Category Archives: Review

by Craig Vanderslice | June 18, 2023 · 10:17 am

DBL, Aganorsa Cigars and a Battleship Beef Experience!

Yesterday had a lot going on, most of which wasn’t cigar related, with the day culminating in the Battleship Beef event on the New Jersey. We’ll get to that in a bit, but first, I had a few new-to-me cigars this week. Last month when we went to the Atlantic city event, Francisco Almonte gave me a DBL Amarillo Belicoso, which is the fancy, barber pole style cigar in the Connecticut Shade Amarillo line, 5 5/8″ x 54. It’s a pretty cigar, it’s box pressed to, there’s not a lot of box pressed, barber pole, shaped cigars out there. Nice presentation, I liked it a lot. It had a really nice flavor, mellow cream and nuts, I think the accent striping gave it some extra flavor. I don’t smoke a lot of DBL cigars, and I know there’s a shop or two in the area that have them, and I believe Francisco has his own shop in New Jersey someplace, which I’ll have to hunt down.

Another cigar that came from the Atlantic City festival was an Aganorsa Rare Leaf that Mike King gifted me. Mike is a great broker who was there working the Aganorsa booth. I was there on a media pass, so I didn’t get the cigar coupon book like a regular attendee, which is quite fine as I’m quite fortunate not to be in need of cigars (just ask my wife!). However, it’s nice to be presented with something I haven’t smoked, and, to be honest, many of Aganorsa Leaf’s cigars don’t excite me enough to hunt them down. I’ll pick one up here and there if I can’t find anything else new and interesting, and there are a few that I’ve really enjoyed, and this Rare Leaf was one of them. This was a corona or lonsdale size, I didn’t measure it, figuring (incorrectly) that I could do some research after the fact. Perhaps it’s a new size, I want to to say it was 6″ x 44. I’m not generally a Criollo fan, which is probably why the Aganorsa line is so hit or miss with me. This was a really nice smoke, a nice blend of spice and sweetness.

Last night was the Battleship Beef event on the Battleship New Jersey, which is docked across the river from Philadelphia. This event was a Red Meat Lovers Club event, put on by Evan Darnell, the Secretary of Steak, in partnership with Dunbarton Tobacco and Trust, Casa de Montecristo, and a few other folks. I fear that this second annual feast may be the last. While the Battleship invited the RMLC back to put on this event, which raises money for the Battleship Museum, apparently there was a last minute scramble when it came out that smoking would be restricted to a small area. Obviously, this wasn’t going to be tolerated, as this was a cigar event. To Evan’s credit, I don’t think anyone would have known there had been a problem if they hadn’t been told, and there were some upsides to the change in setup, having everyone in one area. Shame on whoever changed the plan at the last minute and caused Evan all that stress, but he and his team made it work. The food was amazing, Katz’s Deli from NY had the most incredible Pastrami, although the structural integrity of the rye bread didn’t hold up. Saka and Lafferty were there, as well Tim and Travis from Altadis, Kevin from CigarProp, James from BL Luxuries, and other friends. We had a great time hanging out with my fellow Craig, Craig “the Breadman” Gilpin. Sadly, we passed on the after-herf at LouLigas Lounge, it had been a long day. One bit of advice to the Casa de Montecristo folks: I think sales would be better if you sold smaller quantities, just selling boxes seems like a big ask at an event where people have already spent the cost of a box to get in, and are being hit up for auctions and raffles. Seems like people would buy a bunch of five packs more than boxes, but what do I know? Great event, if it happens again next year it should be on your list, and if you see the Red Meat Lovers logo on an event, expect it to be first rate!

Happy Father’s Day to everyone, whether you are one or have one. As I’ve been typing this I’ve been enjoying my traditional Father’s Day cigar, the Esperanza Para Los Niños, now 24 years old, and it’s really quite good, one of the best ones I’ve smoked in recent years. That’s all for today, until the next time,

CigarCraig

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Filed under Events, Review

Tagged as Aganorsa Leaf, Amarillo, Battleship New Jersey, cigar, cigars, DBL, Rare Leaf, RMLC

by Craig Vanderslice | June 4, 2023 · 9:40 am

Smoking Some Tobacco Plaza Ltd. 50th Anniversary Cigars

I was talking to Danny Ditkowich of Tobacco Plaza in Great Neck, NY recently and the subject of the store’s 50th Anniversary and the special cigars that accompanied it came up. So I decided to smoke some and highlight them here. I’ll get it out of the way, the links I put in this post will go to the store’s website, where you could purchase each of these cigars. Danny mentioned that the Tatuaje (along with the Tuxtla series) are 10% off while supplies last, and there’s free shipping fo the month of June. All that out of the way, let’s talk about these three tasty cigars! The first one I smoked was the Tatuaje TP DD 50th Exclusive. If I recall, Danny worked with Pete on a DD for the 40th anniversary, and it was 6″x 58 torpedo, this one is a 6″ x 60 torpedo, with a beautiful Broadleaf wrapper, over Nicaraguan fillers and binder, rolled at the My Father factory. The original was based on the Fausto blend, and I’m not sure if this one is too, but it’s a pretty strong cigar! It’s loaded with the coffee and spice that I enjoy, and it was a really great cigar. I may smoke another one today! If you’re a fan of the Tatuaje Broadleaf, or Tatuaje cigars in general, this would be a great one to try. Not a cheap date, but what is anymore?

I took a relatively early walk yesterday after doing a bee inspection with my wife, planting a tree and doing some trimming, all before 10am for some reason. So I grabbed the Tobacco Plaza 50th Anniversary Quesada Keg. I don’t think I ever had the original Keg, as I am not immediately drawn to things drink related, so I can’t compare. This is another 6″ x 60, and if it’s just a size variation, it has a Dominican Corojo seed wrapper, with Dominican binder and Dominican and Nicaraguan fillers. It’s presented in a 15 count box as opposed to a barrel. This is another cigar that I enjoyed quite a bit. It had an interesting bready flavor, kind of a dark bread and it was on the medium bodied side. I know Danny has had a great relationship with Quesada as they make the Oceano brand in the La Sirena portfolio, another cigar I really enjoy.

The third and final cigar in Tobacco Plaza’s 50th anniversary series is the TPLFD Magnum Chisel Maduro. This cigar is listed as 6″ x 58 box pressed, but it’s really 6½”. The chisel shape is cool, and one of the only, if not THE only, shape that’s legally protected by a patent. This is has a maduro wrapper, with the Tobacco Plaza logo applied to the cigar in a lighter leaf. LFD has made a bit of a name for themselves with these artistic embellishments, I have one from the Ybor festival with a Rooster, and one from a dinner that Tobacco Plaza hosted in 2021 with an Iced Tea glass. They are quite neat and must take a lot of effort to produce. Someone has to make a “cookie cutter” apparatus to punch the design out of a leaf. It’s impressive. The cigar is impressive as well, it’s a great tasting smoke. I’ve been enjoying afternoons on my porch watching TV, the last few Saturday’s it’s been an Amazon show called “Clarkson’s Farm”, with Jeremy Clarkson, formerly of the British Top Gear and Amazon’s The Grand Tour (also hysterical). This Magnum Chisel got me through the last two episodes, set aside 2 hours for this one. It was rich with cocoa and spice. Another winner. I have to get up to Great Neck some time to visit Tobacco Plaza.

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

CigarCraig

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Tagged as 50th Anniversary, Chisel, cigar, cigars, DD, Keg, La Flor Dominicana, LFD, Quesada, tatuaje, Tobacco Plaza

by Craig Vanderslice | May 28, 2023 · 9:30 am

ATL and Luciano, Macanudo and West Tampa Tobacco Cigars

The highlight of the week for me was my interview with Marvin Samel (see video at the end of the post, or go back to the Friday post). I really enjoy doing these interviews, hopefully they are enjoyable for you. I didn’t mention it on the video, but I smoked a Liga Privada No. 9, the cigar I smoked for the first time when I met Marvin in 2009. Marvin was smoking a Havana Cohiba from a box he had bought in the Netherlands ten years ago. I guess we should have talked about the cigars, but I thought the behind the scenes movie stuff was really fascinating! Anyway, I smoked some other cigars this week, starting with the Foreign Affair Toro Extra from Luciano Cigars. Luciano debuted this cigar at this year’s TPE show, which I did not attend. This cigar has a Sumatra Ecuador wrapper, Nicaragua & Ecuador binders, and fillers from Nicaragua, Costa Rica & Dominican Republic. One does not see a lot of cigars with Costa Rican fillers. This cigar smoked very well, had a really interesting sweet spice, almost a ginger sort of flavor. I love a Sumatra wrapper, and this one was really nice, and probably accounts for the sweetness. It was very good.

The next cigar shares some traits with the Foreign Affair, in that it’s made in the same factory, since ATL Cigars partnered with Luciano for distribution, and one of ATL’s founders, Peter, has taken on an executive roll with the Luciano company. I found the ATL Magic to be an exceptional cigar, very special. I tried the ATL Wise Blood in the Gordito size, 4″ x 60 and was impressed. This cigar has an Ecuadorian Habano Rosado HVA wrapper, Ecuadorian Connecticut binder, and fillers from three Nicaraguan regions. I happened to take Friday off, and after running some errands and doing some stuff, I smoked this cigar. It had a hint of sourness, kind of the sourdough bread kind, which was interesting in a good way. I’m one of the odd set who doesn’t mind a 60 ring, I think it’s best in the shorter lengths, it’s certainly ridiculous in anything longer than six inches. Good smoke, looking forward to trying other sizes.

Continuing on the short and fat vein, yesterday morning I lit up a new Macanudo Gold size for 2023, the Gold Nugget. This is a 4½” x 60, with the classic Macanudo Connecticut Shade wrapper, Mexican San Andrés binder and Piloto Cubano and Mexican fillers. The wrapper leaves come from early primings, making them smoother and cleaner looking than higher primings because they get less sun exposure. I was trying to reupholster the seat on my scooter, and needed a cigar to reduce profanity. If I can give any advice to someone who wants to try this, it’s to just buy an OEM seat cover and be done with it, it’s worth saving yourself the headache. So, as the scooter waits for it’s seat to come in, I enjoyed this Macanudo Gold. Fun fact, this blend is (or was) the favorite of Victoria Jaworski, the queen of public relations for Scandinavian Tobacco Group. I smoked it early in the day, and it is a milder, creamy smoke, but it’s not without flavor, and delivered a really nice smoking experience for this guy who isn’t a huge fan of the Connecticut shade genre. Like the Macanudo Inspirado White, it’s one I’ll go back to happily, whenever that shade mood hits me.

Finally, I’ve been smoking a bunch of the West Tampa Tobacco Co. Red cigars lately after finding them in stock at my local shop. I grabbed another robusto yesterday afternoon after smoking one earlier in the week. When I talked to Ricky Rodriguez last month (video HERE), we talked about the similarity between the Attic and the Red, they share all the same components, which are Mexican San Andrés Maduro, Condega Nicaragua Binder and Condega Viso, Esteli Viso, Esteli Ligero. The robusto is a powerhouse compared with the Toro and Gordo, it packs a punch! There’s a lot of cocoa and coffee, which I love, and, especially the Robusto, a healthy amount of pepper spice. I think the Red is slightly less refined than the Attic, there must be some priming difference somewhere in the blend. This isn’t a knock, by any stretch, it wouldn’t make sense to have the exact same cigar with different bands and prices (although inside sources tell me that the Attic is sold out at WTCC). I love this Red, and it seems like I’ve been smoking a lot of the Reds and Black’s recently! Great cigars from a great family company.

That’s all for today. It’s Memorial Day Weekend, so take a moment and think of those who perished so that we can relax with a great cigar. Until the next time,

CigarCraig

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Tagged as ATL, cigar, cigars, Foreign Affair, Gold Nugget, iMordecai, Luciano, macanudo, Macanudo Gold, Marvin Samel, Red, West Tampa Red, West Tampa Tobacco Co., Wise Blood

by Craig Vanderslice | May 21, 2023 · 9:12 am

Mas Igneus, Menelik and EP Carillo Dusk Cigars

Getting back to some of the new-to-me- cigars I picked up at The Wooden Indian a few weeks back, I smoked the Mas Igneus Toro from Luciano Cigars. This is a cigar that’s made to pair with a wine, which means nothing to me, over thirty years on the wagon, ya know. It was. a perfect 6″ x 53 toro, with a rather nice looking Ecuador Criollo 98 wrapper, Brazilian binder and Nicaraguan filler cigar. Honestly, I had forgotten the wine part when I selected it, I know I’ve heard about that before. I’d also heard how good it was, so I figured it was worth a shot. Perhaps the wine part got in my head, because it seemed to have a dark fruit kind of flavor, maybe raisiny. It was definitely a different flavor than I usually come across in a cigar, and not one I generally am drawn to. It was enjoyable for a change of pace, and I might see what it’s like in another size if I’m bored.

Pet peeve: A cigar is not literally a chocolate bar, a chocolate bar is literally a chocolate bar. Somehow saying “this cigar is figuratively a chocolate bar” while accurate, doesn’t carry the same impact. It bugs me though…

A cigar I’ve really wanted to try since it came out, but never seemed to get to, was the Menelik from Foundation Cigars. If I recall, this was an event exclusive for a while, and I didn’t get to any events with Nick at the time. I had this in the robusto size, it also comes in a toro. I don’t know why I never picked on up during that stretch I was doing unintentional volunteer work at a certain cigar shop. The Menelik has a San Andrés wrapper, Corojo 99 binder and Nicaraguan fillers, and the Robusto is 4½” x 50 with a pigtail cap. I really loved this cigar! I smoked it while watching The Grand Tour on the porch TV, which was hysterical (it’s the reincarnation of the original Top Gear for those who may not know). It made for a really nice afternoon. Great dark, espresso flavors and an excellent burn and draw. Lovely cigar, will definitely revisit this one.

Finally, we stopped by Goose’s Montecristo Lounge last night for an outdoor concert. Goose has set up a stage behind the building and has been having local (or not) musicians perform. We were worried about the weather, but it turned out to be a really nice evening. The band was entertaining, and I picked up some cigars while there. I always seem to find something interesting in the 30% off discount bins, this time it was a La Sirena Sea Sprite with a Miami Cigar and Co. barcode, and the signature banding indicating it was. made in the My Father factory. If you come across La Sirena cigars and you can see the secondary band beneath the large band, they are old, buy them up. The current production is great, but La Zona hides the secondary band so you can’t see it. Anyway, for some reason there’s a few cigars I seem to go to when I visit Goose’s, and the EP Carillo Dusk Stout Toro is one of them. Don’t know why, maybe it because I met up there with Brian and Jose when they were working for EPC and it triggers a memory? It was, as always, a great cigar, and a nice evening watching some live music, which always makes me want to dust off the drumsticks and get back into it.

Earlier in the week I met up with Stephen Tabak at Cigar Mojo where I smoked a few good Drew Estate cigars and had a really nice evening talking with a friend I hadn’t met before. It’s funny when you see a Facebook friend and log time reader visiting your small town on business. Looking forward to his next visit.

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

CigarCraig

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by Craig Vanderslice | May 14, 2023 · 9:39 am

An Olmec Claro, a 601 La Bomba Warhead and a Video

Last December I picked up the Foundation Cigar Co. Olmec in Madur and Claro. I had smoked the Maduro, and gifted he Claro. I happened to be shopping at The Wooden Indian a few weeks back and picked up another Claro, because I wanted to smoke it! I really enjoyed the Maduro, and I’ve enjoyed so many cigars made by Nick Melillo over the years. Of course, this is a cigar that is an homage to the original cigar smokers, the Olmec, and has a San Andres Claro wrapper, a double binder of Nicaraguan Esteli and Jalapa, and undisclosed fillers. Odd the undisclosed part, must be something interesting in there, although, upon reading the website description, there seems to be some some confusion, the filler may be Esteli and Jalapa, it says two different things! Anyway, this was a really good smoking cigar. I liked the Maduro more, but that’s not unusual for me, but this had some nice creamy coffee flavor and was very rich in flavor. I may not drop $15 on these regularly, but it’s a nice treat.

On the same trip to the Wooden Indian I picked up an Espinosa 601 La Bomba Warhead VII, just because it looked so tasty. The La Bomba line has been a favorite since the EO Brands days, when it was made at the My Father factory. This one is made at AJ Fernandez’ San Lotano factory in Nicaragua, has a Nicaraguan Broadleaf wrapper, and Nicaraguan binder and fillers. It’s a 7″ x 50 Churchill, and it lacks the La Bomba “fuse” cap treatment. I actually haven’t smoked enough of the Warhead series to know if that’s a thing or not. I really liked this cigar. The box press makes it feel like a smaller ring than it is, and it’s really reasonably priced at around $10. It was loaded with dark coffee/espresso flavors. This was a really good smoke, burn and draw were perfect. I’m a fan.

Yesterday we attended the AC Cigar Social in Atlantic City, and I did a quick video interview with Jon Henderson (I had Jon Anderson on the brain for some reason…). I’ll write a more indepth post this week about the event, but in the meantime, here is the video: