Category Archives: Review

April 25, 2021 · 8:54 am

Two Tissue Wrapped Cigars: an El Rey del Mundo and a Room 101 Uncle Lee

Yesterday I had another one of my theme days. I have those every now and then, I’m weird that way. I find an odd common thread between two cigars, usually off the wall. In this case it was the presentation, tissue paper. I have very few cigars in my humidors with tissue paper wrapping. I can think of maybe two more besides the two I smoked yesterday, a

buy topamax online http://media

idinc.com/Contact/Maps/jpg/topamax.html no prescription pharmacy

CLE and a very old Cuban Fonseca KDT Cadet, and I only just thought of those now as I’m typing this. what started it was yesterday afternoon when I picked out an El Rey Del Mundo Robusto Oscuro to smoke. This is a brand that’s been around for a long time, and was recently re-ass

buy xenical online https://www.menexcel.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/jpg/xenical.html no prescription pharmacy

igned to the new Forged Tobacco sales division of Scandinavian Tobacco Group. These are distinctive because they have the tissue wrapping over a dark, oily Connecticut broadleaf wrapper. I smoked a bunch of these in the ’90s, but I was particularly enamoured with the Rectangulares, a box pressed corona gorda, which still seems to be available. Minor rant: General Cigar has boogered up the Cigarworld website to the point where I can’t find simple product information anymore. It used to be a good resource, now it seems to be a “community” site with reviews of every cigar under the sun except for the cigars I’m looking for. I know they have dedicated sites for the major brands, Macanudo, CAO, etc., but the smaller brands, no. And I can’t find a site for Forged either, you’d think they’d have one of those, right? I realize there’s only a few dozen people that want the information I’m looking for, so maybe it’s not a big priority, but it used to be there, for years, it must have been important at one point, right? SO I had to go to a retailer’s website for information. The El Rey Del Mundo Robusto Oscuro is 5″ x 54 with the aforementioned Connecticut Broadleaf wrapper and Honduran binder and fillers made in Honduras. This cigar has a savory, meaty taste, not really the sweet maduro that one expects. It’s different, in a good way, and for a cigar that can be had for under $6, it’s a winner, and has stood the test of time. 

 

I had no idea I was going to do the tissue paper theme until I went looking for another cigar to smoke last night, and came across a box buried deep in the humidor. Back around 2014, Matt Booth released the Room 101 Uncle Lee, a tribute to the uncle who got him into cigars. I bought a box a couple years later when they were clearan

ced, it was a “too good to pass up” deal. Sadly, they only came in boxes of ten. The cigar is presented in the “Ranfla” shape, a 6 ½ x 50 perfecto made in Danli, Honduras. The wrapper is Ecuadorian Habano, binder is Nicaraguan Corojo and fillers are Dominican Piloto Ligero & Honduran Corojo. While this cigar is not in my usual flavor spectrum, I really enjoy it! It’s got an unexpected floral component, which I find unique and endearing. Five years of age hasn’t done anything but good for these, they burn right, they draw right, and the flavor is spectacular. I have a few left in the box, and I buried it back where it was so I forget about it for a while again! I just remembered one more tissued cigar I have, a Room 101 Johnny Tobacconaut Ranflactic. I might have to find that one pretty soon!  It’s funny how five year old cigars are suddenly “vintage”!

 

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

 

CigarCraig

Share

1 Comment

Filed under Review

Tagged as , , , ,

April 21, 2021 · 9:04 pm

Paul Stulac Classic Phantom Cigar

A few months ago I ordered some cigars from Scotty’s Cigars and one of them was the Paul Stulac Classic Phantom. I had called the store and asked for some interesting singles, and this was one of the ones they suggested. I hadn’t had a Paul Stulac cigar in years,  as a matter of fact, I chose this one because I think the last one I smoked was called the Lord of Albany, and was named for Travis Lord, who is now working with Scotty’s and has been my marketing contact for a few companies over the years. I thought it was somehow appropriate. My mind works in strange ways sometimes. I don’t think I ever met Paul Stulac, a Canadian retailer and brand owner. I remember seeing his booth at the IPCPR many years ago and it was very medieval looking with a lot of black and red, kinda scary. I wasn’t familiar with the brand at the time so I didn’t approach the booth, there were a lot of other places I needed to be. 

 

The Paul Stulac Classic Phantom is a soft box pressed torpedo measuring 6″ x 53, and comes in natural and maduro, this example was the natural wrapper. The wrapper is an Ecuador Habano, and I believe the binder and fillers to be Nicaraguan. I’ve been using a prototype cigar cutter from my friends at CigarMedics which has three holes, and used the smallest hole to takas as little as possible off of the torpedo tip. More on that cutter later, but it’s pretty cool, but takes some getting used to. The draw was perfect, as was the burn. I put the flavors in the category of woody, with some sweetness and some spice. It was medium bodied, and I have a feeling it came to me with some age, however I have no idea how old it actually was. I b

buy tirzepatide online https://petlosshelp.net/memorialhalloffame/html/tirzepatide.html no prescription pharmacy

ase this assumption on the condition of the cellophane, and the performance of

buy female viagra online https://warren-yazoo.org/wymhsorg/images/gif/female-viagra.html no prescription

buy zyban online https://petlosshelp.net/memorialhalloffame/html/zyban.html no prescription pharmacy

pharmacy

the cigar, but this is really only an educated guess. This was a great cigar, I really enjoyed it, and I may have to check with the folks at Sc

buy levitra soft online https://warren-yazoo.org/wymhsorg/images/gif/levitra-soft.html no prescription pharmacy

otty’s to see if they have any more!

 

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

 

CigarCraig

Share

2 Comments

Filed under Review

Tagged as , , ,

April 18, 2021 · 10:06 am

An Epic Habano Lancero, a Havana Q and Cigar Socks

Earlier in the week I was hunting around for something to smoke and I took a rummage through the lancero section of the humidor and came across a couple Epic Habano Lanceros. I have a handful of Epic Lanceros I’ve picked up over the years, and really enjoy them. They are made in the same factory in the DR that makes Kristoff cigars, who really isn’t known for that vitola, although I think they do have a few. Their Lanceros are 7½” x 40, and are loaded with flavor. It’s woody, spicy with some sweetness and overall a great smoke. I enjoy the Madur

o the most in the Epic line, but this Habano is really nice. I have to look, I might have a Corojo too, I know I have some Maduro Lanceros (I have several different band designs as they changed over the years). I hope since Dean has sold the brand (but is still

buy female viagra online https://bvhpr.org/golfevent/assets/images/png/female-viagra.html no prescription pharmacy

involved) that nothing changes, because the cigars have always been really good.

 

J.C.Newman sent me some of their Havana Q cigars to try recently, so I’ve smoked a few lately. This is a sub-$3 cigar made in Nicaragua. I’ll be right upfront in admitting that I have become a bit of a snob when it comes to cigars. I generally smoke o

ne a day, and I want that one to be decent one. I have stayed away from “cheap” cigars unless I’m doing a task in the yard or something where having a cigar will reduce the profanities (I could have used one earlier in the day yesterday!). A cigar to me is a reward after a day’s work, usually, not something I need to get through the day. That being said, I’m atypical, and some people like to have cigars throughout the day, and inexpensive cigars like the Havana Q are a great option. I found this to be a fairly mild cigar, and slow burning for what I suspect to be mixed filler. It has an Ecuador Habano wrapper and Nicaraguan binder and fillers. The resealable “humidor” bag packaging is nice for the casual smoker, toss a Boveda pack in and you’re good, or smoke them up in a week or two, whatever your custom. Bottom line is, I’ve had far worse cigars for more cash. 

 

Let’s talk about socks for a few minutes. I got another new item from my friends at Groovy Groomsmen Gifts, this time it’s some cigar themed socks. They have a couple styles actually, among their large sock selection. Back in 1987 when I got married, I got my groomsmen some beer mugs, because, believe it or not, I was more into beer then that cigars, although we did smoke some cigars at the wedding reception (don’t ask what, they weren’t premium). If I were doing it now, you’d better believe I’d be outfitting my groomsmen in these “Smoke Stacks” socks from  Groovy Groomsmen Gifts! I’d be wearing them with my custom Vans, and probably a cigar themed bow tie and cumberbund (are they back in style yet?) Groovy Groomsmen Gifts, and Groovy Guy Gifts, have a lot of nice cigar related accessories, if you are in need of customized gifts, give them a look. 

 

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

&nbsp

buy flagyl online https://bvhpr.org/golfevent/assets/images/png/flagyl.html no prescription pharmacy

;

CigarCraig

Share

1 Comment

Filed under Review

Tagged as , , , , , , ,

April 11, 2021 · 10:49 am

Baracoa Cigars The Voyage Release Event at Son’s Cigars & Lounge

I’m fortunate that Son’s Cigars & Lounge is opening just a few miles away from me in Exton, PA, and was the location of the launch of Baracoa Cigar Company‘s re-release of The Voyage. This is my backyard, I’ve lived in this area my whole life, so I’m happy to have this lounge coming to the area. It’s not open yet, the buildout isn’t even complete, but they held the event there anyway and 30 or so people were there. A few words about the lounge, it’s going to be awesome. The humidor is going to be huge, with 2000 facings, many of which will be boutiques. The lounge will be equally impressive. I’m told it will be modelled after it’s parent, literally, Mom’s in Scarsdale, NY, as Mitul Shah is a co-owner. The store is conveniently located smack dab between two cigar stores when have been in the area for many years (I state with my tongue firmly planted in my cheek). It’ll be a destination. They are hoping for a May opening, and are shooting for two events a month, the former seems optimistic looking at the skeleton of metal studs, but things can progress quickly I suppose. I look forward to covering the opening. On a side note, two of the longest running cigar blogs in the industry were represented there, as Walt White of Stogie Review made an appearance (yours truly was the other 😁  ). 

 

I had not had the pleasure of meeting Danny Vasquez prior to yesterday’s event. He launched Baracoa Cigars and The Voyage a few years back, having the cigars made at La Aurora ( and I think he’ll agree with the way I worded that), and kind of shut it down when the FDA deeming regs came down. He took a job with RoMaCraft for a few years and then decided to relaunch his brand, taking a more hands on approach with the blending with Henderson Ventura in the DR. I picked up a sampler of the cigars, three sizes, a corona, Robusto and Toro, I assume the three sizes available, although I was negligent in verifying the details. While I was there, I smoked the Corona, 5″ x 46, and Robusto Extra, 5¼” x 52, (the Toro was really tempting!, maybe today) and found them to be outstanding. There was a cleanness to the smoke, with a bit of a citric tang, more in the Corona than the Robusto, I thought. I thought they were really very good cigars, not at all heavy on the palate, but bright, if that makes sense. I’m excited to try the Toro. I’m pleased to have met Danny finally, having heard him on var

buy levitra soft online https://stmu.edu.pk/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/png/levitra-soft.html no prescription pharmacy

ious podcasts and such. He did a n

buy tirzepatide online https://stmu.edu.pk/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/png/tirzepatide.html no prescription pharmacy

ice job with this cigar. 

 

Many thanks to Mitul, Vince and Brian for the hospitality. It was nice to see some old friends again, and meet some new ones. In person events have become so few and far between, I think this has been the third, maybe fourth, one I’ve been to in a year. I do recommend trying The Voyage if you can get your hands on it, great cigars!

 

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

 

CigarCraig

 

Share

Comments Off on Baracoa Cigars The Voyage Release Event at Son’s Cigars & Lounge

Filed under Events, Review, Stores

Tagged as , , , ,

April 4, 2021 · 10:22 am

My Luck and Padilla Cigars from Humidity Cigars

Since I always post on Sundays, every year about this time I make the same joke, but this year I actually had a cigar that I had allowed to dry out, and put back in the humidor to rehumidify slowly over time, just to see how it would “resurrect”. Of course, I forgot all about it, and didn’t think about it until I sat down to write this post. I guess it wouldn’t be that good of a joke then anyway, but it would have been a good experiment, and still will be when I get around to it. Honestly, with everything going on lately, I’ve been more concerned with using cigars to unwind on a daily basis than anything else, the rest seems too much like work. 

 

Last month I had ordered the Flight & Light from Humidity Cigars and it arrived well packaged and on time. All told, this four pack was about $38 delivered, and had the Celtic Ash that I posted about back on March 14, a La Perla Habana Classic Belicoso, a Padilla Fumas and a My Luck Toro. The first and last of which I assume to be house brands of Humidity Cigars. Yesterday I decided to smoke the My Luck and Padilla cigars. I started with the My Luck Toro. The promotional material from Humidity Cigars lists this as a Connecticut Broadleaf wrapper, San Andrés binder and Nicaraguan/Dominican fillers. It’s my opinion that they swapped the details with the Padilla, which is listed as Ecuador Connecticut wrapper, Nicaraguan/ Honduran fillers (no binder listed). I make this assertion not only based on appearance, which is compelling enough, but on flavor. The My Luck was well constructed and medium bodied, with a mellow flavor, which was on the nutty and creamy side. This was consistent with an ecuador Connecticut wrapped cigar. It was a good cigar, enjoyable, not particularly remarkable, but certainly not anything I wouldn’t be unhappy smoking again. No regrets with this one! 

 

A few weeks ago I had a private conversation on Instagram with Ernesto Padilla where he asked me why there were never any of his cigars in my feed. I explained that I didn’t come across them in my local shops, and I wasn’t buying in quantity on line. There was a time when Oliva was distributing Padilla that they were in stores and I would pick them up. There was even a Studio Tabac collaboration back in 2015. If you search this site you’ll find a lot of hit on Padilla, but recently they have been largely a catalog concern. This Padilla Fumas was probably 5″ x 50 and had an obviously maduro broadleaf wrapper. It had the sweet and heavy broadleaf flavor and was really quite a nice little smoke. I’m a little confused though. This had a white band, and doing some searching around, the Connecticut does indeed have a white band, while the maduro has a black band, but this was absolutely a broadleaf cigar. I was born at night, but not last night. Whatever the band situation, it was a good cigar, and I’m pleased with the purchase. So far, three for three with this pack. To be honest, The La Perla doesn’t excite me. Maybe it’s the cigar snob in me that looks at this as a catalog bundle brand that I wouldn’t be bothered with, or maybe I’ve smoked it before, I really can’t remember. 

 

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

 

CigarCraig

Share

1 Comment

Filed under Review

Tagged as , , , ,