by | June 4, 2023 · 9:40 am

Smoking Some Tobacco Plaza Ltd. 50th Anniversary Cigars

I was talking to Danny Ditkowich of Tobacco Plaza in Great Neck, NY recently and the subject of the store’s 50th Anniversary and the special cigars that accompanied it came up. So I decided to smoke some and highlight them here.  I’ll get it out of the way, the links I put in this post will go to the store’s website, where you could purchase each of these cigars. Danny mentioned that the Tatuaje (along with the Tuxtla series) are 10% off while supplies last, and there’s free shipping fo the month of June.  All that out of the way, let’s talk about these three tasty cigars!  The first one I smoked was the Tatuaje TP DD 50th Exclusive.  If I recall, Danny worked with Pete on a DD for the 40th anniversary, and it was 6″x 58 torpedo, this one is a 6″ x 60 torpedo, with a beautiful Broadleaf wrapper, over Nicaraguan fillers and binder, rolled at the My Father factory. The original was based on the Fausto blend, and I’m not sure if this one is too, but it’s a pretty strong cigar!  It’s loaded with the coffee and spice that I enjoy, and it was a really great cigar. I may smoke another one today!  If you’re a fan of the Tatuaje Broadleaf, or Tatuaje cigars in general, this would be a great one to try.  Not a cheap date, but what is anymore?

 

I took a relatively early walk yesterday after doing a bee inspection with my wife, planting a tree and doing some trimming, all before 10am for some reason.  So I grabbed the Tobacco Plaza 50th Anniversary Quesada Keg.  I don’t think I ever had the original Keg, as I am not immediately drawn to things drink related, so I can’t compare.  This is another 6″ x 60, and if it’s just a size variation, it has a Dominican Corojo seed wrapper, with Dominican binder and Dominican and Nicaraguan fillers.  It’s presented in a 15 count box as opposed to a barrel. This is another cigar that I enjoyed quite a bit.  It had an interesting bready flavor, kind of a dark bread and it was on the medium bodied side. I know Danny has had a great relationship with Quesada as they make the Oceano brand in the La Sirena portfolio, another cigar I really enjoy.

 

The third and final cigar in Tobacco Plaza’s 50th anniversary series is the TPLFD Magnum Chisel Maduro.  This cigar is listed as 6″ x 58 box pressed, but it’s really 6½”. The chisel shape is cool, and one of the only, if not THE only, shape that’s legally protected by a patent. This is has a maduro wrapper, with the Tobacco Plaza logo applied to the cigar in a lighter leaf.  LFD has made a bit of a name for themselves with these artistic embellishments, I have one from the Ybor festival with a Rooster, and one from a dinner that Tobacco Plaza hosted in 2021 with an Iced Tea glass.  They are quite neat and must take a lot of effort to produce. Someone has to make a “cookie cutter” apparatus to punch the design out of a leaf.  It’s impressive. The cigar is impressive as well, it’s a great tasting smoke. I’ve been enjoying afternoons on my porch watching TV, the last few Saturday’s it’s been an Amazon show called “Clarkson’s Farm”, with Jeremy Clarkson, formerly of the British Top Gear and Amazon’s The Grand Tour (also hysterical).  This Magnum Chisel got me through the last two episodes, set aside 2 hours for this one.  It was rich with cocoa and spice.  Another winner.  I have to get up to Great Neck some time to visit Tobacco Plaza. 

 

That’s all I got for this week, until the next time, 

 

CigarCraig

 

 

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by | June 2, 2023 · 4:50 pm

News: TAA Exclusive Eiroa Dark 11/18 Now Shipping

I haven’t had the opportunity to smoke a ton of CLE cigars, funny because I’ve known Christian for 20+ years.  I smoked a ton of Camacho cigars way back when, and I feel like Christian’s brother’s cigars are closer to what Camacho was than CLE.  This one interests me, I’ll check my local TAA shop next time.  

C.L.E. Cigar Company announces that the TAA exclusive Eiroa Dark 11/18 is now shipping! The Eiroa Dark originally made its debut in 2019. What separates the TAA Exclusive is that it will come in the Eiroa family’s signature 11/18 size. Only five hundred boxes were created.

The unique 11/18 vitola became well known when the Eiroa family-owned Camacho. The 11/18 size continues to be an especially important vitola to Christian Eiroa (President of C.L.E. Cigar Company) because it provides a unique smoking experience while holding sentimental value. The 11/18 name is in dedication to the Matriarch of the Eiroa family.

Christian Eiroa said:” It is a little-known fact that the 11/18 is in dedication to my mother as it represents her birth date (November 18). The Eiroa Dark is one of my favorite blends to come out of the C.L.E. cigar factory, due it being made with only Honduran Corojo tobacco. My hope is that the public enjoys this blend in this long overdue 11/18 size.”

11/18 Vitola: 48 x 52 x 48 x 6

Box count: Twenty count boxes. Limited to only five hundred boxes.

MSRP: $16.70

About C.L.E Cigar Company

C.L.E. Cigar Company, established by Christian Eiroa in 2012 is steeped in tradition, going back to the early 1960’s in Honduras. The Eiroa family is known for farming, blending, and manufacturing premium handmade cigars using innovative and forward-thinking methods. Christian Eiroa continues to honor his family legacy by creating unique award-winning blends using a mix of traditional and ever evolving technological methods. C.L.E. Cigar Company serves as the umbrella company for C.L.E. Cigars, Eiroa Cigars, and Asylum Cigars.

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by | May 28, 2023 · 9:30 am

ATL and Luciano, Macanudo and West Tampa Tobacco Cigars

The highlight of the week for me was my interview with Marvin Samel (see video at the end of the post, or go back to the Friday post).  I really enjoy doing these interviews, hopefully they are enjoyable for you.  I didn’t mention it on the video, but I smoked a Liga Privada No. 9, the cigar I smoked for the first time when I met Marvin in 2009. Marvin was smoking a Havana Cohiba from a box he had bought in the Netherlands ten years ago. I guess we should have talked about the cigars, but I thought the behind the scenes movie stuff was really fascinating!  Anyway, I smoked some other cigars this week, starting with the Foreign Affair Toro Extra from Luciano Cigars.  Luciano debuted this cigar at this year’s TPE show, which I did not attend.  This cigar has a Sumatra Ecuador wrapper, Nicaragua & Ecuador binders, and fillers from Nicaragua, Costa Rica & Dominican Republic. One does not see a lot of cigars with Costa Rican fillers.  This cigar smoked very well, had a really interesting sweet spice, almost a ginger sort of flavor. I love a Sumatra wrapper, and this one was really nice, and probably accounts for the sweetness.  It was very good.  

 

The next cigar shares some traits with the Foreign Affair, in that it’s made in the same factory, since ATL Cigars partnered with Luciano for distribution, and one of ATL’s founders, Peter, has taken on an executive roll with the Luciano company.  I found the ATL Magic to be an exceptional cigar, very special.  I tried the ATL Wise Blood in the Gordito size, 4″ x 60 and was impressed.  This cigar has an Ecuadorian Habano Rosado HVA wrapper, Ecuadorian Connecticut binder, and fillers from three Nicaraguan regions. I happened to take Friday off, and after running some errands and doing some stuff, I smoked this cigar.  It had a hint of sourness, kind of the sourdough bread kind, which was interesting in a good way. I’m one of the odd set who doesn’t mind a 60 ring, I think it’s best in the shorter lengths, it’s certainly ridiculous in anything longer than six inches. Good smoke, looking forward to trying other sizes.

 

Continuing on the short and fat vein, yesterday morning I lit up a new Macanudo Gold size for 2023, the Gold Nugget.  This is a 4½” x 60, with the classic Macanudo Connecticut Shade wrapper, Mexican San Andrés binder and Piloto Cubano and Mexican fillers. The wrapper leaves come from early primings, making them smoother and cleaner looking than higher primings because they get less sun exposure.  I was trying to reupholster the seat on my scooter, and needed a cigar to reduce profanity.  If I can give any advice to someone who wants to try this, it’s to just buy an OEM seat cover and be done with it, it’s worth saving yourself the headache. So, as the scooter waits for it’s seat to come in, I enjoyed this Macanudo Gold. Fun fact, this blend is (or was) the favorite of Victoria Jaworski, the queen of public relations for Scandinavian Tobacco Group.  I smoked it early in the day, and it is a milder, creamy smoke, but it’s not without flavor, and delivered a really nice smoking experience for this guy who isn’t a huge fan of the Connecticut shade genre.  Like the Macanudo Inspirado White, it’s one I’ll go back to happily, whenever that shade mood hits me.  

 

Finally, I’ve been smoking a bunch of the West Tampa Tobacco Co. Red cigars lately after finding them in stock at my local shop.  I grabbed another robusto yesterday afternoon after smoking one earlier in the week. When I talked to Ricky Rodriguez last month (video HERE), we talked about the similarity between the Attic and the Red, they share all the same components, which are Mexican San Andrés Maduro, Condega Nicaragua Binder and Condega Viso, Esteli Viso, Esteli Ligero.  The robusto is a powerhouse compared with the Toro and Gordo, it packs a punch! There’s a lot of cocoa and coffee, which I love, and, especially the Robusto, a healthy amount of pepper spice. I think the Red is slightly less refined than the Attic, there must be some priming difference somewhere in the blend.  This isn’t a knock, by any stretch, it wouldn’t make sense to have the exact same cigar with different bands and prices (although inside sources tell me that the Attic is sold out at WTCC). I love this Red, and it seems like I’ve been smoking a lot of the Reds and Black’s recently! Great cigars from a great family company.

 

That’s all for today. It’s Memorial Day Weekend, so take a moment and think of those who perished so that we can relax with a great cigar. Until the next time, 

 

CigarCraig

 

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by | May 26, 2023 · 7:25 pm

A Video Interview with Marvin Samel, Writer and Director of iMordecai

I first met Marvin at a local cigar shop back in 2009, it’s when I smoked Liga Privada No. 9 for the first time.  I enjoyed seeing Marvin at events over the years, but it’s been quite a few years since we talked.  When I heard he was making a movie, I was excited.  When I heard iMordecai was available on Amazon, I watched it immediately.  I thoroughly enjoyed the movie, it was relatable and quite touching.  Here is my discussion with Marvin.

 

 

Here is the trailer:

 

 

I highly recommend seeing iMordecai, it’s available on Amazon and Apple TV.  Thank you to Marvin for taking the time, and to Matty Rock for connecting us. 

 

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

 

CigarCraig 

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by | May 21, 2023 · 9:12 am

Mas Igneus, Menelik and EP Carillo Dusk Cigars

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

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