As we settle into our new version of reality, I decided to dig into the new Diesel Delirium samples which General Cigar Co. generously provided. But before I did, I figured I’d pre-game a bit with some of the newer Diesel cigars that have come along over the past year or so. There’s the better part of a box of original Diesel Unholy Cocktails that my son bought in 2011 in the humidor that I thought about dipping into, there’s a rental fee that’s overdue! Maybe today. So I started with the Limited Edition Diesel Hair of the Dog. The Diesel Hair of the Dog is a 6” x 52 toro made of all Nicaraguan Habano fillers with an Ecuador Habano wrapper and Ecuador Sumatra Binder. Like all Diesel cigars, this is made by A.J. Fernandez in Nicaragua. I really like the sweetness in this cigar, and the cedary flavors. It’s on my top three Diesel cigars, for sure. … Continue reading
The Current Retail Environment and My Green Cigar Day Selection
We have entered odd times. We are seeing businesses closed for the public safety, and a lot of our cigar stores are affected. I’ve been in touch with a few earlier this week, and already things have changed. On Monday the four or five shops I spoke with were business as usual, and by yesterday, they had closed the lounges, and were only open for grab-and-go purchases. Many had gone to a call ahead with curb-side pick-up, those that offer online ordering continue to do so. These are small businesses, they can’t afford to close, it would be devastating. Obviously, this extends much further than our little corner of the world, this is happening in all areas if life. I’ve been out of work since November, and the job market now looks bleaker than it did before. I’m, at least, in the same position I’ve been in for the past several months. I’m hoping for an extension in unemployment benefits, but I’m not counting on it. With any luck in a few weeks things will return to normal. I would say if you have the means and you need cigars, or food, or supplies, buy them from a local small business. If you don’t have a local shop, there are several great retailers who advertise on my page who you can patronize. … Continue reading
Fratello Blu, Fratello Rosso And Fratello Verde Cigars
Everything seems to be going crazy with this pandemic thing, I gotta tell you, it isn’t helping my job search any! Hiring freezes, forget getting an interview, places that are open don’t even allow people in the building, let alone have interviews. Pennsylvania has closed schools, liquor stores and has asked that non essential businesses shut down. It’s crazy, and it’s not going to get better real soon. Right now, as frivolous as it might be, I’m going to keep doing what I do, write my blog about the cigars I smoke. Back in January, Fratello Cigars announced a budget line of cigars being made at La Aurora with camo bands. These come in three wrappers, a Maduro, Habano and Connecticut, and in Robusto and Toro in bundles of 15. These have a retail cost in the mid $3 range. You can see the press release I published HERE. As I remarked in that post, there were a few companies who had budget offerings at the show, not as many as I thought. Alec Bradley was one that comes to mind, they had a Caribbean Classic that was not too bad a cigar for a similar price. So, I set out to smoke the three of the Fratello “Camos” over the last few days, here are my thoughts.… Continue reading
The New Punch Knuckle Buster Cigar
A few weeks ago I posted about the new Punch Chop Suey, as well as the Shop Press, and I included the press release for the new Punch Knuckle Buster. To recap, the Punch Knuckle Buster is a new regular production cigar made at the HATSA factory in Honduras with Habano seed tobaccos from Nicaragua and Honduras. The wrapper is Nicaraguan, the binder Honduran and the filler a blend of the two. The cigars are priced between $5 and $6 before state taxes where applicable, so they are very reasonably priced. I smoked one last night and I actually hadn’t even looked at the pricing before I smoked it, so I had no preconceived notions.
First, I’ve enjoyed a lot of Punch cigars over the years. I wrote a post about a controversy which existed in the ’90s about Punch and Hoyo de Monterrey cigars back in 2012 (http://www.cigarcraig.com/punch-vs-hoyo-de-monterrey-a-debate-finally-settled/) dispelling the myth that the two cigars were exactly the same. There have been some hits and misses in the Punch line in recent years to my palate, but otherwise it’s been a solid line. For instance, the Punch Diablo I smoked tonight, made by A.J. Fernandez, is a fantastic cigar to my palate. … Continue reading
News: Drew Estate Announces Pappy Van Winkle “Tradition” as Pappy & Co. Exclusive
Interesting news about the Pappy Tradition. I guess you could get these at Drew Diplomat shops, but now they are just available direct from Pappy Van Winkle. They are good smokes, oddly I prefer the Barrel Fermented line more.
Drew Estate announces today that the Pappy Van Winkle “Tradition” will now be sold exclusively through Pappy & Company at www.pappyco.com.… Continue reading
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