CigarCraig's Blog

by Craig Vanderslice | April 27, 2023 · 6:00 pm

News: Red Meat Lover’s Club Returns to the Battleship New Jersey

We had the pleasure of attending this last year and it was a spectacular evening. The food was fantastic as was the company. Any night spent on a historic Battleship, overlooking the Philadelphia skyline, surrounded by friends and smoking excellent cigars is a good thing! The information below was copied from www.battleshipbeef.com.

Imagine a night with stations of beef captained by the best chefs in the country for a night of feasting.

This dinner will be on the deck of the Battleship New Jersey. Bigger setting with one purpose…..to create an night that will be spoken about in hushed tones for years to come.

UNIFORMS (RMLC Battleship Beef Hats) WILL BE PROVIDED FOR ALL PATRONS

Dining etiquette will be set aside…. our goal is to over consume.

This one will be a epic scene filled with Red Meat Lovers and BEEF and maybe a few Dunbarton Tobacco & Trust cigars provided by Steve Saka and Casa De Montecristo.

Red Meat Lover’s Club will set up there signature auction , all profits of auction will be donated to Battleship NJ.

Some menu highlights….(*menu and restaurants subject to change)

Katz’s Deli NYC will be slicing Pastrami on Rye with a smear of mustard

Mission BBQ chopped brisket and pulled pork sliders, cornbread and slaw

Jimmy Buff’s will be serving their iconic Italian Hot Dogs

Full wheel of reggiano parmigiano cheese …making the greatest pasta you have ever had by Marcelli Formaggi

Carved aged meats mountains by Edward’s Aged Meats

Jack Link’s Beef Jerky Tree will be consumed all night

Butter Belly Warm cookie station

and beyond……(you won’t leave hungry)

The cigars will be included with each ticket. Casa De Montecristo will create a pop up cigar sales store.

We have the ability to smoke outside on the deck throughout dinner.

The iconic Steve Saka will be including his cigars into the night…..and will be present and accounted for.

Cash bar with proceeds going to the battleship

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by Craig Vanderslice | April 25, 2023 · 6:11 pm

News: Fratello The Lunar for the Company’s 10th Anniversary

It’s hard to believe it’s been a decade since I met Omar at the IPCPR show. I’ve enjoyed quite a few of his cigars over the years, most notably the Bianco Boxer and the Pennsylvanian. This looks interesting and I’ll pick some up when they become available. I’ll never forget sitting on the floor of my living room watching Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin step on the moon for the first time, it’s nice that after 50 years, we are getting around to going back!

“Fratello Cigars and Intuitive Machines Launch ‘The Lunar’ Cigar to Celebrate NASA’s Historic Moon Landing Mission”

Fratello Cigars is proud to unveil their latest cigar, The Lunar, in collaboration with the former NASA Deputy Center Director for Johnson Space Center and founder of Intuitive Machines, Steve Altemus, as part of Fratello’s 10th anniversary celebration.

Steve founded Intuitive Machines in 2013 and is a leading participant in NASA’s Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS) initiative, having been awarded contracts for three missions to date. Each mission requires Intuitive Machines to design, build, launch, and land the company’s Nova-C lunar lander, which aims to deliver science and technology payloads to the Moon’s surface to help lay the foundation for human missions and a sustainable human presence on the lunar surface. Intuitive Machines’ first mission called IM-1, is scheduled to launch later this year.

“I am incredibly honored to be part of this historic moment. When Steve approached me a few years ago to create a cigar to commemorate this momentous launch, I knew we were working on something truly special,” said Omar de Frias, Founder of Fratello Cigars. “The fact that the Fratello Brand will be reaching the moon is a moment of triumph for Fratello fans around the world. During my 12 years at NASA, successful missions were always celebrated with a premium cigar. This year, that celebratory cigar will be The Lunar,” added de Frias.

Stephen Altemus, CEO of Intuitive Machines, stated, ““Capturing Intuitive Machines’ spirit of exploration in a brand on Earth is an exciting collaboration,” said Steve Altemus, President and CEO of Intuitive Machines. “This has been a unique and exciting experience, and Intuitive Machines is proud to be a part of creating a small piece of history.”

The Lunar will be released in two limited production blends. The first blend features a Connecticut Shade wrapper, Mexican binder, and Dominican, Nicaragua, and Cameroon filler. The second blend is crafted with a Cameroon wrapper, Dominican binder, and Nicaragua and US filler. Both blends come in a 15-count commemorative packaging to celebrate the Nova-C launch later this year. The MSRP per cigar is set at $14.00 for the Connecticut blend and $15.00 for the Cameroon blend. The cigars are manufactured at the renowned La Aurora factory in the Dominican Republic.

In addition to the cigars, Fratello will also debut a Limited Edition 18 Count Lunar Humidor in June. This exquisite humidor, featuring all Dominican Puro with 6-year-old aged tobaccos, will be available in limited quantities to retailers and customers worldwide. Only 175 humidors were produced for this exclusive release, with an MSRP set at $25.00 per cigar.

The Lunar will have scheduled launches limited to 10 select Fratello retailers, continuing Fratello’s tradition of paying homage to the space program thru their NASA Inspired Exclusives, following the success of Navetta and Navetta Inverso blends.

The Lunar is poised to become one of the most highly anticipated releases in the cigar industry, and Fratello Cigars is thrilled to offer this exclusive blend to its loyal customers.

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Tagged as cigar, cigars, Fratello, Lunar

by Craig Vanderslice | April 23, 2023 · 9:10 am

Some Rojas Cigars, Tacos and More

Thursday I had a choice to make, go to the Rojas event at Cigar Mojo (10 minutes away), or go to the Tim Ozgener event at the Wooden Indian (closer to a half hour with traffic). I chose the easier route, and was not rewarded. I chose poorly. It turns out that Noel Rojas was stuck in Nicaragua, and wasn’t there as advertised. It was disappointing, but at least I got to meet Albert, the VP of sales, and hang out with Mark Weisenberger, the local broker who reps the line. Had I known that Noel wasn’t going to be there I would have gone to the Wooden Indian. Anyway, I picked up some Street Tacos and smoked them. I’ve written about the Carnitas before, smoked one last night and it’s a good Connecticut cigar. At the event I smoked the Barbacoa, the 6″ x 50 Toro, which has a Maduro Ecuador Sumatra wrapper over Nicaraguan binder and fillers. It’s earthy with some cocoa and a little pepper, not a bad smoke.

Since I bought a handful of cigars, I got a couple extras, one of which was the Rojas Unfinished Business, also in a 6″ x 50 toro. This one has a dark Ecuadorian Sumatra wrapper, Nicaraguan binder and fillers from Nicaragua and Mexico. It had some dried dark fruit notes and a little citrus tang. It seemed to be well constructed, if not slightly underfilled, giving it a shorter smoking time than I would have liked. It was a beautiful cigar, and I like the signature closed foot, which makes lighting easy. I just realized I smoked this last August, sorry about that. It’s getting hard to find new cigars to feature here. This is one of the reasons I only smoke new-to-me cigars at the end of the week. I like to smoke what I know I like the rest of the week.

Finally, yesterday morning I had some time to kill, so it seemed like the perfect time to smoke the little Breakfast Taco, again, with a Sumatra wrapper. This is a 4″ x 44 perfecto, just a wee thing. Ecuador Sumatra with Nicaraguan binder and fillers. This little cigar was good for about an hour, but, to me, it was pretty potent. If I hadn’t eaten, cut the front lawn, done some other chores first, it may have been too much. It’s a strong little guy with excellent construction and a fun shape. No closed foot on this one, but the “nipple” perfecto end. I feel compelled to search out he maduro in this shape. The cigar had good favors, not unlike the Barbacoa. You know me, I have a fairly simple palate. While the shade version doesn’t interest me, I do want to try the Maduro.

I still like the Stolen Throne line made by Rojas better than the Street Tacos line, and am probably more disappointed that Lee Marsh was in the area last week and didn’t reach out than I was that Noel wasn’t at the event. Noel does make some good cigars, and, if nothing else, I saved some time and money going to this event than if I had gone to the other one! That’s all for today, until the next time,

CigarCraig

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Tagged as Barbacoa, Breakfast Taco, cigar, cigars, Rojas, Street Taco, Unfinished Business

by Craig Vanderslice | April 21, 2023 · 6:06 pm

News: Punch Dad Bod Cigars Announced

Punch is doing some, er, creative things with the branding and marketing. First, the inexplicable Chinese food series, now a Father’s Day release with the Dad Bod. I don’t know about you, but this sort of unhealthy body type is not something which should be normalized, let along glorified. I’m no fitness freak, but I’d sure love to lose 10 or 20 pounds and not have a “dad bod”! Anyway, the Champion size is always cool, and whatever the marketing, the cigars are always pretty darned good! I’ve been smoking Punch cigars for over 25 years, always enjoyed them.

PUNCH CELEBRATES THE DAD BOD

Dad bod noun — the physique of adult males who prefer to drink from a six pack instead of spending countless hours at the gym obsessing over their abs.

The team at Punch is declaring this the “summer of the Dad Bod” with the launch of Punch Dad Bod, a paunchy, limited-edition release that will ship to retail in a cool Father’s Day keepsake that you or your Dad will actually want to hold on to.

Punch Dad Bod comes packed in four, reusable stash cans that each contain five cigars and are complete with Boveda humidification. The keepsake cans can be used as a humidor, a portable ashtray or placed anywhere as a reminder that the Dad Bod is where it’s at.

John Hakim, brand manager for Punch said, “Father’s Day is the perfect time for us to let the world know that we salute dads, the Dad bod and the pleasure of smoking a great cigar. So we created this special expression and packed it in tins that own the soft-in-the-middle physique with pride. Dad Bod is about showing our support for the salt-of-the-earth Punch smokers who continue to make Punch their go-to brand.”

Handcrafted at HATSA in Honduras, Punch Dad Bod is a six-country blend made with a Cameroon wrapper, a USA Connecticut broadleaf binder and a blend of filler tobaccos that includes Nicaraguan Condega, Dominican Piloto Cubano, Honduran La Entrada and Brazilian Mata Fina. The result is a smooth-smoking, medium-bodied blend that is at the same time sweet, spicy and leathery.

Punch Dad Bod cigars sport a tie-shaped band and are available in a “Champion” size that gives a nod to the reverence Punch has for Dads and Dad bods. Shipping to retailers on May 1, the set contains four metal stash cans, each holding five cigars for a total of 20 Punch Dad Bods per set.

Punch Dad Bod (4.5” x 60); SRP per cigar $6.99

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Tagged as cigar, cigars, Dad Bod, punch

by Craig Vanderslice | April 19, 2023 · 9:26 pm

News: STG Announces Marketing Team Roles for Alec Bradley Brands

I don’t know the Bradley boys, but I’ve known Jon Lipson since he was our local LFD rep, which was quite a while ago. Congratulations to all! I hope they don’t have to move to Richmond!

Scandinavian Tobacco Group(STG) announces today that the company has appointed the former Alec Bradley marketing team with new positions in the STG North American Branded marketing organization.

Alec Rubin, Bradley Rubin and Jonathan Lipson will report to Christopher Tarr, vice president of marketing of STG’s Branded and Rest of World division.

Christopher Tarr said, ”I am excited to welcome Alec Rubin, Bradley Rubin and Jonathan Lipson to our marketing organization. With their individual talents and combined experience in the handmade cigar category, I am confident that we will bring the Alec Bradley brands to their full potential, both in the US and globally.”

Alan Rubin, consultant to STG noted, ”I’m extremely proud that Alec, Bradley and Jonathan have the opportunity to work alongside the talented team at STG and that they will continue to play important roles in growing the Alec Bradley brand.”

Alec Rubin has joined the STG marketing team as brand manager, strategic partnerships and will focus on developing relationships for Alec Bradley brands among influential, lifestyle brandsoutside the premium cigar category. Prior to joining STG, Alecbegan working for the Alec Bradley cigar business in 2014 as a brand strategist, and in July 2020 was promoted to director of business development. During his tenure at Alec Bradley, he played pivotal roles in building the brand’s blend book and deepening the connection between the Alec Bradley brands and the American whiskey space.

In his new position as Brand Ambassador at STG, Bradley Rubin will continue to guide the creative direction, branding and social media initiatives of the Alec Bradley cigar brands and will serve as the face of the brand at top tier events in and outside of the handmade cigar category. Bradley joined the Alec Bradley cigar business in 2017 and was responsible for developing the brand’s social media presence while contributing to the branding and packaging of leading releases from the company.

Jonathan Lipson has been appointed to the role of senior brand manager at STG. In his new position, he will continue to steer marketing, product development and consumer engagement for the Alec Bradley cigar brands. Jonathan joined Alec Bradley in 2012 as tri-state regional territory manager and in 2016 was appointed director of sales and marketing, the role he held when the company was acquired by STG in March, 2023.

Alec Rubin, Bradley Rubin and Jonathan Lipson will continue to reside in Florida, working remotely for STG.

About Scandinavian Tobacco Group

Scandinavian Tobacco Group A/S is a world-leading manufacturer of handmade and machine-rolled cigars with an annual production of more than four billion cigars. The Group holds market-leading positions in several categories and its products are sold in more than 100 markets. Scandinavian Tobacco Group is headquartered in Copenhagen, Denmark and employs approximately 10,000 people globally. The Group is also the largest internet and catalog retailer of cigars and related accessories in the US. For more information visit www.st-group.com.