by | March 14, 2023 · 6:32 pm

News: Smokin Tabacco Cigar Family Charitable Foundation Raffle Begins

Here’s some news from the folks over at Smokin Tabacco. I know I don’t make it a habit of posting news from other media outlets, but this one is a great charity event.  Throw a few bucks toward the CFCF, and maybe win some spectacular prizes!  It’s a great cause! 

 

 

Smokin Tabacco is proud to announce the third annual Smokin Tabacco Cigar Family Charitable Foundation fundraiser raffle has officially gone live. You can now purchase your raffle tickets as you wish. More prizes are being added daily, including some unimaginable ones from Arturo Fuente.

 

In their first two years, Smokin Tabacco has been able to raise a total of $57,000 for the cause that is run and operated by the Newman and Fuente families of J.C. Newman and Arturo Fuente, respectively. This was something that Matt and Nicole first started in 2021 to celebrate the one-year anniversary of their first podcast, The Smokin Tabaco Show. Instead of more traditional methods of marking an anniversary, they decided to use their media platform to host a raffle that would benefit a cause they both felt strongly about. While going through many different foundations and causes, they ultimately decided upon hosting a raffle that would benefit The Cigar Family Charitable Foundation.

 

In year one the fundraiser finished at $7,000. In year two however, things heated up when nearing the $20,000 line, Carlito Fuente called Matt and Nicole and told them he would personally match the final total bringing the final amount for 2022 to $51,000. The goal for 2022 was $10,000 and was easily exceeded. Now, going into 2023, Smokin Tabacco is proud to announce a third round and hopes to pass the amount raised from the year before.

 

In November 2022, Matt and Nicole traveled to the Dominican Republic to visit the Cigar Family campus and met all the amazing kids, teachers, personnel and even some former students who return to the school to give back. It was a life changing experience and gives you a new sense of how important this organization is once you see how far this money goes.

“It is such an honor to be able to play a small role in this great organization. We are so proud of everyone who came out and donated these past two years and hope to see another amazing year in 2023.” says Matt Tabacco, owner of Smokin Tabacco.

 

 

Nicole Tabacco with one of the students at the CF-CF campus in Bonao

 

There are some amazing items being raffled off including items from the OpusX Society, La Flor Dominicana, Tatuaje, Aganorsa Leaf, Drew Estate, Room 101, Red Meat Lovers Club, J.C. Newman, Arturo Fuente, Cigar-Coop, Hiram & Solomon, Rabbit Air, a box of TGS 2021 Opus X from Smoke Inn and more. The fundraiser will run until April 26th at 5PM EST. The website for the raffle can be found at go.rallyup.com/smokintabacco2023 or by texting SMKTAB to 855-202-2100. For questions about the fundraiser, email Matt at Matthew@smokintabacco.com or call us at 978-886-1574.

 

ABOUT CIGAR FAMILY CHARITABLE FOUNDATION

The Cigar Family Charitable Foundation (CF-CF) began in 2001 when long time cigar industry business partners, the Fuente and Newman families, formalized the dream of improving people’s lives in the mountainous Bonao region of the Dominican Republic. By focusing on families, they hoped to give the children in this cigar producing region an opportunity for a better future.

 

Share

Comments Off on News: Smokin Tabacco Cigar Family Charitable Foundation Raffle Begins

Filed under News

Tagged as , , , ,

by | March 12, 2023 · 10:18 am

Casdagli, West Tampa, Powstanie and Punch Cigars

It was a pretty good week.  A bit ago I sent some cigars to a friend, who, despite my protests, reciprocated with a package.  People need to understand that I send out cigars without expectations!  I do appreciate it though, especially when there are a bunch of cigars I hadn’t tried.  The Casdagli Daughters of the Wind Pony Express was one of those cigars. I want to say I’ve smoked one Casdagli cigar in the past, it seems to me it was a figurado of some sort, but I can’t remember what it was. Was this company called something before it was Casdagli? Bespoke seems to be stuck in my mind. Anyway, This was a corona gorda of sorts, 6″ x 48, with a box press. I love the size.  It’s made from tobaccos from Peru, Dominican Republic and Ecuador along with the tobaccos from the factory’s own plantation in the mountains of Costa Rica. It’s rolled in Costa Rica, which is interesting. This was a very different cigar than I gravitate to, it had a strong floral flavor.  It was very good, thanks to Phil ( https://www.comedycigarsmusic.com/) for sending this!  

 

Friday evening I went to Pairings Cigar Bar in Media, PA to hang out with Ricky Rodriguez of West Tampa Tobacco Co.  Pairings is a great place with a nice selection. If you like to drink while you smoke at a bar, like the old days, this is the place to go.  There aren’t as many such places in this area as you would think, I can think of two others in the Philly area. I’m not a bar guy, so maybe there are more I don’t know about. Most of our shops have lounges and don’t discourage BYOB.  Anyway, Ricky was there doing a West Tampa event, of course. I had the opportunity to try the new West Tampa Red, and I can’t wait to get my hands on more, it was really good. I could draw some comparisons to the Attic,  they share the San Andrés wrapper. This was a 6″ x 60, which I chose because I had a really good experience with a Black in that size a few weeks ago. I feel like the flavor was a little brighter than the Black or the Attic, both cigar I really like.  I’m working on

I stole this pic from Craig Gilpin! TY

something with Ricky in the future, so stay tuned.  There were a bunch of local cigar people there, reps, brokers, guys from other shops, and even Micky Pegg from All Saints Cigars (there’s a CAO connection!). I also had the chance to spend some quality time with my friend Craig (the Breadman), I like having fiends named Craig, because I have such a lousy memory for names, it makes it a little easier! It was a good night, although after smoking the Red AND the Black in the 6″ x 60 size, I had a hell of a time falling asleep. 

 

The selection of cigars from Mitch, my Secret Santa, is dwindling. I selected a Powstanie SBC20, another corona gorda (this time it’s really a CG, 5½”x 46, close enough). This is a subtle barber pole, with Habano and Brazilian Mata Fina, made at Fábrica de Tabacos NicaSueño S.A..  I have a great affinity for cigars made at this factory. I was just thinking how it’s been ten years since I’ve been to Esteli, and what a hoot it would be to go and visit factories like Nica Sueño, Garmendia, etc. I think the town has changed a lot since I was there last.  This was a pretty stout cigar, not a surprise. It’s got some pepper, cocoa and coffee, probably best smoked on a full stomach.  I very much enjoyed this, I wonder how it compared to the ’16 and ’18 versions.  If you’ve smoked them all, leave a comment!

 

I had picked up a couple of the Punch Spring Rolls a few weeks ago, it’s a shorter cigar than I like, but I wanted to try it.  I’ve enjoyed most of the Punch cigars in this series, which, inexplicably, revolves around Chinese food. They are budget cigars, and usually have some interesting feature, on this one the wrapper is about a half inch short. It’s only 4½” x 50, like a Punch Rothschild, so that’s a pretty good percentage of the cigar that is wrapperless, when you think about it. I expected a flavor change when the burn line hit the wrapper, which is Ecuadorian Sumatra over an American broadleaf binder, with fillers from Colombia, the Dominican Republic, Mexico and broadleaf from the U.S..  I never picked up on the change, oddly enough, it just remained a fairly uneventful cigar.  It was dry and woody, I was expecting a lot more flavor.  It wasn’t bad, I’ve seen people say it was excellent, I just thought it was OK. I guess it was a good think it was only 4½” long.  I’ll give the other one a try next year. Maybe it’s because I don’t like Spring (or Egg) Rolls?  

 

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

 

CigarCraig

Share

3 Comments

Filed under Review

Tagged as , , , , , , , ,

by | March 8, 2023 · 5:37 pm

News: Room101 Cigars Daruma Returning

I think this is the first Room101 brand to be released under STG ownership.  I remember smoking the Darumas when they came out, I don’t remember them being in the Ranfla perfecto shape with paper wrap.  It’s a nice presentation! 

 

ROOM101 RESURRECTS REVERED DARUMA BLEND

 

Room101 originally released Daruma in 2012 as a follow up to Namakubi to reflect the authentic heartbeat of the Room101 cigar collection. Nearly a dozen years later, Daruma is back to begin a new chapter of perseverance and good fortune.

 

For those of you who aren’t up on Japanese talismans, a Daruma is a small papier mache figure used in Japan and around the world as a goal setting tool. Its egg-like shape is connected to perseverance: if a Daruma is knocked down, it will stand right back up. When setting a goal for the year, one of the eyes of the figure gets penciled in, and when the goal is achieved, the second eye gets penciled in and the Daruma gets lit on fire in celebration of the achievement. It’s not dissimilar to lighting a cigar to mark a special occasion.

 

Matt Booth said, “The return of Daruma is symbolic of the relationship with STG and Room101 moving forward. It represents the opportunity for Room101 to spread its wings which has always been our goal. And just as goals change and times change, Daruma has evolved. The Daruma of 2011 would not be the Daruma of today. The blend is correct and appropriate for now and begins a new chapter for both Daruma and Room101. This cigar is exactly what it needs to be, and it gives people exactly what it needs to give them. Light up a Daruma and celebrate how far you come and set a course for your next big adventure.”

 

Daruma is a Nicaraguan puro made proudly in Nicaragua in partnership with international sex symbol Cory Bappert and Room101’s friends at Oliva.

Daruma will be available in one size, 6” x 50 Toro that will sell for an SRP of $12.99 per cigar. The brand will be distributed by Forged Cigar Company.

Coming soon…

Share

Comments Off on News: Room101 Cigars Daruma Returning

Filed under News

Tagged as , , , , ,

by | March 5, 2023 · 9:00 am

Cayman Cigar Company Sovereign, Monarch and Diplomat Cigars

I recently received a sampler from Cayman Cigar Co., located in the Cayman Islands.  The Cayman Islands is a British territory south of Cuba and west of Jamaica.  It looks like the sort of place I’d love to visit about this time of year!  The Cayman Cigar Co. donates 100% of their net profits to charity, and they seem to be working on actually growing tobacco on the islands, there isn’t any Cayman tobacco in their blends. It seems like the cigars are rolled there, and they are rolled very well, all five samples I smoked burned perfectly.  Of course, I smoked these in a logical order, but, at least in the Sovereign series, they seem to be named a little out of order.  All five were a 5¼” x 50 robusto vitola. I started with the Sovereign No. 1.  This has a Brazilian Bahia Sumatra wrapper, over a Broadleaf binder, with Criollo and Brazilian tobacco in the filler. The Criollo is a constant in four out of the five blends, according to their literature. This is a medium bodied cigar, with a very interesting sweetness. The flavor was mouth coating, almost cloying. I was quite impressed with this cigar.

 

I moved on to the Sovereign No. 2, of course, the mildest of the set.  Why the No. 2 is the mildest and not No. 1?  You’re guess is as good as mine. It might be the only thing that bothered me about these cigars. This seems like it’s the same makeup as the No. 1, without the ligero, as there was a very similar cloying sweetness, along with a bakers spice of some sort that was both familiar, but I couldn’t identify.  I’ve said it many times, I’m a picky eater, so my reference group of flavors is fairly small.  Again, this was a nice smoke, accessible to the novice or experienced smoker alike.  

 

The Sovereign No. 3 has a Brazilian Arapiraca wrapper, over what I assume is the same bunch as the No. 1.  This is supposed to be the boldest of the three Sovereigns, and must be front loaded with the ligero, because it started out with a sharp bite.  It quickly settled and had that cloying sweetness that the other two had, along with that baking spice, and some espresso. Despite being numbered out of order, which is more of a me problem, these are all very unique and interesting cigars.  There’s definitely a common thread amongst the three.  

 

The next cigar I smoked was the Monarch.  This cigar also has a Brazilian Arapiraca wrapper, over an undisclosed blend of fillers. It must have been the Brazilian fillers in the other three which gave them the sweetness, because this one was more on the savory side. It actually started out on the harsh side, I was concerned, but it smoothed out. There was a hint of the spice that the others had. So far, my least favorite of the three, but not a bad cigar by any stretch.

 

Finally, the Diplomat.  I failed to take good notes on this one, except that it started out bold.  This one they call “the ambassador of cigars. Representing the balance of strength and sophistication…”. It has the Arapiraca wrapper used on the Sovereign No. 3 and Monarch.  The binder is a San Andrés, and what they refer to as “our most robust long leaf filler”. This cigar was the most full bodied of the range, and quite delicious.  It had some espresso, as well as that signature spice that runs through the portfolio.  All five had a perfect burn and draw, as I said at the beginning of this piece, very well made.  I just took a look at their website, and see that this sampler sells for $96, so they darned well should smoke perfectly.  These are priced high, but that’s not awfully uncommon with cigars made in atypical locations.  Costs of importing all the tobacco, labor, etc. are all much higher.  I would assume they are buying small amounts of tobacco that’s already processed and ready to go, which is more expensive. Considering that they were very unique, and of good quality, I’d smoke them again. the presentation was very nice as well.  Maybe I’ll get to visit one of these days, it seems like a nice island. Many thanks to Scott Hough, one of the founders of the company, for allowing me to try these.

 

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

 

CigarCraig

Share

Comments Off on Cayman Cigar Company Sovereign, Monarch and Diplomat Cigars

Filed under Review

Tagged as , , , , ,

by | February 26, 2023 · 10:39 am

Anonymous, New World and Adventura Cigars

This winter is flying by, it’s already the end of February.  By this time last year I had been to Vegas for the TPE, and a beach vacation to Puerto Rico.  It just doesn’t seem like there’s been time for any of that this year. Thankfully, the weather has cooperated here in PA, but there’s still a few more weeks of winter to go, so anything can happen. Anyway, I dug into the dwindling supply of Secret Santa cigars from Mitch (many thanks again!), and picked out this Anonymous, a perfecto which is one of the Smoke Inn Micro Blends, made by AJ Fernandez. The shape reminds me of the old Drew Estate Chateau Real Gran Cru Perfecto, or the Undercrown Shade Suprema.  It’s 6″ x 54, with a Cameroon wrapper, and binder and fillers from AJ’s farms in Nicaragua.  This was a delicious cigar.  It smoked a little darker in flavor than I expect from a Cameroon, but had that sweet, nuttiness that it should have.  I see that the box pressed version is still available at SI, this was the round, but I’m not clear if the format is the same or the box press is just a parejo, anyone know?

 

I had an ADVentura The Royal Return King’s Gold Robusto in the humidor for a little over a year, and Friday seemed like the right time to smoke it for some reason.  Oddly, I remember when and where this came into my possession. I was at the TPE show after hours at the bar in the Sahara, and a friend, who at the time was a broker who handled Adventura, and is now the VP of a cigar company. To be honest, I didn’t know he was a broker at the time, I figured he was just a fellow cigar media guy.  Anyway, I’ve smoked the Adventura King’s Gold before, in the toro format. On paper, I should love this cigar. It has a Connecticut Broadleaf wrapper, San Andrés binder and Dominican, nicaraguan and Pennsylvania fillers.  For some reason, I have yet to find a cigar from the Ventura factory that floats my boat.  There was nothing wrong with this cigar, it tasted good, burned well, and I liked it well enough, just didn’t really stand out to me.  There are certain factories that I don’t seem to gravitate to, this is one (oddly, Aganorsa is another). Weird, right? 

 

Speaking of AJ Fernandez, I had sent some cigars to my friend Phil over at Comedy, Cigars, Music, with the instruction that no reciprocation was necessary. Much like I would have done, he didn’t listen, and sent me a bunch of cigars I hadn’t smoked before.  One of them was the AJ Fernandez New World Dorado toro. This was my favorite cigar of the week, and I had some other great cigars this week.  I’ve enjoyed a lot of the New World line, but obviously this one is special, as it comes in a ten count box. This was a 6″ x 54 Toro (I see this also comes in a Figurado very similar to the Anonymous! Interested!). It’s a Nicagaruan puro, with the Habano wrapper grown on AJ’s Dorado farm, and Nicaraguan fillers and binder (obviously). This cigar had some spice to start and then had some really nice, tangy fruit and nuts sort of flavors. This was a really tasty smoke!

 

That’s all for today. I need to take a ride today and pick up a couple of the new Fratello cigars I didn’t get last weekend, a fairly local shop has them. Perhaps after I get some stuff around the house done. I’ve had a series of migraines the last couple of days that have sapped my energy, I suspect they are weather related, but might be Chinese Food related, now that I think of it. Anyway, until the next time, 

 

CigarCraig

Share

Comments Off on Anonymous, New World and Adventura Cigars

Filed under Review

Tagged as , , , , , , ,