Category Archives: Review

by | June 12, 2011 · 10:59 am

The Week In Cigars: Macanudo, Oja, Chateau Real, Toraño, CAO, etc.

Sunday I had a couple projects to do around the house that involved replacing screens in a sliding door and a window.  In an attempt to minimize the profanities generally involved in such an exercise, I employed a Macanudo 1968 Robusto.  I recently received some samples of these from General Cigar in conjunction with their recent announcement that they were lowering the price across the board on this line extension.  I have enjoyed this cigar in the past, although in liberal quantities, largely due to the price.  I have to say that if they re-blended this (and I don’t know that they did) to lower the price, they did a fine job.  Although it was a little loose in the draw (I wish I had punched this one, but who knew?), it smoked very well and the only time I swore was when the cigar went out on me!

Next up was an Oja Connecticut Torpedo.I’m not going to say too much about this one just yet, other than I thoroughly enjoyed the flavor of this cigar. Oja is a new boutique brand from Luis Garcia, whom I had the pleasure of meeting while in Nicaragua.  I want to smoke some more of these before really delving into the specifics, but keep an eye out for this brand. Luis is a very cool guy.

I grabbed a Chateau Real Gran Cru Perfecto Maduro, which is a favorite.  Oddly, I really think these are better in the fall and winter for some reason.  It was a good cigar, don’t get me wrong, but think I enjoy the flavor more when the air is crisp and the humidity is low.  Maybe it was just that it was humid…not sure.  Anyway, the place I usually rest my cigar when I go into the convenience store is the corner of the ice machine.  Well, some clueless lady got ice and I walked out to find my cigar on the ground!  The Ground!!  Not one bit happy about that, and neither was the cigar. It took a while for the cigar to recover from the trauma. It did, however, and changed my mind about the seasonality of this cigar.  It just has full, rich flavor that I never tire of.  It’s unfortunate that Drew Estate has stopped making the maduro version of this cigar, although the Shade wrapped version is a very nice cigar as well.

Somewhere around Thursday I was in a lancero kind of mood, so I grabbed one of the two Carlos Toraño Casa Toraño maduro lanceros that I had picked up at an event at Cigars International some time ago (actually, it was December of ’09, one of the advantages of logging my cigar adventures!).  These have been calling to me over the last year and a half, I had two, which fit nicely in a very narrow two finger case I have, so I’ve had them on hand at times, but never found the occasion.  I finally broke down and had to fire one up.  This is an excellent maduro cigar to my tastes, it had everything I wanted.  It burned a nice long time. What looked like it was going to be a thunderstorm was rolling in at about the half way point, but it just got a little dark and blustery, no rain to speak of, and not enough to make me abandon this fine cigar.  If I remember correctly, these were in the $5 range, which really is pretty good for what you get.  As long as you take this cigar slow, as you should with any narrow ring cigar, it burns cool and smooth!

Jumping to the other end of the spectrum, somewhere through a very hectic Friday at work I got it into my head that the only thing that would satisfy me would be something enormous and heavy duty.  I knew I had an IPCPR sample of a CAO Lx2 Gordo 6″ x 60, which to date is not listed on their website (but I did find it listed on plenty of merchant and blog sites).  I’ve smoked a bunch of the Lx2, many have bothered me in a cold sweat, nicotine poisoning kind of way, but this one was really nice.  I don’t know if it is the tremendous girth or a little bit of age that tempered the power of this, but it definitely served it’s intended purpose and made me forget the rigors of the day.  I must admit that I’ve been developing a fondness for these large ring smoked for some reason.  My wife reminded me of the time that we met up with Jon Huber and she pointed out that some of the details on the secondary band (which Jon designed) looked like parts the female anatomy…tht Jon and his naughty mind!

On a related note, I WAS going to pass on going to Vegas for the IPCPR trade show.  The organization very recently release their application and guidelines for a new “Internet Media Membership”.   I was initially excited, because, honestly, I wouldn’t mind spending the $150 on membership, I figure it would legitimize me as someone who takes this blog nonsense seriously, and would give me some additional credibility.  When I started looking at airfares is when I got the sticker shock.  I’ve been to Vegas many times and I don’t think I ever paid more than $250 for a round trip fare, but I’ve always had the luxury of planning way in advance.  This caught me off guard, and the cheap bastard in me said “Ya know ,ya cheap bastard, you already had one BIG cigar trip this year, maybe wait until next year to go back to the show”. Then my wife, whom I love very, very much, told me that I really need to be there.  So I sucked it up and booked a package that will have me in Vegas for the show.  Look for updates on future developments!

Also, I’ve added a new site to my Links: Cigars.FindTheBest.Com.  This looks like it could be a useful resource and I’ll dig deeper into it as time allows.  I do notice that the Liga Privada No.9 is very close to the top in both the Nicaraguan and *All* categories, which is good.  Take a look at the site and play around with the sorting functions, it’s pretty slick.

That’s it for now.  I’m off to meet up with a couple guys I played with in a band in 1982 or ’83 and see if we can bang out a few notes!  Haven’t seen either of them in nearly 30 years, so it will be interesting!

Until the next time,

CigarCraig

 

 

 

 

 

 

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by | June 5, 2011 · 11:22 am

Cigar Adventures: NYC, an Alec Bradley New York, a Partagas, a Fuente and a Contest!

Last Tuesday was a day we had b

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een looking forward to for some time.  We, once again, had the honor and privilege of being on the guest list for a New York City Dinner Cruise hosted by our friend Mitchell Orchant of C-Gars Ltd.   Mitchell is an old friend.  We first “met” through an e-mail and continued through the alt.smokers.cigars usenet group back in the ’90s.  We met face to face at a little herf in Vegas in 1999 known amongst those in the usenet world as “Boondoggle III“, which was held at the MGM Grand over a 3 day span.  This event comprised about 300 people who only knew one another through the wild west of the internet, an oddity at the time!  Anyway, we’ve been to Mitchell and his wife’s wedding in London, we’ve taken them sight-seeing in NYC, and been friends for a long time. Mitchell has taken to hosting this dinner cruise every year, which I reported on last year, which spends a couple hours cruising around Manhattan, with beautiful views of the skyline, the bridges, and the Statue of Liberty.  I thought it would be appropriate to enjoy an Alec Bradley New York Robusto, which I had picked up at De La Concha on my last visit to the city.  This is a very nice cigar!  This was created for the ridiculously highly taxed  New York State shops, designed to give the local tobacconists a little mo

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re margins in hopes that they can stay open!! Anyway, it’s a good cigar, pick some up if you see them in New York and support the oppressed businesses in the state.

Back to the event.  In attendance were  Marc Aub and Mike DaVersa of Brothers of the Leaf, LLC, makers of Palio cutters and Esencia cigars, whom I had met last year and seen at the IPCPR show last July.  Always a pleasure to chat with Marc, who’s as passionate as they come about his products.  Mitchell is the UK distributor for Palio Cutters, and just became the UK distributor for Arturo Fuente cigars, so, in addition to the fine Bolivar Belicoso Finos in the goody bag, there was a Fuente Hemingway Signature as well. These happen to be 2 of my all time favorite cigars that I rarely get to enjoy.We also got to catch up with some other old friends, Karen from Albany, George from South Jersey and even Barry from California.  I finished the night off with a Partagas Petit Coronas Expeciale from a box I had been waiting to arrive at cruise time last year.  I’ve really been digging these cigars and hope that the exchange rate comes down a little in the future so that I can get another box one day! I was even able to gift Mitchell a cigar, something that’s pretty rare as he always declines.  I had an extra Partagas Serie P No.2 that I got at his wedding coming up on 5 years ago. The Hunters and Frankau rep was handing these out at the reception, and Mitchell’s dad insisted I get an extra to take home.  I figured this would be a fitting “thank you” for the nice things he does for us.  At the end of the night Mitchell opened a box of Opus X Perfecxion X and passed it around, to cap off the evening.

Contest!

One of the neat items in the goody bags, was a ring gauge guide.  I managed to score a couple spares and will send one to a random reader who leaves a comment.  Heck, these will be cheap to mail, make that two!  So leave a comment to enter and see the rules on the winners and rules page, and I’ll make this one a short one and announce a winner on Wednesday if all goes to plan.  Give Mitchell’s site a visit when you get a chance and see all the neat stuff he’s got.  Also look for a mention of his book in the latest Smoke Magazine!

 

LAst night I selected a Fuente Anejo 50 that had been kicking around the box for a while now, maybe 4 years.  It was the first of this line that I’ve smoked and boy was it tasty.  It started a little slow, but it built into just the kind of cigar I like.  It had the nice, dark flavors I like and just the right level of nicotine.  Goes with out saying that it was well made, as it’s a Fuente.  I know these are pricey and availability is spotty, but if you have the chance, smoke one, I don’t think you’ll have any regrets. I selected this in honor of Mitchell’s a fore mentioned acquisition of the Fuente distributorship in the UK.

That’s it for now!  We have an update from  Tommy Berry coming up next time, so until then,

CigarCraig

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by | May 29, 2011 · 5:04 pm

Gee, I Smoked Some More Cigars This Week! La Aurora, My Joya de Nicaragua Blend, and a Dirty Rat

It’s the Memorial Day weekend, and time to remember all those who gave their lives in service to the country so that we have a shot at enjoying a fine cigar once in a while!  Thank You!  Now, on to some cigar nonsense!

I caught an article this week via Twitter that Guillermo Leon had completed his purchase of the La Aurora cigar division from the parent company, Grupo Leon.  I couldn’t think of a better cigar to celebrate this event than a La Aurora 107 Lancero that I had picked up when I met up with him last month at The Wooden Indian (the day my grand-daughter was born. Hard to believe she’s 4 weeks old already!).  I took this cigar for a walk with my wife to the local convenience store, about a mile round trip.  It certainly was a very nice cigar.  There was a time in the recent past that you could almost expect a lancero to be plugged, but I haven’t had one that wasn’t perfectly made in some time.  As a side note, I’ve been finding that a lot of the cigars I’ve been smoking have been well made. Either my selections have improved or there is an over-all trend in higher quality standards in the industry.  Not complaining!  It used t really annoy me when I’d invest my valuable cigar time and have a difficult stick. Back to the 107, I’ve now smoked this in the corona and lancero and enjoy the blend. I think the lancero is more of a good thing.  I should try some of the other sizes.  While these aren’t exactly what I look for taste wise in a cigar, they do give me a lot of pleasure, and I strive to keep an open mind.

I selected one of the cigar that I brought back from Cigar Safari in Nicaragua for my Friday night cigar.  This was one of the ones that were made for us as a result of our blending session at Joya de Nicaragua. I chose the the Corojo wrapper, and a Sumatra binder as well as Seco from Condega.  I focused on Esteli for the Viso and Ligero, with a little Condega Ligero thrown in for good measure.  What I ended up with was a fairly strong cigar, both in flavor and body.  I loved it, make no mistake, but it rivaled the Joya de Nicaragua Dark Corojo in sheer power, as a matter of fact, I commented to my son that I thought I had blended an Antaño Dark Corojo!  He had smoked the first of his batch, and he had used much more ligero in his, and it wasn’t bad, his shade wrapper may have toned it down a bit.  I smoked this cigar down to finger burning size, while it was one dimensional, it was a good dimension! I wouldn’t smoke these often, and I have four more resting to see how they develop over time. I continue to be amazed that a cigar that was rolled a mere 8 weeks ago is so perfectly smokable!  Thanks to Mario Perez at Joya de Nicaragua and Jonathan Drew for this exercise.  I’m reminded that I need to find some Cabinetta Lanceros sometime soon…great cigar! I actually think the Cabinetta Serie is my favorite blend from JdN for overall balance.

 

Saturday was a beautiful day, so for my evening walk I went with a Liga Privada Dirty Rat pre-release version that Steve Saka had sent me in January of 2010.  This cigar has since been released as a Liga Privada Serie Unico as of last years IPCPR show.  I’ve had several of these between the pre-release samples and the production line and they have all been exceptional.  Deep and dark, these are well made and seriously satisfying.  The stalk cut, Connecticut Habano wrapper is a thing of beauty and just tasty as all get out.  I lamented to my wife at the time that I should have grabbed one of the longer prototype Rats I brought back from Cigar Safari, as this cigar was finished too soon.  I could have easily spent another hour enjoying the deliciousness of the Dirty Rat.  Truly a spectacular cigar.

Today is another day, not sure what I’ll pull out of the humidor yet, and tomorrow could present more opportunities still.  Tuesday we head to NYC for a private cigar event, which we’ve been looking forward to.  Everyone have a safe and enjoyable holiday, and remember all those who paid the ultimate price so that we can enjoy what we enjoy!

Until the next time,

CigarCraig

 

 

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by | May 25, 2011 · 9:43 pm

The Week So Far, A Romeo y Julieta, a Hoyo de Monterrey, and an El Credito

My mother-in-law passed away last week, so in deference to the family, I concentrated on doing my best to be a comfort and a help to my wife and her family. Cigars took a back seat to common sense and courtesy, so I don’t have a lot to report on this time. She lived a long and active life, but the last year was hard, with a diagnosis of mesothelioma and a stroke. When I smoked cigarettes she would bum one off me once a year, probably did that for almost 20 years. It was just one of those funny little things…never could get her to switch to a cigar, although she used to say that she once used cigars to break her cigarette habit, since she hated cigars!

 

I did manage to take a cigar for a walk Sunday morning, and I chose a Romeo y Julieta Habana Reserve that I bought last year when they had an offer for a sampler for something like $8 delivered. I like these cigars, but they sometimes aren’t the fist cigar I gravitate to if I’m cigar shopping. I opted for this cigar since I figured it was one of the better selections I had on hand for an early in the day smoke. It was quite a nice, mild and flavorful cigar that fit the bill nicely. It was a robusto that measured 5” x 54. If I were buying a RyJ, and it wasn’t one from an island we aren’t supposed to buy cigars from, I’d choose this line again.

 

Just a quick note about cigar smokers doing nice things for the community, a store local to me, although I don’t visit there nearly enough for whatever reason, recently held a golf outing and sent me the following in an e-mail:

 

Golf Outing Raises $13,240 for Fox Chase Cancer Center

G&G Cigar Company‘s 2nd Annual Golf Outing raised $13,240 for Fox Chase Cancer center for funding cancer research. The event was held at Downingtown Country Club. This check brings G&G’s total donations to over $43,000 to various charities.

We’d like to thank all of you for your support of this important event.

G&G Cigar Company Thanks you for your business.

I think it’s pretty cool when folks who are looked down upon by the more prudish in society do something nice, and it deserves recognition.

Last night I lit up a Hoyo de Monterrey Reposado en Cedros that I received at the IPCPR show last July when General Cigar announced the release. It should come as no surprise that the predominant flavor of the cigar is wood. Sweet wood.  Lots of wood.  Obviously (or not) this was to be expected given the cedar sleeve and the special “Immersion” process in which they age the cigars in cedar.  Don’t misunderstand, I really enjoyed the cigar, it was very enjoyable and different from what I usually select.  I’ve always enjoyed the Hoyo de Monterrey line and most of it’s extensions, and this one is pleasantly different.

 

Tonight I grabbed one of General Cigars new El Credito El Perrito War of Flavors, a cheroot-like cigar that’s made without a mold.  These are rustic little cigars that was created by two supervisors in the El Credito factory in the DR.  There’s lots of information out there on these, so I won’t regurgitate it here.  It was a good cigar for a mile walk.  It wasn’t particularly elegant, but it had a good flavor that will benefit from some age.  If these are priced right they will be a nice shorter smoke, although it burned roughly the same amount of time as a robusto for me. Don’t wear a good shirt either as the ash was prone to dropping without notice!  Thanks to General Cigars for providing me with samples to smoke!

That’s it for now, hopefully this weekend being Memorial Day weekend will give me an opportunity to have a couple cigars.

Until the next time,

CigarCraig

Watch for a new discount code from StogieBoys.com coming soon.

 

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by | May 18, 2011 · 9:53 pm

Grimalkin Toro and Emilio AF-1 Toro Cigars and “Old Wave” by Garry Berman

Over the last two evenings I had decided to couple two cigars with a new book, “O

ld Wave, a Comic Novel” by Garry Berman, author of several books including “We’re Going to See the Beatles”, “Best of the Britcoms” and “Perfect Fool: The Life and Career of Ed Wynn”.  The cigars are two toros, generously provided by Gary Griffith of Delaware Cigars.

The Grimalkin is made at a factory in Nicaragua that we all know of, but I’m not at liberty to divulge.  It’s a terrific cigar, layered with subtly and complexity.  Similar to “Old Wave”, the story of an ’80s New Wave band who had one and a half hits, and owned the first half of 1983.  The book is the story of the bands comeback after a 25 year hiatus, where the main character, Terry, has been managing his family health food store in a small New York town.  He’s barely kept in touch with his band mates and is convinced to get them back together for a revival tour of sorts with several other bands of the era.  It’s a comedic romp through the trials of re-connecting with the group and is loaded with more similes than a simile writers convention.  Much like the Grimalkin, the read is easy and entertaining, with characters as interesting and compelling as the flavors dancing around my palate. Even burn, perfect draw with a signature similarity to other cigars from the same factory, yet with refreshing flavors that keep you thinking.  The story bounces back and forth from present day, to stories from the past.  Two thumbs up for the cigar, and the book is holding my interest much like the cigar did.

The female singer in the band is a beautiful Russian woman named Svetlana, who is dark and glamorous, much like the Emelio AF-1 Toro.  Svetlana loves the Brazilian music of the sixties, and the band, Magenta Nun, mixed the Brazilian rhythms with a New Wave style to create their signature sound. The Emilio AF-1 has a dark, sweet maduro wrapper loaded with delicious and exotic Nicaraguan fillers.  It’s sweet and savory, and full of flavors that are lush like the tropical flavors of the music portrayed in the book.  In the book, the band goes on a cross country tour with periodic vignettes of their comedic experiences, including injuries and incidents which mirror some of the groups escapades of their brief period of fame in the past.  The humor tends to be as arid as the Sahara, and there are little names and phases that just make me chuckle.  I like dry.  The AF-1, however, is anything but dry, it’s sweet and savory, like a Brazilian Churrasco.  Again, the cigar is well made and burns perfectly until the dramatic conclusion of the book.

Hopefully I haven’t lost anyone in my attempt to intertwine cigar review with a book review.  In my opinion, all three are well worth your time.

  The book is an easy and entertaining read, especial

ly since I played in a band in the ’80s, and there has been recent talk of reviving the group in some way.  It struck a chord with me (a G Major).  The cigars while different, complimented the read perfectly. I never had to worry about the ash falling in the pages, as both cigars had an ash that knocked off in solid chunks and the intricate flavors entertained me.  Kudos to Garry and Gary for enhancing my last couple evenings. You can find “Old Wave” for sale at Amazon.com or through the Amazon store on the left side of this page.

Until the next time,

CigarCraig

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