I realised that I failed to set an end date for the contest I have running for the Groovy Guy Gifts Good To Go Cigar Case. I was going to announce the winner tonight, but in light of my oversight, I’ll announce the winner on Sunday. Everyone has an opportunity to enter to win a nice case and some of my cigars. I’d also like to take this opportunity to welcome a couple of new partners to CigarCraig.com. Best Cigar Prices is back after a hiatus. I’m pleased to have this Pennsylvania-based retailer back. I’ve visited their facility and lounge a couple times and it’s very nice, and I’ve been following them since they sent an e-mail list with their specials some 20 years ago when they operated under New Global Marketing. They have a nice Alec Bradley Special running now for our readers. See the ad on the right sidebar on most browsers. Also, new to the family is Scotty’s Cigars. “Scotty” used to have another shop that he sold to a large company, and recently re-emerged into the market. they have some great offerings and will offer exceptional service. Again, check the ad on the right sidebar. As with all of the ads presented on my site, they are all companies that meet my standards, if I’m not a fan of their work, or don’t have a personal connection, they don’t appear on the site which carries my name. I’m not just a whore for cash here, I have some integrity! I use, smoke, and purchase from every company represented. … Continue reading
Groovy Guy Gifts Good To Go Cigar Case and a Contest!
Check out this cigar case I got from the folks at Groovy Guy Gifts! If you aren’t familiar with this site, it’s a great site to shop for guy related gifts that can be personalized. They don’t just have cigar related items, they also have drinkware, knives, leather goods and other dude-related stuff. I’ve been dealing with them for a few years and they’ve always been top notch. They do very nice personalization work, which, along with prompt delivery, is the service you’re paying for, really, but the products are good quality. I happen to know where most of the products come from, and have a long time relationship with the retail arm of the company that makes a lot of the stuff, so I know a little about it. You can look back at some of my past posts about Groovy Guy Gifts, and their sibling site, Groovy Groomsmen Gifts. Full disclosure, Groovy Guy Gifts provided the product for this review, but that’s all! … Continue reading
Fratello Pennsylvanian Cigar and Fratello News
Back in September it was announced that Fratello Cigars was releasing an exclusive cigar for Pennsylvania retailers. As I said in my post when this was announced, I was excited about this since I am a lifelong Pennsylvanian, and have supported Fratello since its inception. Initially, it was announced that the blend was to be Habano Ecuador wrapper with a Dominican binder and Nicaragua filler tobacco, however that changed. The final blend has a Connecticut Broadleaf wrapper, and adds some Pennsylvania broadleaf to the filler. It’s made at the La Aurora factory in the Dominican Republic. I was surprised initially that there wasn’t some PA tobacco in the blend, I’m glad that this was addressed in the final blend. I am not one to chase down cigars, but I made a point to get ahold of some of these cigars as soon as I could, so I contacted Kameron at one of my local CigarCigars shops and he got some for me as soon as he could. I couldn’t wait to smoke one. This is a 6″ x 52 torpedo, and has a beautiful oily maduro wrapper. If this had been a Toro, I would think that Omar had made this cigar specifically with me in mind, but I’ll gladly accept the torpedo. It’s a delicious cigar! It’s full flavored, sweed cocoa, with some spice and sweetness and a perfect burn. The PA broadleaf in the filler gives it a unique spice that I’m glad it made it into the blend. It makes it special, and uniquely Pennsylvanian, and unique in the series of cigars that Fratello has made for other states. I just wish that the band had something that said PA on it. I can’t have everything! Thank you Omar! This was a stellar cigar, it may surpass the Bianco Boxer as my favorite Fratello cigar, and is certainly my favorite cigar of 2021.
News
Old news, by now, but relevant to the above. I’ve known Zev for a long time and he’s a good dude. Sure, the last two companies he’s worked for have been sold, and he has a bad reputation when it comes to air travel, but cycles change! He will b e a great addition to the Fratello family!
ZEV KAMINETSKY JOINS FRATELLO CIGARS AS VP OF SALES
Fratello Cigars is proud to announce the hiring of Zev Kaminetsky as the new VP of Sales for Fratello Cigars. Kaminetsky is a cigar industry veteran, having spent nearly 15 years with Camacho, Drew Estate & ; most recently as National Sales Director for Royal Agio Cigars USA (Balmoral Premium Cigars).
“I’ve known Zev since before I started Fratello. His professionalism, work ethic and family values fit right into our culture of hard work. I respect his commitment and the reputation he has worked so hard to build with the hundreds of brick and mortars and consumers he has come across with. I can’t be any more excited to welcome Zev to our small family.” Said de Frias.
“I first met Omar on a trip thru the Washington, DC area with Jose Blanco while he still worked at NASA. I immediately recognized his passion for, as well as knowledge of, Premium Cigars & Tobacco. When he started Fratello Cigars a few years later, I knew it would not only be an amazing experience for him, but that his presence would have an instant & lasting effect on our industry. Watching what he has achieved in such a short time is a testament what he brings to the table, and I look forward to learning from him as we take the Fratello brand to the next level.” Said Kaminetsky
Kaminetsky is scheduled to begin his new position at Fratello Cigars January 11th, 2021.
Fratello Cigars was established in 2013. Since inception Fratello has grown to be sold in over 800 brick and mortars in the US and 15 international destinations.
That’s all for today, until the next time,
CigarCraig
New Year’s Cigars, A Don Lino Africa and a La Aurora 107 Nicaragua
Happy New Year and welcome to the 12th year of CigarCraig.com. Hopefully everything keeps going on the same as it has been for the past 11! I hope everyone had safe and healthy celebrations on New Years Eve, I fell asleep on the couch after smoking a really good cigar. I dug to the bottom of one of the rarely ventured into humidors and found a Havana Romeo y Julieta Tubed Churchill that has been there for well over a decade that was simply sublime. I figured with everything happening in the world it was as good a time as any to smoke this cigar. It was floral and woody (cedar sleeve in the tube, ya know), burned perfectly and was absolutely wonderful. I find that I’m more often than not disappointed by Havanas lately, but this older cigar was exceptional. I have a few very old Havanas in the humidor yet, I hope they provide a similar experience. … Continue reading
Two Cigars from Cigar Bundles Of Miami and My Top Ten Cigars I Didn’t Smoke in 2020
I’m a sucker for a couple of things, pretty cigars and a good deal. I ran across both of these things last week and smoked a few cigars from Cigar Bundles of Miami, a small concern in Miami. Given the name of the company, this make perfect sense. I’m unsure who makes the cigars for them, I thought I had an idea, but I asked and my theory was debunked. Another thing I have a weakness for is a good candella, and I’ve found that I good candella seems to be made better when presented in combination with another wrapper.… Continue reading
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