Getting back to some of the new-to-me- cigars I picked up at The Wooden Indian a few weeks back, I smoked the Mas Igneus Toro from Luciano Cigars. This is a cigar that’s made to pair with a wine, which means nothing to me, over thirty years on the wagon, ya know. It was. a perfect 6″ x 53 toro, with a rather nice looking Ecuador Criollo 98 wrapper, Brazilian binder and Nicaraguan filler cigar. Honestly, I had forgotten the wine part when I selected it, I know I’ve heard about that before. I’d also heard how good it was, so I figured it was worth a shot. Perhaps the wine part got in my head, because it seemed to have a dark fruit kind of flavor, maybe raisiny. It was definitely a different flavor than I usually come across in a cigar, and not one I generally am drawn to. It was enjoyable for a change of pace, and I might see what it’s like in another size if I’m bored.
Pet peeve: A cigar is not literally a chocolate bar, a chocolate bar is literally a chocolate bar. Somehow saying “this cigar is figuratively a chocolate bar” while accurate, doesn’t carry the same impact. It bugs me though…
A cigar I’ve really wanted to try since it came out, but never seemed to get to, was the Menelik from Foundation Cigars. If I recall, this was an event exclusive for a while, and I didn’t get to any events with Nick at the time. I had this in the robusto size, it also comes in a toro. I don’t know why I never picked on up during that stretch I was doing unintentional volunteer work at a certain cigar shop. The Menelik has a San Andrés wrapper, Corojo 99 binder and Nicaraguan fillers, and the Robusto is 4½” x 50 with a pigtail cap. I really loved this cigar! I smoked it while watching The Grand Tour on the porch TV, which was hysterical (it’s the reincarnation of the original Top Gear for those who may not know). It made for a really nice afternoon. Great dark, espresso flavors and an excellent burn and draw. Lovely cigar, will definitely revisit this one.
Finally, we stopped by Goose’s Montecristo Lounge last night for an outdoor concert. Goose has set up a stage behind the building and has been having local (or not) musicians perform. We were worried about the weather, but it turned out to be a really nice evening. The band was entertaining, and I picked up some cigars while there. I always seem to find something interesting in the 30% off discount bins, this time it was a La Sirena Sea Sprite with a Miami Cigar and Co. barcode, and the signature banding indicating it was. made in the My Father factory. If you come across La Sirena cigars and you can see the secondary band beneath the large band, they are old, buy them up. The current production is great, but La Zona hides the secondary band so you can’t see it. Anyway, for some reason there’s a few cigars I seem to go to when I visit Goose’s, and the EP Carillo Dusk Stout Toro is one of them. Don’t know why, maybe it because I met up there with Brian and Jose when they were working for EPC and it triggers a memory? It was, as always, a great cigar, and a nice evening watching some live music, which always makes me want to dust off the drumsticks and get back into it.
Earlier in the week I met up with Stephen Tabak at Cigar Mojo where I smoked a few good Drew Estate cigars and had a really nice evening talking with a friend I hadn’t met before. It’s funny when you see a Facebook friend and log time reader visiting your small town on business. Looking forward to his next visit.
That’s all for today, until the next time,
CigarCraig
