by | August 23, 2020 · 10:46 am

A Liga Privada Serie Unico “A” and Some JRE Aladino Cigars

Friday wrapped up my first week at the new job, and I felt like it was a success, and my boss expressed his satisfaction, so it seems like it’s going to be a good gig. As I often do, I rummaged through

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the humidors looking for a cigar, and I wanted something befitting the occasion, but not only did I want something to celebrate the end of the work week (by the way, this is the first time since April of 2018 that I’ve worked Monday to Friday, 8-4:30, like a regular person!), but I also wanted something that would get me fairly deep into game 6 of the Flyers, possibly clinching, playoff game. I was in the NewAir CC-300H and spied a pair of Drew Estate Liga Privada Serie Unico “A”s, one each from two of the Barnsmokers I’ve been to on the top shelf. I also have a coffin with two that’s probably 6 years old in there, but these two were just sitting there on the shelf, vulnerable, so I took one to smoke. I figured this was a great occasion for a 9¼” x 48 cigar. I must have smoked one of these sometime over the past few years, because I should have had one more I think, but I can’t really remember. I took a walk, my usual one mile loop, and got back and had a double corona. By the time the Hockey game started I had a Churchill. The cigar got me through the first two periods. The timing was excellent. Flavorwise it was a nice cigar, T-52ish on the Liga scale. It has the Stalk Cut Connecticut Habano wrapper, which is amazing that the grow the leaves that large.  It starts a little milder than a normal Liga, but the smoke has a mile of tobacco to filter it. It was a great tasting cigar, not overly unique or exciting, but interesting enough to not get bored with it over the two and a half hours I spent smoking it. Would I smoke another one? You bet! 

 

I’m smoking an JRE Aladino Connecticut Robusto as I type this, more as we go along. CigarProp Kevin sent me an Aladino sampler and apart from the Maduro, Toro and Lancero I really haven’t smoked any JRE cigars. I’ve been working my way through the sampler this weekend. I started with the Aladino Corojo Reserva. One can’t help but notice the similarity between the Aladino band and the old Camacho bands, and the similarity extends to the authentic corojo in blend and the fact that the flavor of the cigar harkens back to the many Camacho Corojos I smoked in the 90s and early 2000s, when Julio Eiroa and his son Christian owned Camacho. I actually smoked my first Camacho in 1996, but it was pre-Christian’s involvement I think. This is a bold smoke with rich leather and spice and I liked it a lot, as much for the sentimentality as the flavor. It was perfectly constructed, and a pleasure to smoke.

 

The Connecticut is very flavorful, not at all mild, and quite tasty! Perfect with coffee and staying lit while I’m ignoring it for long stretches while I type my nonsense. I was quite intrigued by the JRE Aladino Cameroon. Any time I see a Cameroon made by someone that’s not Fuente, La Aurora, Partagas, or someone who’s been making Cameroon cigars for decade

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s, I look forward to seeing the interpretation. I love Cameroon, it’s a great tasting wrapper, and even when used as a binder it adds a little something extra (look at the CroMagnon, it has a Cameroon binder and I think that is part of what makes it unique). This is another Aladino that burned perfectly. They really know how to make cigars right in this factory. I’m guessing the whole Bayer Crop Science processes they use on the farms extends to the factory as well, with regards to the quality control processes. The Cameroon had the nutty flavor on top of a fairly full bodied core which is a little different. Cameroon was almost a background flavor and not domina

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nt, as it is in many cigars with that wrapper. That was my take on it anyway. The same can be said for this Connecticut I’m smoking now, although the shade wrapper flavor is a bit more dominant, but the slight sweet grassiness is there, but it’s got a bit off ass to it! It’s no wimpy smoke. I have to say, my favorite Connecticut wrapped cigars hail from Honduras, and this ranks right up there. Very nice. 

 

So far, I have to say that to my palate, the JRE line suits me more than the CLE line. I’ve known Christian personally for many years (and he’s never once given me a cigar, btw 😁, no that it factors in to this), but I haven’t yet found a CLE cigar that trips my trigger. The Asylums I like. JRE, in my limited sampling, are outstanding, remind me of the tons of Camachos I smoked years ago, and get my attention. Thanks again to Kevin for sharing. Speaking of Kevin, and there will be more on this later, but head over to Smoke Inn and buy one of his samplers in their Battle of the Bands! All of the contestants are great, all of them are friends of mine, but I think Kevin is the new guy on the block and the underdog, and has a great sampler. That’s all for today, until the next time, 

 

CigarCraig 

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by | August 19, 2020 · 8:25 pm

J.C. Newman’s Yagua and Viajante’s Sweet Grass Gringo Cigars

I’ve been hoping to try J.C. Newman’s new Yaguera since seeing several of my cigar media brethren posting videos opening the boxes of these unique cigars, and after posting their press release about this unique cigar last month.  This is a 6″ x 54 toro, my favored size, that comes in various shapes due to being rolled without molds, and wet backed in bundles and wrapped in palm leaves, so that the cigars assume strange shapes. I’m reminded of the old Henry Clay Brevas, or Brevas ala Conserva, maybe both, that were made this way, and were the same shapes, and, ironically, also had a Connecticut Broadleaf wrapper. My friend CigarProp Kevin was kind enough to send me a couple, and I couldn’t wait to smoke one! This is a terrific smoke, heavy and rich, not dissimilar from those Henry Clays I remember, but perhaps with more sweetness, and a more modern feel. This is a Nicaraguan cigar, without a doubt, and it smoked very well. it wasn’t pretty, it had no symmetry, might have been seven sided, with no two sides being the same, but it sure smoked well and I loved it. It’ll be on my list of cigars to acquire more of when I get the opportunity. Many thanks to Kevin for sharing thi

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with me.

 

If you are one who watched cigar videos on YouTube, an

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d you aren’t watching Kevin’s I’d Tap That and Cigar Prop YouTube shows, you should subscribe and watch. He’s definitely one of the hot shows out there. He’s flirting with 4000 subscribers, if you aren’t one of them, please subscribe so he can hit that milestone and keep growing. Kevin has been a great friend of CigarCriag.com over the years, we’ve supported one another  in many projects and I consider him one of my great friends! 

 

One of the other cigars Kevin shared with me, and there were a bunch recently, was a cigar made by another guy with a popular video series, Viajante’s Stogie Road. From what I know, Kerr Viajante, which I believe is a pseudonym, started a vlog  chronicling his travels to cigar shops, then launched and ecommerce site selling boutique cigars, and developed his own brands with Dr. Gabby Kafie in Honduras. His latest cigar is the Sweet Grass Gringo, a bar

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ber pole with Connecticut Shade and Candela wrappers intertwined. I was intrigued. There’s a lot that could be off putting with this combination, especially if someone prefers dark, heavy cigars. The cigar is 6½” x 52, which is a nice size. Prelight has a distinct minty flavor on the head, very interesting. I’m not sure where that comes from. I didn’t find this cigar to be necessarily mild, more medium, which was a bit surprising, and it had a really refreshing, bright flavor. It wasn’t overly grassy, as one might expect, you could taste the candela and Connecticut Shade, but neither were overwhelming, they seemed to compliment one another well to make a smooth, well balanced cigar that was a really nice change of pace. I really enjoyed this cigar in a much different way than I enjoy a more full bodied cigar. It was still satisfying, and very clean on the palate. 

 

First few days on the new job are going well, I think this one might be a keeper! It’s been over two years since I worked a normal schedule, so I need to get used to that! It is only a three mile commute, so I don’t spend a lot of time in the car! That’s all for today, until then next time, 

 

CigarCraig 

 

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by | August 17, 2020 · 9:55 pm

News: Protocol Cigars Announces Protocol Eliot Ness

I think this is the best press release from Protocol issued to date! I’m looking forward to getting ahold of this one, but I still haven’t tried the Sir Robert Peel yet, so I’m a little behind on my Protocol sampling. I’ll  have to do something about that. 


Protocol Cigars is proud to announce the release of The Protocol Eliot Ness. It is the second installment of the newly created “Lawmen Series.” The Protocol Eliot Ness will continue the more refined and regal look of last year’s release of the Sir Robert Peel. The Sir Robert Peel was a bold change from the more modern look that Protocol Cigars had established up until that time. It used more of a traditional, elegant, sophisticated, and regal packaging design. Juan Cancel, co-founder and owner of Protocol Cigars said: “The Sir Robert Peel was a total change of direction for the company. We wanted to offer our supporters a more regal product from marketing, packaging, and to the actual tobacco used in the blend. We wanted to stay true to our working class supporters, but wanted to also offer them a higher end product. Sometimes the average working Joe likes to put on a suit and get a little fancy while smoking his cigar. It was a bold move and it paid off. The Protocol Sir Robert Peel was and continues to be a tremendous success for us. We figured why not continue on the coattails of that success.” Continuing that look and feel we present the Protocol Eliot Ness.  

The company has created the “Lawmen Series,” which Sir Robert Peel was the first installment. Continuing with the company’s law enforcement theme, they have created the Protocol Eliot Ness. The concept is that criminals are so often glorified in Hollywood and in media. Very rarely do the men and woman who work tirelessly to bring these criminal to justice are ever recognized. This is where the “Lawmen Series” comes in. The “Lawmen Series” will pay homage to the law enforcement personnel that bring these glorified criminals to justice. 

 

Eliot Ness was a Federal Agent in the Bureau of Prohibition. This agency was created in 1920 to enforce the National Prohibition Act of 1919. Eliot Ness was assigned to Chicago, Illinois. In 1931 Eliot Ness arrested American Gangster Al Capone. That year adorns the Protocol Eliot Ness Band. The Protocol Eliot Ness was created to honor this dedicated and hard working law enforcement officer.

 

Another first time and bold move by Protocol Cigars was to offer the Sir Robert Peel in a Natural and Maduro. To keep with that history, the Protocol Eliot Ness will also come in a Natural and Maduro offering. Both blends are Nicaraguan Puros, where all tobacco comes from Nicaragua. The natural will have a Double Habano wrapper/binder with Viso/Seco/Criollo fillers. The maduro will have a beautiful dark and oily Nicaraguan Broadleaf. Both the natural and maduro share the same habano binder. The natural’s filler are Viso/Seco/Corojo from Esteli and Jalapa. There is something very special about these 2 blends. It is the first time Protocol Cigars have offered a cigar with no ligero tobacco in the blend. Kevin Keithan, co-owner states: “We wanted to do something new and exciting for us. This is the first blend we offer to the market that has no ligero tobacco. A far cry from our first offering in 2015 that had quadruple ligero in the filler. So all the strength and power of the blends come from the other tobaccos. It is a very unique smoking experience, especially for those who are used to smoking Protocol Cigars. We are super excited about this project!” The Protocol Eliot Ness will come in 10 count boxes in a 6X52 Boxed Press Vitola. The MSRP will be $119.50 and available by mid to late fall and will be a full production line. 

 

Another first for the company is that the Protocol

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Eliot Ness will be manufactured at AJ Fernandez’s San Lotano Factory in Ocotal, Nicaraguan, under the direction of Erik Espinosa. The cigar was blended by Protocol Cigars, under the guidance of La Zona’s blender Hector Alfonso Sr. “We really wanted this cigar to be done with a Connecticut Broadleaf, unfortunately it’s very scarce right now. We are fortunate enough to have a great relationship with AJ Fernandez. AJ offered us the use of his proprietary Nicaraguan Broadleaf, which lead to his offer to actually manufacture the cigars in his factory. The Protocol Elliot Ness will be manufactured using his tobaccos, while following the blend we created. We are eternally grateful to AJ Fernandez, Erik Espinosa and Hector Alfonso Sr. for their help in making this project a reality!” Said Juan Cancel.  

 

Protocol Eliot Ness Natural:

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Wrapper: Nicaraguan Habano

Binder: Habano, Esteli

Filler: Nicaraguan Viso/Seco/Criollo 

 

Protocol Eliot Ness Maduro:

Wrapper: Nicaraguan Broadleaf

Binder: Habano, Esteli 

Filler: Viso/Seco/Corojo: Esteli/Jalapa

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by | August 16, 2020 · 11:17 am

A Diamond Crown Maximus a Julius Caeser and Some Cigar Trivia

I’ve been celebrating this whole finding a new job thing pretty hard, smoking some good cigars while I still have the time! Starting tomorrow I’ll have to get back to my evening cigar walk routine, not that that is a bad thing! It’ll be nice to have a Monday to Friday, 8-4:30 gig again after over two years (between not having a job, and having a retail schedule with nights and weekends). I’m looking forward to settling into the routine! It’ll also be nice to have a roughly 7 minute commute! I love not having to waste a lot of time driving and wear and tear on vehicles, and since my car gets 38 mpg, and my bike gets about 55, I won’t be spending a lot on gas. So I’ve been smoking so great cigars, like I said. I started off with a Sin Compromiso that I had bought when we visited Best Cigar Pub in June. It was amazing, and a prelude to my appearance on The Retrohale podcast, where I smoked a Sobremesa Short Churchill with the guys. Give the show a listen, it’s a good time and I didn’t embarrass myself too much! 

 

I came across the J.C. Newman Julius Caeser Hail Caeser, the 6″ x 60 that they introduced a few years ago, whole poking around one of the better drawers in the wineador, and decided it would be a great celebration cigar. I’m so sad that this was the last one I had, because it was a wonderful cigar! I seem to forget how much I like this cigar until I smoke it, then I remember and wonder why I don’t keep more of these around. I think the only one I have left on hand is in a 2014 Toast Across America box that my daughter surprised me with for my birthday that year. I suppose the fact that I rarely drop upwards of $17 on a cigar plays into it, but I probably would for this cigar, heck, I did for the Sin Compromiso, and this is it’s equal.It’s rich, sweet and creamy, I’m a fan. I may have to treat myself to a few to have on hand. 

 

Smoking the Julius Caeser, and the barrage of Yagua news and pictures I’ve seen (I was hoping some would arrive before writing this, but they didn’t, more on those later, TY KS in advance), I felt compelled to smoke another top shelf J.C. Newman offering, the Diamond Crown Maximus Toro No. 4. I remember when Maximus was released about 15 years ago. I loved the Diamond Crown, but it was a little too mild for me (I still love it, I have to be in the right mood). I was thrilled when they came out with the MAximus because it was more full bodied, and this one has some oomph to it. It has a Sungrown Ecuador wrapper, which is funny because most of the tobacco growing regions in Ecuador are known for being predominantly cloud-covered. It’s a dark wrapper, oily, almost rustic, but beautiful with a lovely flavor. The cigar has a rich, dense smoke, with dark-roast coffee flavors, it‘s really a nice cigar, I put it in that “classic” category that I’d like to have a box in my humidor, up there with Fuente Don Carlos and Hemingway, Ashton VSG, etc. I know there’s a common thread there, but it’s funny that some of the cigars I consider humidor staples are Fuentes and Padrons. Anyway, I’d put a box of Maximus in my humidor in a heartbeat (and/or Julius Caeser!). You know how I like to pick on website feux pas, I think the last two sizes on their size chart are reversed, but I’m probably one of the few who would notice or care!

 

 

I’m going to wrap up with an interesting (to me, anyway) bit of trivia. I mentioned this to Dave Garofalo years ago, now that he has The Snack Authority podcast, maybe he might want to bring it up. If you’ve ever had an Avanti or Parodi cigar and seen the way they are packaged, in a cardboard tray wrapped in cello and thought it looked familiar, it’s because the Avanti/Parodi company actually bought that packaging machine from Tootsie Roll. The classic 2.25oz Tootsie Roll bar came packaged in the same cardboard tray and cello as the Avanti and Parodi cigars. By the way, you should avoid Tootsie Rolls if you have certain dental work, I learned that the hard way at an IPCPR in New Orleans a few years ago! Took a temporary crown right off! It’s the last Tootsie Roll I ever ate. Your bit of cigar trivia for the day. 

 

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

 

CigarCraig

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by | August 12, 2020 · 3:29 pm

CAO Bones and Pilón Cigars

I received some samples of the new CAO Bones cigars from General Cigars last week, along with some Pilóns too. I smoked the Pilóns when they came out in 2015 and wasn’t awfully enamoured with them, which isn’t really unusual for the CAO line, it’s one of those brands where I either really like a marque or I don’t. It’s like the Amazon series, I really like the Fuma and Anaconda, but not so much the Basin and Orallana. I have been smoking a lot of CAOs recently, probably because I bought a bunch from CigarThief, then Bones came along. A happy coincidence. By the way, I had a job interview this morning, I think it went well, I start Monday! LEt’s start with the Pilón. The reason this one has renewed interest is that the French Magazine L’Amateur de Cigare just named it cigar of the year. Here’s the press release that I didn’t post when it came out:

 

CAO Pilón Named Cigar of the Year by L’Amateur de Cigare

 

CAO Pilón was named “Cigar of the Year” by celebrated international cigar magazine L’Amateur de Cigare.

The magazine’s prestigious tasting panel rated a total of 450 cigars, with Pilón ultimately winning out against the finest cigars available in France, one of the world’s leading markets for handmade cigars. 

Regis Broersma, president of General Cigar said, “We are extremely proud that CAO Pilón received this honor from such a distinguished and respected international publication. When we created Pilón, we developed the brand according to a 19th-century Cuban fermentation technique, so it is ironic that Pilón beat out the best of the best cigars from Cuba, as well as other top cigar-producing countries.”

L’Amateur de Cigare described Pilón as “elegant” and hails its “great complexity and agreeable persistence,” while praising Pilón’s “satisfying finish” and “excellent value.”

CAO Pilón was introduced in the U.S. in 2015 and launched in France in 2018 at an exclusive event in Paris at the DuPont headquarters. 

Handcrafted in Nicaragua at STG

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Esteli, Pilón was created by Rick Rodriguez and the CAO blending team who utilized the labor-intensive pilón process of natural fermentation to maximize the flavor and color of the Cuban seed Ecuadoran wrapper, delivering a taste and appearance unattainable through other methods. The blend consists of spicy Nicaraguan filler and binder leaves from the distinctive growing regions of Esteli and Ometepe. CAO Pilón bears a deep, rich color and an incredible depth of flavor, featuring notes of wood, spice and a touch of sweetness.

CAO Pilón is available in the U.S. and in select markets worldwide in these formats:

Churchill 7x 48 – SRP per cigar $8.49

Robusto Extra 5 x 52 – SRP per cigar $7.49

Corona 5.5 x 44 – SRP per cigar $7.09

Toro 6 x 58 – SRP per cigar $8.49

Torpedo – 7 x 54 – SRP per cigar $8.89 

 

I smoked one that they just sent, and pulled one that I found buried in the humidor from 5 years ago. I didn’t get around to smoking the older one, I decided to celebrate landing a job after nine months of frustration with a Sin Compromiso instead, sorry Ricky! I have my reasons. Anyway, the Pilón still doesn’t really do it fr me. It’s the wood, maybe mushroomy lack of sweetness that doesn’t endear it to me, but must be something the French appreciate! I suppose I can

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see how a palate that’s used to Havana cigars would appreciate it. I think it’s appropriate now to move from the old to the new!

 

Bones! As you’ll recall from the press release I posted a couple weeks ago (here), CAO Bones pays homage to dominos and dice games. If you buy a box, it comes with a pair of dice. When I took a pic for Instagram, I asked my son if he had an interesting die I could include in the pic, as much as I love the Cigar Props, it gets a little boring seeing the same poses in the IG feed! Corey came through with his bag of dice, which I thought made for a neat shot. Anyway, this is one of the CAO cigars that hits me right. The Connecticut broadleaf wrapper combines nicely with the Connecticut shade binder  and Honduran, Nicaraguan and Dominican filers to make a very enjoyable smoke that’s, in my opinion, on the stronger side. General almost always sends robustos to sample, in this line they call it the Chicken Foot, which is a dominos game I’

m to understand (I’m ignorant in the way of dominos, unless it’s delivered, or comes in a bag, ie. sugar). That means I’m going to be forced to go buy the other sizes to sample. There is a creamy sweetness that is just beneath the surface, barely there, but noticeable under the heavy espresso- cocoa of the Broadleaf. I smoked a sec

ond one while watching Ricky and Doug (whom I’ve yet to meet) on a Zoom presentation about Bones last night, rarely do I smoke two of the same cigar on consecutive days, but this one is a good one, I can’t seem to get enough (although it apparently isn’t good enough to celebrate finally getting hired after a nine month search, is it?). I look forward to trying the other sizes especially after Doug and Rick built up the larger sizes on their show. I don’t have a problem with large cigars anyway. I don’t think I’ll be smoking as many in the coming weeks. Anyway, good cigars, good news in a weird year filled with uncertainty. Now, I have 4 days to wrap up some projects! 

 

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

 

CigarCraig

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