by | May 17, 2020 · 10:13 am

A Tale of Two Undercrown Corona Pequeñas and a Year of the Rat Cigar

I had occasion this week to smoke one each of the newish size of the Drew Estate Undercrown Maduro and Shade, the 4″ x 44 replacement for the Chateau Real Small Club Corona  (at least that’s my theory). The Maduro I smoked one evening after taking a walk with a Liga Privada Serie Unico Velvet Rat (which was quite delicious), and there being nothing on TV, I decided to stay on the porch for another hour and have another cigar. The Shade was a few days later when I had eaten dinner much later than usual and just wanted a short smoke and had taken a nice, long walk earlier in the day. This size fits into those times really nicely, but, for some reason, the Undercrown blend just doesn’t do it for me in the small size. I find that the Maduro lacks the deep, rich San Andrés earthiness that the larger sizes present, and is just kind of there. The Shade is just distasteful to me. There’s a flavor there that I just don’t like. I smoked a Shade Suprema, which, oddly, is another old Chateau Real size, and it tasted great! it had the creamy notes I love in the Undercrown Shade blend. I really wish they would make the other styles in this size. Funny enough, I kinda like the Undercrowns in the tins, the Coronets, however I c

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an’t get passed my feeling that tiny cigars are a cigarette replacement. I think the trick with the Pequeñas is definately to smoked them slowly, I spent an hour with each, and I could tell when I did smoke them faster they began tasting worse. I tried them back in February and wasn’t impressed, so I let them rest, and still feel the same. I have a couple more of each, I’ll revisit them periodically, but I think I just like the Toros in the Undercrown blend! I might have to see if I have some Chateau Real Small Club Coronas left and see how they are (Maduros are the ones I had, I doubt the Connecticuts would have stood up). As with anything else, don’t take my word for it, if you like small cigars, and you like Undercrown, give them a try!

 

I really struggled with whether or not I should post this, I usually let negative experiences slide, but I felt like I had to be honest ab

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out these little guys. So when I got a package with some Liga Privada Serie Unico Year of the Rats I had to give one a try. I smoked on at the TPE show and really liked it, but it’s always hard to adequately judge a cigar at a trade show.  The Year of the Rat started out as the shop exclusive for the BB&T center in Sunrise, Florida, home of the Florida Panthers hockey team. Now it’s widely available, at least at Drew Diplomat retailers.  It’s a 5½” x 46 corona gorda with a Connecticut broadleaf wrapper, Brazilian binder and fillers from Nicaragua and Honduras. It’s a little bigger than a Dirty Rat, a little smaller than a Velvet Rat. Corona Gorda is a size I actually really like, it’s probably as small as I like to go on a regular basis. I enjoyed the crap out of the cigar! It was bold, it had the strength and sweetness of the broadleaf and Brazilian and was rich and had a ton of smoke. This one was actually better than I remember the one I smoked at the end of January, although the one I smoked in January was at the end of the day, in Vegas, and it didn’t have the fancy gold foil. I’m sure the gold foil makes a big difference, it is a pain in the ass to remove! It does look spiffy though. This was an exceptional smoke, and I was actually planning to smoke another cigar after smoking this one, however I was left satisfied, and didn’t end up following through on that! 

 

I think I’m way overdue for a contest! I’m putting a little something together for mid-week, so stay tuned!  That’s all for today, until the next time, 

 

CigarCraig

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by | May 12, 2020 · 8:56 am

News: Cajun Cigar Czar Thrives Through Unique Distribution Channels

I am only really familiar with Dustin through being Facebook friends, but here’s some news about his cigar distribution business. 

 

CAJUN CIGAR CZAR CLOSING THE GAP BETWEEN CIGAR MANUFACTURER AND CONSUMER THROUGH NEW AND INNOVATIVE DISTRIBUTION CHANNELS

 

Cajun Cigar Czar has quietly become one of the fastest growing cigar distributors by way of clever

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product placement, high technological acumen, and of course, love of cigars. Dustin Prudhomme. founder of Cajun Cigar Czar feels confident that he can provide new opportunities for cigar makers, by expanding sales in hard to reach markets.

 

Dustin Prudhomme, a Louisiana native, took on the challenge to distribute premium handmade cigars, by way of a challenge. An industry insider tried to dissuade Dustin from getting into the cigar industry. This only motivated Dustin to use his grit, technological education, and Six Sigma background to open Cajun Cigar Czar in 2017 with zero capital.

 

 

Dustin was able to identify locations in where consumers may find it difficult to access cigar shops. Dustin first approached one of the largest independent grocers in the US and offered to create stylish custom humidors for each location. Each, with a built-in computer system created by Dustin, which alerts Cajun Cigar Czar when the humidor needs replenishing. This creates a hands-off and profitable business opportunity for the retail owner and increased sales for the cigar manufacturer. Dustin’s proof of concept exceeded expectations and was able to expand to CTE stores, gas stations, country clubs, private clubs, liquor stores etc. in 17 states and growing.

 

 

Dustin Prudhomme stated: “We at Cajun Cigar Czar have worked hard to present the art of handmade cigars to untapped markets. It has been a pleasure to work with some of our partners like Espinosa Cigars, Rocky Patel, Drew Estate, Villiger Cigars, General

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Cigars to name just a few. We look forward to expanding our footprint and partner up with retail shops and continue a fruitful relationship with our cigar manufacturing partners.”

 

 

Cajun Cigar Czar will continue to evolve as they are a major stakeholder in Tubeaux, LLC. Tubeaux, LLC has launched a multinational patent-pending space optimization, to allow the continual deployment of premium tobacco to spaces which never were feasible prior.

 

ABOUT CAJUN CIGAR CZAR: Cajun Cigar Czar is the brainchild of

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Dustin Prudhomme, a proud Louisiana native with a love of cigars and a knack for technology. Cajun Cigar Czar is one of the fastest growing cigar distribution companies in the USA. Using custom made remote managing humido

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rs, Cajun Cigar Czar provides high quality handmade cigars to consumers via handpicked retail partners. Cajun Cigar Czar is currently located in 17 States and growing.

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by | May 11, 2020 · 8:00 pm

News: Black Label Trading Company Ships Bishops Blend 5 Year Anniversary Cigars

Here’s some news from BLTC. You may recall I posted about the release of the Lancero back on March 31st. Now they are shipping the Corona Larga and Robusto. Hopefully when these get to the stores they are open, at least enough so that you can get to purchase them. Oveja Negra always makes some interesting and tasty cigars. 

 

Black Label Trading Company is pleased to announce the shipment of Bishops Blend 5 Year Anniversary to select retailers. Bishops Blend is hand crafted in Esteli, Nicaragua at Fabrica Oveja Negra.This is the fifth-year anniversary of Bishops Blend in the Corona Larga and Robusto vitolas. The Lancero vitola was released earlier this year. By releasing one of its top selling Limited Editions, BLTC hopes to encourage sales for its retailers in this difficult time.

 

“This has become our most anticipated release of the year. With that anticipation comes extra excitement when we are finally able to ship it to retailers. Bishops Blend boasts big bold flavors of

anise, pepper, raisins and a sweet earthiness on the finish. It is very complex and extremely refined. As with the past vintages, the broadleaf fillers shine at the forefront and are perfectly balanced by the Nicaraguan filler tobaccos,” said James Brown, creator of Black Label Trading Co.and partner at Fabrica Oveja Negra.

BISHOPS BLEND will be available at select retailers.


Country of Origin: Nicaragua

Wrapper: Ecuador Habano Maduro

Binder: Ecuador Habano

Filler: Nicaragua, Connecticut & PA Broadleaf

Corona Larga – 6.25 x 46 (20 count) MSRP $11.50

Robusto – 5 x 48 (20 count) MSRP $11.00

 

Black Label Trading Company is redefining the standards for cigar making. With a “less is more” philosophy, Black Label Trading Co. creates hand crafted premium cigars of the utmost quality in small batch, limited quantities. For more information please visit OvejaNegraCigars.com. Consumers may search by zip code for retailers nearest them.

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by | May 10, 2020 · 10:16 am

A Micallef Leyenda and a BOTL Cigar from Drew Estate

I finally decided to smoke the Micallef Leyenda No. 2 that I had picked up at the Micallef event I went to just over a year ago at the Cigar Cigars store in Phoenixville, PA. That reminds me, I need to reach out to my friends at CigarCigars and inquire about the status of their stores. When I passed the Phoenixville shop the other day it looked like it was open, and similarly with the Frazer shop. I haven’t had a need to stop in, but I need to drop a ew people a note or two. Anyway, the Leyenda No. 2 was one of several cigars I had bought at the event, and I hadn’t gotten around to it because it was in a really cool little coffin sorta thing, and I tend to hold on to those too long, mostly because I don’t know what to do with them when I smoke the cigar. It seems a shame to toss the coffins out, but I haven’t worked out what to do with them. Stupid, I know. This is why I have a shelf in the wineador tied up with single cigars in coffins. This one is unique because it’s open in one side, and it’s form fitting to the torpedo shape. This poses another ethical dilemma in my mind as I see it as something that a lot of time and energy went into making. Clearly it’s something I need to work through. I did take the first step and smoked the cigar, so that’s something. The cigar was brilliant, I must say. the wrapper is a 5 Year Old Ecuadorian Habano, with a 5 Year Old Nicaraguan binder and 5 Year Old Nicaraguan, Dominican, and Honduran fillers. This was a torpedo with a sharp taper and measured 5½” x 52. It should come as no surprise that it has some woody flavor, having been surrounded by wood on three sides for quite some time, although there was a layer of cellophane as a buffer. It had some slight citrus and spice too, and was quite enjoyable. It burned perfectly and was a fun cigar to smoke. Considering the presentation and the quality, I don’t recall these having been terribly expensive. I’d buy more if I could figure out what to do with the little coffins!

 

Last year Drew Estate re-issued a cigar that they made for the web forum BOTL around 2010. I had the pleasure of going on Cigar Safari in 2011 with a few guys from BOTL, and I remember hearing about this cigar, although I was rather ignorant of it at the time, not having been a BOTL forum member. Tim seemed to have been the guy who worked with DE to make this happen back then, and it wasn’t something that was widely available. Never having smoked one, I can’t make a comparison between what was then and this new iteration, but I have smoked a few of the newer ones over the last year and really quite enjoyed them. They only have what I would call “connoisseur” sizes: Corona, Lancero, and a long Corona Gorda, which is what I had on hand to smoke. There were a couple included in the PA Barnsmoker cigars that I smoked, including the Lancero. The Corona Gorda is 6″ x 46, not a bad size, and has a Broadleaf wrapper, Ecuador Connecticut binder and Nicaraguan fillers. It’s a little bit “Liga Lite” to me, it’s got the Broadleaf sweetness, and is full bodied, and it falls somewhere in between a Liga and an Undercrown and I really like it. It’s still a $10 stick, and, for the money, I’m still going to Nica Rustica for my Broadleaf fix, but the BOTL doesn’t have the rough edges that the Nica Rustica has. So if you want something more elegant, in those elegant sizes, this is a great choice.

 

I smoked a Joya Silver this week, and I had every intention of following it up with a  Joya Cinco Decadas, just to compare, because I think there’s some commonality between the two. I backed off for a few reasons. The dumb reason was that I didn’t feel like I deserved to smoke a $20 cigar at that particular time. The better reason was that the particular evening I thought about doing it happened to get cold and rainy. I’ll get to it one of these days. Anyway, until the next time,

 

CigarCraig

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by | May 6, 2020 · 7:17 pm

Some Toscano Cigars and a Viva la Vida

My wife decided she wanted a picnic table to go with a couple of benches we had made years ago, so I bought some lumber and started building one. In an effort to reduce the profanity count during this project, I decided to break into a pack of Toscano cigar I purchased in Rome when I was there in May of 2018. I bought a pack of the Garibaldis and a pack of Extra Vecchio, not remembering having seen them in the states. The Garibaldi were introduced here earlier this year (or late last year) and I guess the Extra Vecchio have been here, at least that what Michael Cappellini, the brand ambassador for Toscano cigars in the US tells me. My wife brought me a pack of Toscano Antico from Italy in 2000, and I’ve been enjoying one now and then ever since. I especially like the Modigliani, although it’s quite expensive. The five packs in Rome were much less expensive than here, I think I paid seven or eight euros each, they push $20 here. $20 is still a deal for five cigars, especially since they are rugged, taste great, burn a long time, and you don’t need to keep them in your humidor. I smoked the Extra Vecchio yesterday over the course of about four hours, relit it several times of course, but it tasted great the whole time. These are heavy on the fire cured tobacco, so if you like that, you’ll really like these. It’s also quite OK to cut these in half for a shorter smoke or to share! The Garibaldi is quite tasty too, as well as the Antico. I had a random oddball Toscano that I don’t know what it was, but it was unusually mild and I wasn’t overly fond of it. Toscanos are great cigars to keep one from swearing at projects!

 

Last night I was looking for something interesting to smoke and I remembered I had picked up a Viva La Vida Diademas Finas some time ago. I haven’t sm

oked anything from the Artesano Del Tobacco Company yet, but I’ve heard plenty about them. I remember meeting Billy Fakih when I visited Cigar Inn in NYC several years ago, now he and his brother Gus have launched this brand, made by AJ Fernandez in Esteli. I picked this up at a newer local shop that is largely a warehouse operation that ships cigars to China and has a shop and lounge in the front. It’s an odd sort of arrangement, I haven’t stopped back. Apparently I chose the top end of t

he Viva La Vida line in this limited edition figurado. It’s a 6½”x52 cigar beautifully rolled. It has a Habano Oscuro wrapper and Nicaraguan binder and fillers. I let this rest because the first cigar I smoked that I had bought at this shop was quite over humidified, I played it right and this cigar burned perfectly, just lighting the “nipple” it drew perfectly and evenly throughout. The flavor was good, although I’d have to say it was unremarkable, there was nothing that really distinguished it from another really good cigar. It had very good tasting, well fermented tobacco, but nothing that really wow’d me, or made me excited. I wasn’t disappointed in any way, I was just ambivalent. Obviously, the art of rolling this cigar is without question, and I have no regrets, I just wish there was a flavor sensation that caught my attention. 

 

That’s all for today, until the next time,  

 

CigarCraig

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