Gran Habano, Cult, Foyle and Viaje Cigars

It’s been a bit of a busy week, I went out Wednesday and bought a new car, a Chevy Spark in Lime Green. I know, I’m a big ol’ dork who likes small cars and scooters…what can I say?  I got a good deal on what I think is a cool little car, so I’m happy. I did manage to smoke a few cigars this week, From Gran Habano, the Gran Reserva #5 2011, which arrived in the mail a week before the IPCPR show, which was handy because that was a few less cigars I had to lug back from New Orleans.  This  was a nice looking milk chocolate-brown cigar presented in a cedar sleeve. It’s listed as full-bodied, but I found it solidly medium, and it has a Corojo wrapper, Habano binder and fillers from the Jalapa Valley in Nicaragua. It’s apparently available in five sizes,Corona Gorda: 5 5/8 x 46, Gran Robusto: 6 x 54, Imperial: 6 x 60, CZAR: 6 x 66  and Grandioso: 7 x 70, however this example was a 5″ x 50ish robusto. Not sure what that’s all about.   It smoked very well, it was smooth, had a nice woody flavor from the cedar sleeve, and some sweetness.  This is certainly a cigar I’d smoke again.

After getting home late from car buying on Wednesday, I took a quick walk with a Foyle Epee petite corona.  The Foyle line was introduced to us during the media tour of the Aging Room/Boutique Blends booth, and is basically a private label cigar made in Tabacalera Palma ( I believe, there were previous Foyle Cigars made at Raices Cubana, and the information listed on their website is quite vague) for Alliance Cigars, a wholesaler out of New York state.  This little 4″ x 40 cigar was loaded with flavor right from the start. The flavors were fairly sharp and focused, and it interested me quite a bit. I can’t really pinpoint the flavor, except that it intrigued me, so much so that I wanted to sample this in a larger format, which I did the following evening.  It was a very interesting little smoke.

Generally when one registers at the IPCPR show, one receives a bag with literature and this time it also had a couple of cigars included. It’s been my past experience that media did not receive these bags, but we did this year and I gave up on complaining.  One of the cigars was a Cult Classic in a toro size. It came packaged in a neat cardboard display box with their booth number and a run-down of their line.  Unfortunately, the packaging is generic, so it was up to me to deduce that this cigar was the Classic Toro. I assume this was just somethingg they did for the trade show and not a retail packaging anyway. They list the ingredients as Ecuador wrapper, Indonesian Binder and Jalapa, Nicaragua filler.  I found it to be a nice cigar, smooth, nice flavors and I regret that I missed the booth at the show, I have no excuse, the booth number was right there on the box!  I would pick this brand up again.

Thursday I went to the opposite end of the Foyle spectrum, selecting the Foyle Pudau at 7″ x 52.  This was a pretty cigar with a slight box press and felt good in the hand.  The burn and draw were perfect, and it provided better than two hours of relaxation. It was markedly milder than it’s baby sibling, and the flavors were far more muted and mellow.  I actually had a hard time finding that same unique flavor I got in the Epee, but that’s not to say it wasn’t a very enjoyable cigar.  I think it definitely highlighted the flavor difference between large and small ring gauges, it’s just a different experience altogether. I really liked the Foyle Padua, as much as the Epee, but for different reasons, and look forward to trying it in the toro and perfecto sizes. I’m guessing this can be found at retailers who buy from Alliance Cigar, there’s a list on the Foyle website.

Friday I wrapped up yet another summer week with a Viaje Oro El Padre that I picked up a few weeks ago when we stopped in J. Shepherd Cigars in Louisville, KY. They were having a bit of an event with a special on Viaje, Drew Estate and Leccia, and I was going to just get some Nica Rusticas and Luchadors, but I decided I had a bunch of Luchadors, and I was headed to a Nica Rustica event, so I decided to dip my toe in the Viaje pool. I haven’t sampled many Viajes, and an Oro may have been one of the few I’ve tried, and it was very good. I grabbed some of the Summer Blends and Oros, and decided an Oro was a good choice for my Friday evening cigar.  I was right, it was good. This is a milder cigar with tons of rich, yet subtle flavors. It was super smooth and creamy and was a really nice smoking experience. the draw and burn were as perfect as I’ve had in a while.  It did build in strength, but never too much.  This is a  great cigar, and I will continue to sample the Viaje line as I come across them.

That’s about it for today. I’m off to run my first 5K today, the last time I did any running was when I had a stress test a few years ago :-).  I ran a few times this week, enough to get a feeling for what my run/walk ratio might be and how far off the winning time I’ll be, and I’m fine with it. I’m doing it for fun and charity anyway, and look forward to a nice cigar poolside when it’s all over!  Have a great week, until the next time,

CigarCraig