Category Archives: Stores

by Craig Vanderslice | December 10, 2023 · 11:01 am

Boliche Blvd, Some Classic Fuentes and a 1502 Cigar

This week I found myself out and about more than usual! Monday I met up with my friend Steve Tabak from Tampa at the Cigar Mojo location nearest to me. I stopped into the Cigar Mojo original location on Thursday for their Fuente event, then was back at The Grove location Friday for a 1502 event. That’s enough running around for me for this month! Anyway, Monday I picked up a few of the new Boliche Blvd by West Tampa Tobacco. I had smoked a pre-release sample several months ago before I knew exactly what it was, and was looking forward to trying it again. This is made at the NACSA factory, which is the same factory that makes Dunbarton’s Mi Querida and Red Meat Lovers cigars, among others. This is a 6″ x 60 and is presented in boxes of 50, it’s a big box, and they only made 500 boxes. The blend has not been disclosed, all that is said is that the tobacco is sourced from the Oliva Tobacco Co., who owns part of the NACSA factory, so it could come from anywhere. It’s a medium to full bodied cigar, and I’m standing by my original impression that it’s more on the savory side than sweet. I smoked two this week and enjoyed them, not as much as I enjoy the Attic, Red or even the Black, I’m afraid, but I like that sweetness for the most part. Definitely a high quality cigar and worth a try! I wish I had gotten a chance to catch up with Ricky while he was in the area this weekend, but I hung out with Steve, which is always cool!

I stopped in to the King of Prussia Cigar Mojo location (King of Prussia is the name of the “town” in PA, home of one of the largest shopping malls in the country), because one doesn’t often come across Fuente events, and I wanted to see what was up. By the time I got there, maybe two hours after the event started, a lot of the selection was picked over. They had some nice sampler packs though, but I couldn’t justify the spend this time of year, I have a good many Fuente cigars in the humidor as it is. I did pick up some Hemingway Maduros, Short Story, Best Seller and a Classic, as they are few and far between. In my opinion, Fuente does some great work with Broadleaf, putting it on the Opus bunch to make the Ańejo made a better Opus, in my opinion. I think the Ańejo is about my favorite in the Fuente line. Don Carlos and Hemingways are a close second, and putting the Broadleaf on the Hemingway is a treat. The lounge was full at Mojo Thursday, so instead of sitting on their heated outdoor patio, I opted to go home and enjoy the Classic Maduro in my own heated patio. I love the over-roasted coffee flavor of this cigar, it’s not subtle or complex, it’s just good, and it’s fairly priced. I smoked the Best Seller yesterday and it’s more of the same, or I guess it’s less of the same, because it’s a smaller format! The neat thing about the Best Seller is that it has a really tight draw until it burns past the “nipple”, then it opens up and is perfect. The Classic is basically a Churchill in a perfecto shape, 7″ x 48, while the Best Seller is 5″ x 55. I’ve been smoking the Hemingway line for over 25 years and they never fail to disappoint.

Friday I stopped back into the Cigar Mojo The Grove location, with is close to home, to see an old friend, Enrique Sanchez of Global Premium Cigars. He was there with Ron Melendi, who is brokering the 1502 line in the Northeast. It’s been years since I have hung out with Enrique, it was great to be able to relax and enjoy a 1502 Ruby Toro with him and Ron. The 1502 Ruby Toro is a 6″ x 50 with a box press, and is made by Plasencia in Nicaragua. The wrapper is Ecuador Habano and the fillers are from Esteli and Jalapa in Nicaragua. As much as I love the Black Gold (the Maduro in the 1502 line), this Ruby really does it for me. This isn’t a new cigar, if you searched it on my site you’d find that I mentioned it back in 2012, back when 1502 was part of the House of Emilio distribution group. A lot has changed over the years, but this cigar remains consistent, it’s really good! There’s some spice and some citrus sweetness. I arrived fairly late at the shop, hung with the guys until closing, then went home and finished the cigar. I did, indeed relax and enjoy this cigar. I enjoyed catching up with my old friend, and finally meeting Ron, whom I’ve known of for years, I used to visit his shop in New York City, De La Concha from time to time.

I never said this was a new cigar blog, but a blog about my smoking experiences, although I do try to smoke newer stuff. This week was some oldies, but goodies! There are a lot of classic cigars that are worth smoking. I like to have certain Fuente cigars in my humidor all the time, I just love smoking them, and sometimes I don’t get around to them as much as I’d like. In other news, Secret Santa names have been selected and I’ll be working on putting my SS package together today. Don’t delay! Finally, stay tuned for a giveaway or two in the coming weeks! Tis the season! Until the next time,

CigarCraig

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Tagged as 1502 Cigars, Arturo Fuente, Best Seller, Boliche Blvd, cigar, cigars, Classic, Global Premium Cigars, Hemingway, Ruby, West Tampa Tobacco Co.

by Craig Vanderslice | October 22, 2023 · 10:38 am

Some Tatuaje Cigars and a Visit to Legacy Cigar Lounge

This week was a week of events, I didn’t necessarily smoke any new cigars, but some that were new to me. Nothing in my contract says I have to write about new to the market cigars every week, although I do try to stay current. Fortunately, due to the generosity of a long time reader, I have some new stuff coming up, so stay tuned! This week was the tenth anniversary of Cigar Mojo, a local shop which I have been friendly with since the beginning. I was there for the soft launch and have watched their progression from their first shop and lounge, to their current location, to a second location. I really wanted to make the trip to the flagship location, only 10 miles down the road in King of Prussia, PA, but I had a physically exhausting day, and didn’t have it in me to deal with the traffic, and, honestly, be social. I just wanted to relax at home and watch hockey. So I went to the new location (which is a mile from my house), and picked up a couple of Tatuaje 10th Anniversary cigars, which seemed appropriate. I got the Bon Chasseur size, because the 5 3/8″ x 52 shape appeals to me, in both the original and the Tuxtla blends, and smoked one Thursday and one Friday. I started with the original. I should have adjusted my expectations going into this cigar. I was rather expecting a heavier cigar, but it was much more subtle, refined, I guess with a name like Bon Chasseur, it’s going to be a little hoity-toity. It has an Ecuador Habano wrapper over Nicaragua binder and filler. They have a closed foot, and the wrapper has a lot of citrus tang in it, so that is apparent on lighting. It remains citrusy and sweet throughout, and was a really delicious cigar. I suppose I always grab the broadleaf Tatuajes, so this one surprised me, it was quite different.

Maybe the citrus wasn’t all in the Ecuador Habano wrapper of original Bon Chasseur, because I sensed it in the Tuxtla version as well. This is the same size and blend, with the difference being the Mexican San Andrés wrapper. Again, I had a preconceived notion going into this one, having smoked tons of Mexican wrapped cigars over the years. Oddly, the wrapper didn’t overwhelm the rest of the blend, it literally was like smoking the same cigar I had smoked the night before with a subtle difference. What was that difference, you ask? Oddly, it was an almost cloying earthy sweetness, not unpleasant, but noticeable. Oddly, as much of a fan I am of the San Andrés, I’d probably give the nod to the Ecuador Habano in this match up, for me. I liked the balance and elegance of the original blend, adding the Tuxtla wrapper while interesting, detracted from the sophistication a little for me. But that’s just me, I’ve enjoyed the other Tuxtla versions, I guess my next back to back experiment will have to be the Belle Encre. I look forward to walking over to the Cigar Mojo shop by me in ten years to celebrate that anniversary!

Last night my wife and I took a ride to Reading, PA (think Reading Railroad in your Monopoly game), and visited the new Legacy CIgar Lounge in West Reading. Rick and Adrean, a husband and wife team, opened in August and have a really nice spot. A lot of places in the country have full service cigar bar setups, PA isn’t really one of them, in my experience. There are cigar stores with lounges all over the place, but there aren’t a lot of full bar, kitchen, humidor establishments around. Legacy fits that niche. It was a 45 minute drive, and I know I just balked about going 10 miles to an event Thursday, let me explain. It could literally take me the same 45 minutes to make the ten mile trip to Mojo at 5:30 on a Thursday as it did to go 40 miles to Legacy on a Saturday at the same time. Combine that with the Saturday afternoon nap, and I think you see my point. We had been reading about Legacy for a few weeks, they have been active on social media promoting the business with videos, and seemed engaging enough, so we figured a visit was in order. I’m not a bar guy, but they appeared to have a well appointed bar, and we had seen something on the menu on the website and were disappointed when it wasn’t on the printed menu we were given. We asked, and they were happy to make us the Bacon Jams Grilled Cheese, which was delicious.

It didn’t hurt that they were having a Protocol Cigars cut and light event there, so there would be at least one familiar face present! Kevin Keithan was there, with a selection, and I got the impression that this was a trial for the brand and they were thinking about bringing them into the humidor. I bought some Protocol cigars and enjoyed a Cyber Crimes unit. This is a box pressed Churchill, with a Nicaraguan Rosado Habano wrapper, and Nicaraguan binder and filler, made at the La Zona Factory. This cigar was on the cedary side with some spice and a creamy quality, quite different from the Blue and Red label Protocol cigars. We did miss seeing Juan, I wonder if he took part in the Karaoke, that might have been worth staying for!

Obviously, it takes time (and money) to stock up the humidor, but they had a reasonable selection. My wife, who hasn’t had a cigar in years, decided to have a Tatiana of some sort, which she enjoyed. Rick told us that they already had over 80 members signed up for their members lounge, and are working on a rooftop area, and downstairs event space as well. They have a nice setup, have live music quite frequently, and diverse collection of events, including Karaoke and Chess. We exited before the Karaoke started, I wanted to get home in time for the hockey game, where I enjoyed a Protocol Probable Cause Corona Gorda, perhaps my favorite in the line. We had noticed several billboards for Legacy along the highway so they are promoting this bigtime, and if they continue to provide a quality product, they will be successful. I suspect we’ll be paying a visit again.

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

CigarCraig

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Tagged as 10th Anniversary, Bon Chasseur, cigar, Cigar Mojo, cigars, Cyber Crimes Unit, Legacy Cigar Lounge, Probable Cause, Protocol, tatuaje, Tuxtla

by Craig Vanderslice | September 3, 2023 · 10:51 am

Rocky Patel Sixty, La Gloria Cubana Serie S, Wooden Indian’s Pig Roast and Crux Cigars

It was a busy week, I celebrated a birthday and my daughter took us all out to a Brazilian Steakhouse for dinner. That was a lot of fun, it was a tremendous parade of meat, and I dined on plenty of steer and swine. I think Evan Darnell of Red Meat Lover’s Club would have been proud. I had a lot of great cigar choices available to celebrate, but my son got me a couple of Rocky Patel Sixty Toros, which was an absolutely appropriate choice to celebrate this particular birthday. This cigar came out two years ago to celebrate Rocky’s 60th, it has a San Andrés wrapper and Nicaraguan binder and fillers, and is made in Rocky’s Nicaraguan factory. I’m fortunate that Rocky made a cigar for his birthday that exactly aligns with my palate, where a lot of Rocky Patel cigars really don’t. This is a luscious, dark, rich, cigar with heavy espresso and earthiness in the second half. This was a great gift, my son has been to Nicaragua and an IPCPR show with me, so he’s no stranger to the leaf, he did well, although this one was a no-brainer. Recommended regardless of your age (within reason, you know what I mean!).

I smoked a few of the new Maduro cigars over the last couple of weeks, with some trepidation. I was so tremendously underwhelmed with the “natural” version of the Serie S, it just made me wonder how it actually got past the decision makers, I’ll give it another try in the future, maybe it needs age, but I remain dubious. Regular readers will know I’m a big La Gloria fan, it hurts my heart when I don’t like a release. I was hoping the Maduro version would offer some redemption. This was the Robusto Gordo size, 5½” x 56, which is a perfectly acceptable size. It has a San Andrés Maduro wrapper, Nicaraguan binder and Nicaraguan and Dominican fillers, made in the El Credito sub-factory within STG’s Santiago factory. This reminds me a little of the Serie N in strength and earthiness. It’s better than it’s natural counterpart, however I don’t know that, for me, it competes favorably with the like of the Serie R Esteli Maduro. Additional samples will be put to rest for later evaluation in the LGC humidor.

Yesterday I stopped by the Wooden Indian Tobacconist in Havertown, PA where they were having their annual Drew Estate Charity Pig Roast. I may have missed dropping by one or two of these over the last decade or so, but I try to stop in, it’s always an amazing event. Dave Mayer and his staff put on a great spread, Pedro Gomez has replaced Marvin Samel as the face of Drew Estate, Matty Rock, and of course several levels of sales staff were on hand. I don’t remember it being on Labor Day weekend in the past, but I could be wrong, but the usual gang of DE loyal weren’t there, although some people came from Maryland and New York to attend. There was a good crowd for the few hours I was there (long enough to enjoy a Blackened M81 Toro, about 2 hours or so), and I enjoyed fellowship with some old and new friends. I assume a significant sum was raised for Operation: Cigars for Warriors. Wooden Indian is amongst the best shops around and they are one of two Liga Privada lounges, and, therefore, one of the only stores that has an exclusive Laga Privada, the Pancetta.

I happened to come by some Crux Epicure Habano cigars this week, in Toro and Robusto, and couldn’t wait to light one up. It’s been years since I had Crux cigar, maybe the only ones I’ve smoked are the Ninfamaniacs going back maybe a decade. They just don’t seem to be present on the shelves around here, or I don’t notice them. The line has somehow avoided my notice one way or the other. This one has a Nicaraguan Habano seco wrapper, over Nicaraguan binder and fillers made at the Plasencia factory in Nicaragua. This is a really nice, well balanced smoke, there’s a sweet spice that makes it a little brighter than the darker cigars I like, making it a pleasant change of pace. I’m actually smoking the Robusto as I type and it’s very nice with coffee, and my wife just set a plate of home fries in front of me…be right back…shit, they are hot, I’ll get back to them. Now I have a problem, because I want to try the Maduro in this blend, going to have to hunt around.

Enjoy the long weekend, if you are so lucky to have one. Until the next time,

CigarCraig

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Tagged as cigar, cigars, Crux, drew estate, Epicure Habano, La Gloria Cubana, Rocky Patel Sixty, Serie S, wooden indian

by Craig Vanderslice | August 27, 2023 · 9:51 am

New El Rey Del Mundo and Diesel Cigars and a DBL Cigars Event

Thursday evening I went to the new Cigar Mojo location in Malvern, PA. which is about a mile closer to my house than the next nearest cigar store, which is two miles away. Yes, I could walk there if I so chose. Wade and Trae have built a really nice shop and lounge in a small center with restaurants, an Ax throwing venue, several other businesses, located adjacent to a huge corporate park in suburban Philly. The humidor is massive, and will soon be impressively stocked, and the lounge is well appointed and comfortable. I’ve been told that they are currently fully staffed ;-). Anyway, they had an inaugural event there with Francisco Almonte of DBL Cigars and I couldn’t manage to find an excuse not to make the one mile trek over there. Francisco has a background with the Fuente and LFD factories, and went out on his own probably ten years ago or more. I think it’s been at least that long since I first met him. Super-nice dude, and very talented cigar roller. I smoked the DBL Extra Viejo Maduro while there. It was pretty good, some coffee and espresso notes that I like, there’s something in DBL cigars across the board that I don’t get. Friday evening I smoked the DBL Nicaraguan, which was initially called the La Union, but the Garcia’s had that trademark tied up with their upcoming anniversary project with Pete Johnson and asked for the name to be changed. I hoped that the Nicaraguan expression would suit my palate better, alas, it still had something that didn’t jive with me. I’ve said this before, as recently as a few weeks ago with Aganorsa, there are some lines that just don’t hit the palate, and that’s why there are so many different cigars. DBL makes good, quality cigars, and if you like a lot of different cigars than I tent to like, you’ll probably enjoy them! They are very well priced, and certainly deserve a try, and if you find yourself at Cigar Mojo at The Grove, give me a holler, if I’m free, I’m like three minutes away.

I’ve been fortunate to have come into a batch of new cigar samples, so I’ve been trying out some of the new releases lately. One I smoked this week was the El Rey del Mundo Shade Grown. El Rey del Mundo is a brand that’s been in my humidor on and off in some way for over the last 25 years, I can remember smoking many Rectangulares, Flor de Llanezas, and Robusto Largas over the years, and it was always a delicious, satisfying cigar. In this case, they’ve put a Honduran grown Connecticut shade wrapper on it, over a Honduran Jamastran binder, with Copan and Jamastran fillers, making a Honduran puro. If every line has to have a shade cigar (does it?), this cigar isn’t a bad fit with the brand. It’s got the creaminess, and is on the milder end of medium, but still has plenty of flavor. I rather enjoyed it, as I’ve been enjoying shade cigars lately, as long as they aren’t too mild and flavorless! Not too bad!

Last night after a heavy Italian meal out with friends, we retired to the sala fumatori at la mia casa for a digestif. Earlier in the day I had finished watching “James May: Our Man in Italy” on Amazon Prime so I was all Italianed up. I suppose a Toscano would have been more appropriate, but I had been eying up the new Diesel Vintage, and wanted to talk about it in today’s post. I’m also smoking one as I type this morning, on a fresh palate, because smoking one with company and conversation and alone without distraction can be two different experiences. Turns out they were pretty close. This is a cigar that is to my liking. It has a San Andrés Negro Madoro wrapper, Esteli binder, and Jalapa fillers ranging from five to eight years old. Like all Diesel cigars, it’s made by A.J. Fernandez for Forged Cigar Co. I’m smoking the 5″ x 56 Robusto Gordo, and it’s available in 4 other sizes, which I will eventually sample as I find them in the wild. I can personally attest that this cigar is as good after a heavy meal as it is with a morning cup of coffee, although I did end up smoking too late and slept like crap last night…a function of my advancing years, I’m afraid, I’m in the final days of my 50’s. I see an afternoon nap, and I’m talking right after noon…anyway, I really like this Diesel Vintage. It’s got a load of sweet spice, earth, coffee, cocoa, all the flavors I really like. I want to smoke the Toro, it could become a go-to. Great smoke.

That’s all for today. I celebrate a couple milestones this week, one being the 14th anniversary of CigarCraig.com, the other being the 10th anniversary of my 50th birthday, so I’ll be smoking some special cigars here and there to mark the occasions. Until the next time,

CigarCraig

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Tagged as cigar, CigarMojo, cigars, DBL, diesel, Diesel Vintage, El Rey Del Mundo

by Craig Vanderslice | August 6, 2023 · 9:12 am

A Couple Black Label Trading Co. Cigars and a Visit to The Leaf in Easton, PA

Yesterday we took a drive up to Easton to the “Jerry Garcia Birthday Bash” at Famous Smoke Shop/Leaf Cigar Bar in Easton, PA. We wore our tie dye and got a 15% discount, so I picked up some new stuff from Black Label Trading Company that I have been looking forward to trying. I was a little surprised that they didn’t have more new stuff available, but it is what it is. I also picked up some more West Tampa Red Toros, because, ya know, ya gotta support your friends and they are great cigars. I started out with the new La Madonna Negra in the 5½ x 50 size. I bought this in two sizes, the 5½ x 50 and the 5″ x 54, honestly thinking I was getting a robusto and a corona gorda, because they are box pressed and I really wasn’t paying that much attention. This is Black Label’s 10th anniversary cigar, and it’s a good one. It comes in three vitolas, all in the robusto family as far as I’m concerned (the third being a 4½” x 48), has a Connecticut Broadleaf wrapper, Ecuador Habano binder and fillers from Nicaragua and Pennsylvania. I like a great many of the BLTC cigars, but I’m going to be very honest, there is a common theme throughout, again, one I like a lot. It’s the dark, cocoa/coffee flavors that are in my wheelhouse that appeal to me, and I can really just pick up any Black Label cigar and enjoy it. This was no different. I really enjoyed it sitting outside the Leaf Cigar Bar at Famous Smoke Shop, watching the band Single Yesterday play their set. The La Madonna Negra was excellent, loads of flavor with a little extra special PA Seedleaf spice perhaps. I dig it and have a few more to smoke, and I doubt I’ll have them around long. It was nice to see Gary Korb there, a day after eye surgery! (best wishes with that Gary!), and Juan Cancel made an appearance as we were leaving. With the exception of my wife having trouble getting service at the bar, it wasn’t a bad time! On the way home we stopped in to New Tobacco Village in Whitelhall, PA. This is a very warm and inviting little shop with a very nice selection! I’d love to get back to have a smoke with John and Lina one of these days.

When I got home I decided to smoke the new Black Label Trading Co. core line Santa Muerte in what they are incorrectly calling a Petite Lancero, but is more of a lonsdale at 6½” x 42. If it had been a 38 ring gauge I would have bought the lancero name, but not at 42. I think I’ve seen cigars this size called Corona Extra too, I guess technically a Lonsdale would be a 43 ring. A Lancero it ain’t. A really good cigar, it is, for many of the same reasons stated in the paragraph above. This one has an Ecuador Habano wrapper, Ecuador binder, and a filler blend from Nicaragua, Dominican Republic and Mexico. I suppose it has a bit brighter flavor than the La Madona, however the signature is still there. BLTC cigars are like Roma craft and Tatuaje cigars to me. I’d smoke them all the time If I had a steady supply, at a really great price. When I have them, I smoke them, and enjoy them. I’d love to get back to Nicaragua one day and visit Oveja Negra (and Nica Sueño while I’m there), I think that would be a good time.