Oja Cigar Contest Winner Announcement, and a Casa Fernandez Comparison

First, I’d like to thank Luis Garcia, owner of Oja Cigars, for generously providing this box of his Oja Mestizo Artefacto cigars for this contest.  I’d also like to thank everyone who voted for helping me select a winner.  There’s no way I could have decided on my own.  The poll says it all, winning with 42% of the vote is Lloyd Ladrillono!  Congrats Lloyd!  I know you will enjoy these cigars and thanks for being a loyal reader!

Earlier this week I decided to try a little experiment.  The Casa Fernandez Aganorsa Leaf Toro called to me, it just looked so good in the humidor that I had to smoke it.  I had picked this cigar up on my Father’s Day cigar ride, and I usual don’t smoke a cigar so soon after purchase, but, as I said, it looked too good.  It WAS good!  It was a little looser than I prefer and burned faster than I would have liked, but it was definitely a cigar I would smoke again in a heartbeat. It was rich and satisfying with a pleasing flavor.

The following evening I grabbed the Casa Fernandez CRA edition which had come with my membership renewal.  The cigar looked just like the Aganorsa Leaf, same size, same shade, the only difference being the secondary band.  I was hopeful that I’d have the same, if not better, experience as the previous cigar.  Sadly, that was not the case.  I wrestled with lighting this cigar, had to make frequent corrections to the burn, and the draw was not as free as it’s sibling.  It took a little more effort to get it to give up the smoke.  I didn’t find the flavor to be as rich as the other cigar either.  It’s very strange  to me that these should be SO different, but such is the way of cigars, I suppose.

I’m quite sad to announce the passing of one of my family’s cherished pets, our eldest cat Molson. He had served on the contest judging committee, starring in a selection video featuring balloons. He had severe diabetes and kidney problems.  We gave him 14 years worth of love, and he returned it and will be missed, by us, as well as by our other feline family members. He was as loyal as a cat is likely to be.  I reached for one of the best cigars in my humidor last night, a 7 year old Trinidad Reyes, to smoke in his memory.

That’s about it for now.  My next post should be from the IPCPR show in Las Vegas.  Stay tuned for updates from the show here and via twitter (@cigarcraig).

Until the next time,

CigarCraig