-Coop.com. I have to say that it was a very enjoyable smoke. The burn meandered a bit for me, but it drew perfectly with a V-cut and ended up straightening out in the last half. I thought it was pretty savory and satisfying, and I wan to thank my friend Will for sharing this with me and giving me my first glimpse into the world of Viaje. I can’t say I haven’t been curious about the line, and after smoking one, I may have to sample some more at some point.

This weekend we are driving up to New Hampshire and plan to pay a visit to the 2 Guys Smoke Shop in Nashua. While there I hope to weasel my way into their Cigar Authority radio show, so if you are bored, tune into the Cigar Authority website to watch the live video feed, or listen to it via podcast. I’ve long been a fan of the show and am looking forward to the visit. In other news, this in from my friend Barry Stein at Miami Cigar and Company:

Come celebrate National 107 Day, by smoking a La Aurora 107 on 10/7. Share with us your images on social media with the hashtag #LaAurora107 and you could win an all inclusive trip to the La Aurora Cigar factory.

That’s it for now. Sunday’s post may be a little late, or early and short, I’m not sure which yet. Either way, it’ll be the usual nonsense you’ve come to expect.

Until the next time,

CigarCraig

1 Comment

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

Tagged as Aging Room, Alec Bradley, cigar, cigar store, Cigar-Coop, cigars, Debonaire, IPCPR, La Aurora, Viaje

by CigarCraig | September 25, 2013 · 8:19 pm

IPCPR 2013 – Nomad Cigars and a Visit With Fred Rewey at The Wooden Indian

Monday evening I left work and proceeded directly to The Wooden Indian Tobacconist in Havertown, PA where Fred Rewey was having a Nomad Cigars event. Fred has been travelling in his nomadic way promoting his first Nicaraguan cigar, the limited edition Esteli Lot 1386. Fred told me that this cigar, his first foray into Nicaraguan manufacturing, is meant to be an introduction to the Nicaraguan cigar experience. I bought a handful and lit one up and enjoyed the heck out of it while I hung around the shop. After taking more than an hour to make the ride, I was ready for a good smoke. I enjoyed this cigar so much, I smoked one again Tuesday evening under my normal, take a cigar for a walk, circumstance. This cigar is made by Noel Rojas (Guayacan Cigars) in his Esteli factory, and the construction is perfect. It’s a medium bodied smoke, with loads of flavor. It certainly meets Fred’s goal. This is a cigar that can be enjoyed by someone who smokes milder cigars for sure, and really hits the spot. I rarely, if ever, smoke the same cigar two days in a row, so you can tell I enjoyed it. I’m really looking forward to the Nomad S-307, due in the next month or so. Fred gave me a few minutes at the IPCPR show and tells us all about his cigars:

Of course, Dave at The Wooden Indian was an excellent host, as usual. I always enjoy my visits there. He has a great selection and an excellent lounge. I just wish it was a little closer. Fred’s Nomad line is distributed by the House of Emilio, and he can be found on Twitter, he’s @Godfadr, and he even put his twitter name on his bands.

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

CigarCraig

1 Comment

Filed under IPCPR, Review, Video

Tagged as cigar, cigars, IPCPR, Nomad, wooden indian

by CigarCraig | September 22, 2013 · 12:49 pm

A MUWAT Kentucky Fire Cured, a J. Fuego, a Villiger and an Editorial

It’s been a weird and busy week. The onset of Autumn bums me out. There were events I could have gone to, but just wanted to be at home. On weekdays I’m happiest to come home from work and stay there. I skipped the Delaware Cigar festival yesterday because we were supposed to pick up our son st the airport after a 23 day trip, and I’ve been there the last couple years. Its a great event, don’t get me wrong, and I love seeing old friends, but do you guys really want to hear about it again? So I’m working on some new and unique cigar adventures in the coming weeks. Stay tuned.

Thursday evening I was rummaging through the IPCPR samples and came across a Drew Estate My Uzi Weighs a Ton Kentucky Fire Cured “Just a Friend”, which is the toro size in the line. This is another cigar that utilizes the fire cured tobacco from Kentucky. I figured since I had just smoked another cigar utilizing this tobacco that it would be interesting to compare. This cigar is made in the Joya de Nicaragua factory, and, like the Joya de Nicaragua Cabinetta, it has a two inch wrapper overlay on the head of the cigar. Jumping ahead a bit, I’ll mention that whatever this leaf is, it doesn’t burn. I’ll also mention that when I smoked this cigar at the factory a few months ago I found it to be unique and interesting, but not entirely to my liking. This hasn’t changed. I personally find what strikes me as a campfire aroma off the unlit foot to be off putting. That flavor isn’t overpowering in the smoke once it’s lit, it gives it a savory flavor that is interesting. Obviously, this is just me. Everyone raves about this cigar and it certainly is well made and something that should be experienced. If I said I loved everything that comes out of my favorite factories I’d be lying. Smoke it yourself, it may be a cigar you love!

Editorial

You, no doubt, have read on other cigar media sources of the resignation of Bill Spann as president of the IPCPR. This probably has little or no relevance to the majority of cigar smokers, but since I interacted with Bill quite a bit over the last couple years, I’m going to bore you for a few minutes with my thoughts on this. I first “met” Bill in March of last year after I posted a rant on the IPCPR Internet Media Membership (http://www.cigarcraig.com/?p=3605). Bill worked with those of us involved to try to make things right with this IPCPR membership category. We came to an agreement, although there’s still quite a few wrinkles to be ironed out (more on that later). Bill gave me an open line of communication, even though the president of the association had much better things to do than dealing with the smallest category of membership. When I did have to contact him, he produced results, and I did my best not to bother him. Of course, the internet media members are members as much as your local tobacconist is, and this is where my rant begins. I hope Bill’s successor gets new media as much as Bill did, and I hope he is able to convince the board to accept us as members, because the Internet Media, and I am going out on a limb speaking for everyone, still feels unwanted. I’d like to see one of two things happen: either do away with the membership category and invite the media and bloggers That the IPCPR wants to have at the show, or give us the same consideration as the retail membership gets. Both would require the IPCPR to have one person in charge of the media, one point of contact. I, for one, am tired of spending a boatload of money to join an association who doesn’t know I’m a member, and travel to the annual show. Unlike a retailer, my income is not derived from the cigar industry, I do what I do because I love doing it, not because it’s my job, and that’s the same with most if not all of the IPCPR New Media members. Anyway, I wish Bill Spann the best of luck in his future endeavors. I can imagine that he had a thankless job, but I want to say “Thank you” to him.

Back to the cigars! Yesterday afternoon I dug into the trade show samples and came out with a J. Fuego Connoisseur Classique Toro. First, if anyone from J. Fuego is reading, the size is incorrect on the site, it’s a 6″ x 50 and not a 5″ x 60. This has a nice looking Ecuador Sumatra wrapper over a San Andrés binder with Nicaraguan and Honduran fillers. All of this makes for a nice, medium bodied cigar that smoked for almost 2 hours. I really love the 777 Maduro line, and have enjoyed a bunch of other cigars made by Jesus Feugo, this one is probably in the middle for me. It was good, well behaved, and enjoyable, but not entirely up my alley. Looking at this post so far, I really need to adjust my attitude, the Autumn thing is really getting to me! This was a very nice cigar though and I enjoyed smoking it on a beautiful late summer afternoon on the deck.

After dinner I grabbed a Villiger Selecto Corona Gorda. This cigar comes in only Corona Gorda and Lancero, and I would have taken the Lancero for a walk if it wasn’t going to rain. This is a line extension to the Talanga line, as it has the beautiful Talanga Connecticut wrapper, similar binder and fillers. It’s a refined cigar. It is buttery smooth with loads of nice, mild flavors that dance across the palate. After smoking the 5″ x 46 Corona Gorda, I can’t wait to try that Lancero. It’s not a super mild, grassy Connecticut, it’s got a lot more. Perhaps the Nicaragua Ometepe filler leaf makes the difference. All I can say is it’s damned good, and I’d say that even if I didn’t like the Villiger company as much as I do. They are a good bet whether you need a quick machine made cigar or a fine premium. Another job well done with the Selecto!

Also, From the folks at NewestCigars.com:

NewestCigars.com is finally official and we’re pretty excited about our new website. Please see the attached press release. We’re having a website launch party with Asylum, CLE, Edgar Hoill and Wynwood in Detroit, and we’re also giving away a 5 pack of new cigars each week for a year in The Great Cigar Giveaway, visit our website to enter.

That’s enough of my nonsense for a beautiful Sunday. I have to go to the airport later today to pick up the son who I had to reschedule flights for yesterday! I may get a walk in before having to leave!

Until the next time,

CigarCraig

4 Comments

Filed under Editorial, IPCPR, Review

Tagged as cigar, cigars, drew estate, Fire Cured, IPCPR, J. Fuego, KFC, MUWAT, Villiger

by CigarCraig | September 18, 2013 · 8:18 pm

IPCPR 2013 – Leccia Tobacco, a CAO and JetbagCigar Evaluation

I had a comment on last Wednesday’s installment taking me to task on my use of the name “San Andreas”. Doug said:

“Cigar leaf wrappers do not come from San Andreas –that is a small town in California that (to my knowledge) does not grow tobacco. However, San Andres in Mexico is the prime tobacco growing region of that country. “

Of course, Doug is right. This is my favorite wrapper variety and I really should have my facts straight. I checked with an unimpeachable source just to be sure, and my friend Steve Saka, former El Jefe of Drew Estate, promptly confirmed what I already assumed:

“San Andrés Tuxtla is the correct name and spelling of the location.”

“”Andreas” is a very common english adaptation of the same, albeit not 100% grammatically & geographically correct, it is imo an acceptable use for an English speaker to an English audience. Basically it is a conversion of the word to eliminate the accent mark which are not used in English and replace it with a “ea” vowel combo to result in producing the desired phonetic pronunciation.”

“But for 100% correctness and authenticity I suggest you start using San Andrés.”

“And while we are at it – the tobacco us actually San Andrés Negro but is the US is often referred to as “Negra” so as to avoid the racial connotation of the word Negro…”

“Silly, but true.”

I’m not going to go back through 4 years of posts and make changes, but from now on I’ll use the correct name, San Andrés, when referring to a tobacco wrapper. Now, if some manufacturer uses “San Andreas” in the name of a cigar, I can’t be held responsible! I appreciate Steve taking a moment away from fishing to answer my inane question! <snicker> Thanks to Doug for setting me straight!

In the beginning of July I started an experiment. I had received a sample of a product called Jetbag Cigar. This is a heavy ziplock bag containing a perforated foam insert and a humidity packet. The point is to have a way to protect three cigars for a few days. The same company makes a similar product for transporting wine bottles. Before leaving for Las Vegas last July I put a few cigars in one of these bags and activated the Water Pillow. One of the cigars was a CAO OSA Sol Lot T, which is a 4½” x 50 box pressed torpedo. This is probably my favorite size in the line. It’s loaded with flavor and a fun shape. I probably stuffed more than the recommended three cigars in the bag and tossed it in my luggage. When I got to Vegas I carried this around everywhere with me, smoking from it, moving various cigars in and out, except the little CAO OSA Sol. It was the constant. It stayed there until this week, obviously far longer than this product was designed for. I would be stretching the truth if I said this was all planned out, because it was largely out of sheer laziness, and the fact that I decided to smoke the Lot T just happened that the size would fit into that day’s schedule perfectly. Well, the Lot T smoked perfectly. It had the nice, bright flavor that I love in that blend, and it burned well. No signs of damage from two months worth of travelling to less than environmentally friendly locations, in and out of luggage and pockets and another month or so on a shelf in the living room. I can honestly say it works.

At the IPCPR show in July I sat down with my fellow Pennsylvanian, Sam Leccia of Leccia Tobacco. Sam was in one end of the Toraño booth and was very busy debuting his two new lines, the Leccia Black and Leccia White. I’ve smoked a few of each, and had one of each over the last two evenings. Last night featured the Leccia White ,which is made in Nicaragua and has some Pennsylvania tobacco in the filler blend. This is a very nice smoke, although the robusto I had was badly cracked at the head. I generally lack the patience to repair a crack so I smoked it anyway. I carefully punched the cigar so as to reduce the possibility of the cigar totally coming apart on me. I admit, function can be as important to me as flavor. Fortunately, the crack didn’t totally detract from the excellence of this cigar. It’s quite good. It’s got a unique flavor which makes it my favorite of the two. The Leccia Black robusto I smoked was perfect. I used a V-cut on this one, which is made in the Dominican Republic and features the Dark Fire fire cured tobacco from Kentucky/Tennessee. This gives it a definite smokey, campfire flavor that’s also quite different. Both cigars fall into the higher end of medium to me, and both are good smokes worth trying. These were my last two, which I had purchase a few months back at an event Sam and Jack Toraño appeared at about an hour away. They were also on the Over A Cigar radio show/podcast that night. Here’s the video from IPCPR:

It was really nice to sit down and chat with Sam, as well as his wife, Sasha, who was working the booth along with him. As someone who drags his own wife along to things such as this (and forces her to be the camera operator), I can really appreciate her being there with him. Super nice folks! I truly appreciate getting a chance to catch up with them.

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

CigarCraig

1 Comment

Filed under IPCPR, News, Review, Video

Tagged as CAO, cigar, cigars, JetbagCigar, leccia, Leccia Black, Leccia White

by CigarCraig | September 15, 2013 · 4:06 pm

Berger and Argenti, Smoke Inn’s Quesada Micoblend and Fratello Cigars

I’m still working on smoking IPCPR show samples, but a couple smokes came into my possession since the show that I thought needed mentioning. Thursday evening I smoked a Berger and Argenti “Fatso” Dipper. This funny little 4″x 62 perfecto is severely square pressed. It actually measures about one inch x one-half inch, giving it the same proportions as a 2×4. The first example I smoked a couple weeks ago left me in quite a quandary as to how to cut it. I tried the V cutter and ended up butchering it pretty good. This time I used my new Xikar MTX scissors and was able to get a clean cut. I’ve been getting used to using these scissors and they are razor sharp. The last thing one should to is try to wipe any bits of scrap tobacco off the blades with ones finger. Just saying. Anyway, back to the Fatso. This cigars have Nicaraguan fillers, an Ecuador Sumatra binder and a Nicaraguan maduro wrapper. I’ve enjoyed a bunch of cigars from these guys, the Mooch Schnorr being my favorite, but this little cigar is fun to smoke and has some interesting and unique flavors that keep my attention. The unusual shape in the hand and mouth take a little getting used to.

Abe Dababneh at Smoke Inn has had some terrific smokes in his Micro Blend series. Of the couple I’ve had the pleasure of smoking, most have been right up my alley in flavor, notably the Tatuaje Apocalypse and the Room 101 Big Delicious. This week they are releasing the next in the series, the Quesada Octoberfest Dunkel. Full disclosure: I’ve not smoked any of the previous Octoberfest cigars, and my experience with Quesada cigars is limited to he Casa Magna lines to the best of my recollection. The Dunkel wraps the standard Quesada Octoberfest blend with a Connecticut broadleaf maduro wrapper, finished with a thin strip of Ecuador Connecticut at the foot. This makes it look a little like a dark beer with a head on it. This cigar is blended to pair with beer. I quit drinking 20 years ago so if I were to pair this with anything it would be root beer or ginger beer. Having neither of these on hand, I just hitched up the dog and took a nice long walk. The little bit of Ecuador Connecticut at the foot makes it start out with a creamy flavor, which gives way to the sweet, rich broadleaf quite quickly. For me, this was a great way to spend a Saturday afternoon. I loved the flavor. It probably would have burned perfectly if not for the breeze, and the fact that I was lazy and threw the bag with the cigars and a Boveda pack with a 72 on it in he humidor instead of talking them out. I have a second one that I’ll let dry a little. Smoke Inn is launching this cigar on Friday, so I figured if they were nice enough to send me a couple, I should write about it before then. Thanks to Abe and his gang.

Today I smoked a cigar that was new at this year’s IPCPR show. Fratello Cigars made quite an impression at the show. Omar de Frias is a former professional basketball player, worked for NASA, and grew up next to a cigar shop in the Dominican Republic. He’s also very tall. I came home from the show with a Fratello corona, and an appreciation for Omar and his cigar line. First off, the band is not shaped like a normal band. Off of the cigar it has a chevron shape, and must take some extra effort in the factory to apply properly. It’s red and clearly states the name of the cigar. The wrapper is a Nicaraguan Habano, the binder is Ecuador Sumatra and the fillers are Nicaraguan and Peruvian. These tobaccos all team up to make for a very nice smoke, medium to full bodied with loads of flavors. I enjoyed this cigar for a little over an hour on this beautiful, late summer Sunday on the back deck. If you happen to find yourself in the Washington D.C. area on Friday, September 20, 2013, stop in to W. Curtis Drapers in Bethesda, MD for the release party. Omar is a terribly nice gentleman and he’s making some very tasty cigars! The video interview I did with Omar tells the story better than I can: