by | June 8, 2022 · 9:18 am

News: Black Works Studio Showing Killer Bee Shaolin at 2022 PCA Show

 

Check out this news from BLTC. Some people may not know that I like bees, my wife has a couple thousand of them out in the yard. I get to help tend them once in a while. Luckily none are of the killer variety, although one stung me near the ear once and messed with my equilibrium for a few days! Anyway, I’ll try to find one of these when they come out, I’ll need a new source.

 

Black Works Studio (BLK WKS) will be showcasing a new release at this year’s PCA in Las Vegas; KILLER BEE SHAOLIN.

 

SHAOLIN is a small batch release offered on a first-come, first-served basis to BLTCBLK WKS retailers attending PCA 2022. Shipping will commence later this summer.

 

“The Killer Bee line is in a constant state of evolution. It lends itself to a lo

t of different variations and the next one in line is the Shaolin. The Shaolin is a slightly tweaked version of the Killer Bee blend w rapped in a mix of Mexican San Andres, Connecticut, and Candela. The result is a bold but elegant cigar that has layers of complexity,” says James Brown, creator of BLTC/BLK WKS and partner at Fabrica OvejaNegra.

KILLER BEE SHAOLIN
 
Country of Origin: Nicaragua
 
Wrapper(s): Mexican San Andrés, Connecticut, Candela
 
Binder: Honduras Habano
 
Filler: Nicaraguan
 
Size: 5.5×46 Belicoso (24 count box) MSRP $13.50

These cigars are an expression of art showcasing the talent, technique and tobacco of our
boutique cigar factory; Fabrica Oveja Negra.  BLK WKS cigars are available for purchas e through OvejaNegra Brands.  For more information visit OvejaNegraCigars.com.
 
Visit BLTC Booth #627 at this year’s PCA Tradeshow for more information.
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by | June 7, 2022 · 5:33 pm

News: La Gloria Cubana Launches New Serie S Line

Of course, I’ve been a La Gloria Cubana fan since I started smoking cigars back in the mid-90s. Sure, there’s a few here and there that I don’t care for, but for the most part I enjoy the line. I have o

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ne desktop humidor dedicated to the brand, wild, huh? This one sounds like it’ll be right up my alley, taking me back to my first days of smoking cigars, La Glorias and Mexican tobacco! 

 

La Gloria Cubana will debut a new, full-time collection next month. Named “Serie S,” the line marks the first time a Mexican wrapper will be featured in a La Gloria blend.

 

Steve Abbot, director of marketing for La Gloria Cubana said, “Serie S combines large-ring formats, expert blending and fine craftsmanship in a medium-to-full-bodied smoke. We believe this new collection will be a well-received addition to the brand portfolio.”

 

For Serie S, the La Gloria Cubana blending team selected a Mexican San Andrés wrapper which is grown in potassium-rich volcanic soil. Following a prolonged, low-temperature fermentation, the Serie S wrapper bears a warm, golden brown color that hints at the slightly sweet, earthy qualities it imparts on the smoking experience. With a Nicaraguan binder and blend of Nicaraguan and Dominican filler tobacco, La Gloria Cubana Serie S also delivers leather, light spice and a pleasant aroma.

 

La Gloria Cubana Serie S is handcrafted at the El Credito Cigar Factory in Santiago, Dominican Republic.

 

Shipping in mid-July, 

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La Gloria Cubana Serie S will debut with three sizes, packed in bold black cabinet-style boxes that each house 24 cigars. 

 

Robusto Gordo (5.5” x 56); SRP per cigar $7.99

Gigante (6 “ x 60); SRP per cigar $8.49

Presidente (7” x 56); SRP per cigar $8.99

 

La Gloria Cubana is distributed by Forged Cigar Company.

 

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by | June 5, 2022 · 9:12 am

Liga Privada H99, Villiger San D’Oro and Nica Rustica Adobe Cigars

Monday was Memorial Day and that called for some special smokes. I pulled out the Liga Privada H99 that Joe Gro of Drew Estate gave me back in January at the TPE show. I’m not sure why I had been waiting to smoke this, but I figured a nice afternoon off was a great time to light it up.  According to the Drew Estate Website:  “Maintaining the core tenants of the Liga firebrand, the H99 features a Corojo capa from the heart of the Connecticut River Valley, where we grow the mighty leaf that graces Liga Privada with a San Andres Otapan Negro Último Corte capote over a core blend of well-aged Nicaraguan and Honduran tripa leaf.”  I like how this is written, it’s an obvious nod to the original creator of the Liga Privada line, who else uses terms like “capa”, “capote”, and “tripa” instead of wrapper, binder and filler? 😀.  This cigar burned very nicely, and was less like a Liga Privada cigar than I expected. I suppose it was more on the T52 end, obviously, it wasn’t as heavy as it’s broadleaf counterparts. I found it has a bit of spice, some salty, savoriness, and a hint of sweetness. It was very good, certainly worthy of the occasion.  As I often do, I finished the holiday weekend off with an old favorite, this time it was a Fuente Hemingway Classic, as aptly named as a cigar could be. 

 

I slacked off this week and didn’t write a midweek post. Pure laziness on my part, I have no excuse.  I did smoke some cigars I really like though, a Stolen Throne Three Kingdoms, an Undercrown 10, and a new Perla Del Mar Maduro (more on that another time). Another one I revisited was the Villiger San’Doro toro. I found a three pack in the humidor and decided to smoke one and had forgotten how much I liked this cigar. This one is the Colorado, with a ruddy brown Ecuador wrapper, and Nicaraguan binder and filler. I’m not sure how old this three pack is, but I think it’s newer, which means these were made at Joya de Nicaragua.  I probably have an old one around that was made at Placencia if I dive into the humidor a little deeper. I really enjoyed the flavor of this cigar, it had a cane sugar sweetness that I like a lot, but it was intermittent, so it didn’t get boring. I know Villiger premium cigars don’t get a ton of traction, but they tend to be pretty good, as far as I’m concerned. 

 

Yesterday I stopped in to the Wooden Indian where they were having a Drew Estate event featuring the new Nica Rustica Adobe, which they had in limited supply.  I picked up five toros and smoked one there in the Liga Privada Lounge, while catching up with Dave, Dan and their excellent staff, as well as Ray from Drew Estate and Matty Rock, famous for being Matty Rock. I had my choice of the three vitolas the Adobe is available in, and stuck with the Toro, even though I haven’t had the robusto yet, but I didn’t really like the gordo I tried inthe Freestyle pack. I’ve smoked a ton of Nica Rusticas, I really like them. We even went to the Belly launch event in Kentucky back in 2015. This was the third Adobe I’ve smoked and it’s growing on me, I’m liking the smoothness and balance. It has a bit of a creaminess, the Habano wrapper instead of Broadleaf makes a big difference. When this was the Freestyle live mystery cigar I had no idea this was what it was going to be, although I know one person in particular nailed it. you can’t beat the price, both versions are going to have a place in my humidor I think.

 

That’s all for today! It’s been a beautiful weekend, and I need to get out and get some things done, maybe smoke some more cigars!  Don’t forget to check out www.battleshipbeef.com and come out to the Battleship, Beef and Bourbon for the Ship Red Meat Lovers Club event. It should prove to be an orgiastic feast of the senses! Until the next time,

 

CigarCraig 

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by | May 29, 2022 · 9:13 am

Platinum Nova and a Couple Guardian of the Farm Cigars

It’s Memorial Day weekend already, time is flying! I hope everyone enjoys the weekend and remembers why we celebrate it. I started the weekend smoking a Platinum Nova Leo 11 that Leonor Abzaradel, the CEO of Platinum Nova Cigars, sen

t me following the TPE show. She sent me a handful of cigars because she told me at the show that she wasn’t happy with the condition of the samples she had there, which was a very nice move on her part. This 6″ x 54 toro with a pigtail cap was very pretty, as their cigars tend to be. The aren’t generally inexpensive, so they should look good. This has an Ecuador Habano wrapper and Nicaraguan fillers and binder. This cigar has a very unique flavor. It has a heavy, dare I say, cloying, experience on the palate. It’s like a dark fruit like a ripe plum or something, crossed with black licorice. It was weird and wonderful at the same time. extremely different from any cigar I can remember smoking. This was so much different than the Leo X, which was more subtle and delicate (see here).  It was a v

ery interesting and fascinating smoke!

 

Yesterday I took a drive to check out a shop I’d recently heard about in nearby Reading PA, Smokies. It’s a very nice shop, a walk-in humidor in the back with all the standard fare, and cabinets lining the wall with boutique brands. They appeared well stocked and the two level lounge was very comfortable. It was easy to get to and had ample parking. The staff was excellent as well. If you find yourself in Reading (you know, the Reading RR in Monopoly?), check it out. I picked up a few Aganorsa cigars that I’ve been wanting to try, and started with the Guardian of the Farm Cerberus Toro. This 6½ x 54 Toro has a Nicaraguan Corojo wrapper and Nicaraguan binder and fillers. Oddly, I struggle to find an Aganorsa cigar I love. This falls into the “woody” flavor spectrum to me, which isn’t in my top five, but it was still an enjoyable cigar. I kick myself for choosing the Toro over the Lonsdale, but I almost always go Toro. I have another, and I think I might like it more if it were a little bit drier. We’ll see.

 

A little rant, if I may. I received yet another email from the PCA trying to entice me to re-join and attend the trade show. This email offered to share my contact information (as a media member) with the exhibitors, as well as list me on the PCA website.  I’m sorry, but, as a member, shouldn’t my contact information already be listed in the directory and on the website? I was born at night, but not last night. I will attend the show when media is invited to cover the show as media, not sold a “membership” and made to believe they are getting more than a ticket to the show out of it. And stop with the guilt trip of “support the industry”, what do you think we do when we take our own time and money to promote the industry? That just irritated me, and I needed to get it off my chest. By the way, there are any number of ways I could get into the show if I so desired, but I’m making a statement by not going.

 

I may have found that elusive Aganorsa Leaf cigar that I really like in the Guardian of the Farm Nightwatch Maduro.  I picked up a couple in the Campeon shape, with is a Toro with a 109 head. This makes it almost a torpedo or belicoso shape. Honestly, I can’t remember if I’ve smoked a cigar in this shape, I’ve heard the term tossed around, but I don’t know if I’ve held one in my hand. It’s 6″ x 52, which is the right size for me, with a dark, oily Aganorsa Leaf Shade Grown Corojo Maduro wrapper.  The binder and filler are, of course, also Aganorsa tobacco grown in Nicaragua. Perhaps “maduro” is the key for me, because this was a delicious cigar, and I dug it. Like the Cerberus, this one could have stood to be a little drier, but that’s why I always buy more than one! Dark chocolate and coffee, just like I like, with some saltiness, maybe. This was a great smoke. I was actually hoping to catch up with Terance while he was in the area, but couldn’t manage to coordinate that. Maybe the next time. 

 

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

 

CigarCraig

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by | May 25, 2022 · 12:06 pm

News: Punch Launches “The People’s Champ” Cigar

General Cigar has a long history of crowdsourcing their cigar releases like this. They did it with the Cameroon Excalibur, a CAO release, at least those are two that immediately sprang to mind. None of these were actually named after the process from what I can recall. It sounds like a good blend, and good for them for keeping the price down, this seems to be Punches thing these days. We can all use a break, ri

ght? 

 

A new cigar from Punch called “The People’s Champ,” will ship in early June. The cigar is the result of input from thousands

of dyed-in-the-wool Punch fans who guided every aspect of the cigar and its packaging.

 

The Punch Brotherhood, an online-based group of Punch brand enthusiasts from across the US, started collaborating on The People’s Champ cigar in 2019, providing feedback to the Punch brand and cigar-making teams in the U.S. and Honduras. Three years later, with input on everything from the profile and the size of the cigar to its packaging, Punch will proudly unveil the limited edition robusto.

 

Punch brand manager John Hakim said, “We asked. They told. We crafted. This is the best way to describe how The People’s Champ cigar was created. While some may say we spent a lot of time on such a limited run of cigars, we beg to differ. We learned so much from Punch’s most devoted fans, and those insights will be incredibly valuable in guiding us on future releases.”

 

Crafted at HATSA in Honduras, The People’s Champ cigar features a five-country blend, made with a rich Honduran Habano wrapper from the Talanga Valley, with a Mexican San Andrean binder and fillers from the Dominican Republic, Brazil and Nicaragua.

 

The People’s Champ is a brick and mortar exclusive that will be sold to an elite group of Punch retailers across the country. The cigars will be available in both 5 and 10-count, paper-wrapped bundles which will ship to retailers on June 1. The cigar’s imagery will be revealed at that time via the Punch website.

 

 

The People’s Champ (5” x 50); SRP per cigar $6.49

 

The medium bodied experience begins with a hint of sweetness and builds to notes of nuts and leather, with a white pepper finish.

 

 About Punch Cigars

Punch cigars are produced by General Cigar Co. Inc., which manufactures and markets handcrafted cigars for the premium market. Committed to delivering cigars of the finest quality, General Cigar also produces Macanudo®, Cohiba®, Partagas®
Hoyo de Monterrey®, Excalibur®, La Gloria Cubana® and several other leading premium brands. In addition, the company grows its own premium Connecticut Shade wrapper tobacco, as well as natural and candela wrapper in the Dominican Republic. General Cigar also operates Club Macanudo®, a cigar bar in New York City. Based in Richmond, VA, General Cigar sells through tobacconists nationwide. For more information, please visit www.cigarworld.com.

 

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