J.C. Newman’s Yagua and Viajante’s Sweet Grass Gringo Cigars

I’ve been hoping to try J.C. Newman’s new Yaguera since seeing several of my cigar media brethren posting videos opening the boxes of these unique cigars, and after posting their press release about this unique cigar last month.  This is a 6″ x 54 toro, my favored size, that comes in various shapes due to being rolled without molds, and wet backed in bundles and wrapped in palm leaves, so that the cigars assume strange shapes. I’m reminded of the old Henry Clay Brevas, or Brevas ala Conserva, maybe both, that were made this way, and were the same shapes, and, ironically, also had a Connecticut Broadleaf wrapper. My friend CigarProp Kevin was kind enough to send me a couple, and I couldn’t wait to smoke one! This is a terrific smoke, heavy and rich, not dissimilar from those Henry Clays I remember, but perhaps with more sweetness, and a more modern feel. This is a Nicaraguan cigar, without a doubt, and it smoked very well. it wasn’t pretty, it had no symmetry, might have been seven sided, with no two sides being the same, but it sure smoked well and I loved it. It’ll be on my list of cigars to acquire more of when I get the opportunity. Many thanks to Kevin for sharing this cigar with me.

If you are one who watched cigar videos on YouTube, and you aren’t watching Kevin’s I’d Tap That and Cigar Prop YouTube shows, you should subscribe and watch. He’s definitely one of the hot shows out there. He’s flirting with 4000 subscribers, if you aren’t one of them, please subscribe so he can hit that milestone and keep growing. Kevin has been a great friend of CigarCriag.com over the years, we’ve supported one another  in many projects and I consider him one of my great friends! 

One of the other cigars Kevin shared with me, and there were a bunch recently, was a cigar made by another guy with a popular video series, Viajante’s Stogie Road. From what I know, Kerr Viajante, which I believe is a pseudonym, started a vlog  chronicling his travels to cigar shops, then launched and ecommerce site selling boutique cigars, and developed his own brands with Dr. Gabby Kafie in Honduras. His latest cigar is the Sweet Grass Gringo, a barber pole with Connecticut Shade and Candela wrappers intertwined. I was intrigued. There’s a lot that could be off putting with this combination, especially if someone prefers dark, heavy cigars. The cigar is 6½” x 52, which is a nice size. Prelight has a distinct minty flavor on the head, very interesting. I’m not sure where that comes from. I didn’t find this cigar to be necessarily mild, more medium, which was a bit surprising, and it had a really refreshing, bright flavor. It wasn’t overly grassy, as one might expect, you could taste the candela and Connecticut Shade, but neither were overwhelming, they seemed to compliment one another well to make a smooth, well balanced cigar that was a really nice change of pace. I really enjoyed this cigar in a much different way than I enjoy a more full bodied cigar. It was still satisfying, and very clean on the palate. 

First few days on the new job are going well, I think this one might be a keeper! It’s been over two years since I worked a normal schedule, so I need to get used to that! It is only a three mile commute, so I don’t spend a lot of time in the car! That’s all for today, until then next time, 

CigarCraig