Foundation Cigars at Gilbertsville Cigar Factory, a Marzio Cigar, and the Contest Winner!

Friday I took a long overdue drive up to the Gilbertsville Cigar Factory, a shop in Gilberstville, PA which used to be called Sir Stogies, and occupies a building which was the W.K. Gresh & Son’s Cigar Factory, and Gilbertsville Cigar Factory No. 95 in the late 1800s and early 1900s. The shop is owned by Chris and Amber, and Chris is wears another hat as the area’s rep for Miami Cigar and Company. I’ve known Chris since I met him in 2011 when he gave me a special cigar on the day my first granddaughter was born. The store is beautiful, with spacious lounge areas, two walk-in humidors, and an attentive staff. The historic building offers a very nice ambiance. Gilbertsville Cigar Company is one of the few shops around, due to their close ties to Miami Cigar and Co., that carries Marzio Cigars, which is an interesting sort of joint venture between Toscano and La Aurora. I have wanted to try this cigar since I heard about it, out of curiosity. Considering the tobacco they use from the Toscano cigars is basically Kentucky or Tennessee fire cured tobacco, it compares to the KFC, and it’s a bit unfortunate that there’s nothing else to compare it to. It started out to be overwhelmingly smokey and didn’t appeal to me, but it mellowed over time and wasn’t that bad after a while. I think, like the KFC, some humidor time would mellow these out, but I’m not sure I’d go too far out of my way to find out. I’m reminded that I bought some various Toscanos in Rome when I was there that I still have to open up and try.

Anyway, The last time I visited this shop was in 2010, and just like that occasion, I ran into Walt White, whom you know as one of the founders of Stogie Review, and I spent a good deal of the evening catching up with him. I always enjoy hanging out with Walt. The reason I decided to make the trek to Gilbertsville was because they were having an event with Foundation Cigar Company and Nick Melillo. I knew Nick was going to be at a closer shop the next day, but I had other plans, and I always go to events at that shop anyway. It was a very busy event, lots of traffic and it looked like they sold a lot of cigars. I fully enjoyed a Tabernacle Robusto, and picked up a few cigars that I didn’t need. Of course, the Tabernacle is a favorite of mine, it’s Connecticut Broadleaf wrapper, San Andrés binder and fillers from Jamastran in Honduras and Jalapa and Esteli Valleys in Nicaragua. I was hoping the new Tabernacle Havana Seed CT #142 was going to be there, but I didn’t see it and I forgot to ask Nick when it would be around.  The Tabernacle is such a great cigar, dark, rich espresso and cocoa, right up my alley. They don’t call Nick the Chief of Broadleaf for nuthin. It was a great event in a great shop, highly recommended if you find yourself in that neck of the woods.

One of the Foundation cigars I picked up was the Charter Oak Maduro in the Toro size. I think I paid a whopping $5.50 + 6% sales tax for this cigar here in Pennsylvania, a state with no cigar tax  for a 6″ x 52 cigar wrapped in the same Connecticut Broadleaf used on the Tabernacle, with Nicaraguan (Habano, Sumatra, the website says both) binder and fillers from Esteli and Jalapa. Even though it may have burned a little faster than the Tabernacle, and the ash wasn’t quite as sturdy, but for the price this was a really great smoke. Similar coffee and cocoa flavors, not as deep and rich, less refined, milder, but a very nice cigar. this is certainly a cigar that I would put in my regular rotation if I had such a thing. Top notch, and previous experience with the Connecticut Shade version, which is also actual Connecticut leaf, not Ecuador (how this is done at this price is anyone’s guess), was also very good.

Contest Winner!

Wrapping up another contest!  this is another one which I noticed there weren’t as many entries as there used to be. I might put up a poll to see if I can figure out whats up with the contests. Do people no longer want free cigars? What’s the deal?  I’ll keep giving stuff away, fewer entries just means better odds for my faithful readers who enter year after year, and I thank you all who enter! And special thanks to people like Kevin of Cigar Prop who not only provide cool stuff for me to give away, but have the creativity and ingenuity to create cool tools like this and make them a reality. Honestly, there isn’t a day that goes by that I don’t use a lighter bleed tool or a one of Kevin’s Cigar Props! He has some cool ideas coming up that I’m excited to share when I’m allowed!  Anyway, I’m also always happy to share cigars that I’m into, even if it means depleting my own supply :-)! No big deal, the fun of smoking cigars is sharing them with others, and this time, I’m sharing them with Karl Brooks! The random number generator told me comment number 6, and Karl’s comment was the 6th one. Karl, please send me your contact info so I can pack up these goodies and send them out to you!  Thanks again everyone! I need to start scrounging some things together as the holidays approach! 

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

CigarCraig