by | July 15, 2020 · 10:13 am

Groovy Guy Gifts, Some Miami News, and a Platinum Nova Perfecto Cigar

My friends over at Groovy Guy Gifts have, once again, increased their selection of cigar related offerings. I always applaud mainstream companies that include cigar items in their product mix. Tommy Bahama does it, and Groovy Guy Gifts does it too. I have a few items from them that they’ve personalized, which they do very well. They are great for getting gifts, for guys…I guess that’s obvious. One of the new items they offer is the Stinky Car Ashtray. Unfortunately, this can’t be personalized, but it ships quick, tracking is provided and it’s a solid ashcan for the car. It has a solid hinge, and the spring clips to hold your cigar are gentle enough not to damage a reasonable sized vitola. This is only going to be useful in a cup holder though, as the lid throws the balance off (the Xikar Ashcan has the advantage here, it can be used as a stand-alone unit). This will be a welcome addition to the car, as it fits in the cup holder better than the Xikar, it’s one piece, where the Xikar is two, and the rest/holder is more secure. I’ve always had great interactions with the folks at Groovy Guy Gifts, if you have an event or occasion where you need a little something personalized for some guys, this is the place to get it done.

 

Here’s a news item for my readers in the south Florida area mostly, or those traveling there. It’s an odd time for this, in my thinking. I suppose if you planned this for a long time and kept to your timeline, this is the way it works out. I wish everyone involved the best with this!

EMPIRE SOCIAL LOUNGE LOCATED IN SOUTH MIAMI (DOWNTOWN DADELAND) NOW OPEN

The much-anticipated Empire Social Lounge is the newest project by the proprietors of Casa De Montecristo by Prime Cigar & Whiskey Bar

 

South Miami welcomes Empire Social Lounge, the second Miami location by the founders of the Prime Cigar brand. Located in Downtown Dadeland at 8955 Dadeland Blvd #D-170, Miami, Florida 33156, Empire Social is bringing a dose of “Sophisticated Relaxation” to South Miami. Proprietors Jason Reznik, Ryan Leeds and Peter Berntsen will proudly unveil Empire Social (which is the evolution of the Prime Cigar brand). Hour of operation Sunday – Saturday, 12:00 Noon until close.

 

“Sophisticated Relaxation” is a motto created by Empire Social/Prime Cigars founders, Jason Reznik and Ryan Leeds.It was embraced by patrons of their first venture which was Prime Cigar Boca Raton, considered THE cigar & whiskey lounge in all of Florida. The popularity of Prime Cigar Boca Raton carried over to their second venture, the widely acclaimed Casa de Montecristo by Prime Cigar & Whiskey Bar in Brickell-Miami. The success of these two locations created a demand in the Magic City which will spawn the much-anticipated Empire Social Lounge.

 

The Empire Social brand is a sophisticated lounge, which features a walk-in humidor, full bar stocked with rare and hard to find whiskeys, member’s lounge, and patio. Custom furniture and design elements (which exude simple elegance) will please the cigar aficionados, or those looking for a unique experience, a rare whiskey, craft cocktails, or a nightcap. Empire Social is perfect anchor location for one of Miami’s most dynamic neighborhoods, Downtown Dadeland.

The owners and management are well known for being customer-centric which led to the commission of a state-of-the-art air control system for Empire Social Lounge. This innovative A/C replaces 100 percent of the air constantly to provide an environment which will curb smoke and create a comfortable environment for patrons.

 

The Prime Cigar/Empire Social brand was born out of the life experiences between father and son. Ryan Leeds and his father shared a close relationship, as they bonded over the love of premium cigars, fine spirits, traveling, and all things luxury. Ryan was inspired to bring together best elements of his travels under one roof. Today, guests come from all over the world to experience “Sophisticated Relaxation.”

 

About Empire Social Lounge


Empire Social is the evolution of the Prime Cigar brand, founded in 2010, which ushered in a new way to engage those who enjoy sophisticated experiences. Empire Social Lounge will feature premium cigars, top-shelf spirits, and fine wines while boasting a state-of-the-art air control system, ensuring a comfortable smoke-friendly environment. Empire Social Lounge will open its doors respecting all CDC guidelines including social distancing. 

 

For more information about Empire Social Lounge, please visit www.empiresociallounge.com

Follow on social via @EmpireSocialLounge

 

 

We’ve been freshening up the back porch, the place I spend most of my time. Repainiting and replacing the screens, mostly, and replacing some wood here and there. I’d say it’s about 40% done. I’m trying to figure out the best way to put windows on the north-east facing side that gets the most rain comin

g in, solid plexiglass sheets? Old-style jalousie type louvers? As you can imagine, now is not the time to be trying to buy sheets of plexiglass! Anyway, between coats of paint yesterday I smoked a Platinum Nova Perfecto that I brought home from the TPE show. I generally wouldn’t sit down, all sweaty, paint on my hands, needing a shower, and smoke a $25 cigar, but this one had been at the top of the humidor, and I’m pretty low on cigars I haven’t smoked before. So I figured, screw it, it’s a perfect size for between coats, I’ll smoke it anyway. This is a beautiful 4½” x 56 perfecto, with a Nicaragua Rojiza 2000 wrapper, Nicaraguan binder and Dominican 98 (Criollo? not telling what varietal of Dominican!) filler. Rojiza means Reddish or ruddy, and the wrapper is that, it’s on the rosado side. The cigar was a brilliant cigar in every way, maybe one of the best Nova cigars I’ve smoked. It had a sweet, floral flavor, very interesting and pleasing. It was on the milder side of medium, but it had a lot of flavor, if that makes sense, and the flavor was entertaining. I really enjoyed this little cigars, although I don’t know how I feel about the cost. Personally, I wouldn’t be able to pry my wallet open that far for a short cigar like this, but it was a great smoke, there’s no denying the quality. I’m humbled to have had the opportunity to smoke this, it was delicious! I smoked a spectacular Dunbarton Tobacco and Trust Todos Las Dias Thick Lonsdale last night too, my favorite size in that line, for sure. 

 

That’s all for today, I think. I need to go to Home Depot and buy some trim for the outside of the screens and put it on, and stop for a birthday cake for my wife. We usually go out for dinner to celebrate, but I don’t see that happening, so maybe I’ll order out tonight. Weird times we live in. It would be so much easier if I could just give her a nice cigar!  Anyway, that’s all for today, until the next time, 

 

CigarCraig 

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by | July 12, 2020 · 10:51 am

Smoking Some Favorites: Marchetti, Partagas, Don Carlos and Some Heavy Lighter Thoughts

I didn’t get into anything new and noteworthy this week, tending to fall back to some favorite cigars. I’ll throw some highlights out. I’ve raved about the Don Juan Calavera line from Danli Honduras Tabacos in the past (recently rebranding to DAHOT). The have a box pressed maduro cigar called the Marchetti, named after one

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of the factory owner’s mothers, that’s absolutely wonderful, and has become a favorite “go-to” cigar for me. Like the other cigars in the company’s portfolio, I never have a construction issue, they always perform well, and they flavor is right in my wheelhouse, cocoa, espresso, and on the high side of medium bodied. It’s just about what I’d make if I were putting my name on a cigar. If you can get your hands on some of these, I highly recommend them, and I know they are showing up in more places. Great cigars! 

 

Photo stolen from Facebook

I followed, and stuck my nose into, a couple discussions in Facebook groups this week, one of which had to do with a photo of this gentleman, whom I believe to a mister Fifty Cent, lighting a cigar with a Bic lighter. In several separate threads he was harshly criticized for this, for various reasons ranging from ruining the flavor with “Bic fluid”, being a poser and not a “real” cigar smoker, to touching the flame to the cigar (which is legitimate). There seemed to be a lot of bigotry toward the Bic. One post having over 200 replies, many being quite harsh criticism of the man. Some industry professionals pointed out that the majority of the people who actually make the cigars use disposable lighters in the countries where cigars are made, while I made the case that the fire that comes from a Bic is the same as that that comes from a Dupont soft flame lighter. I would add that, by extension, the fire that comes from a $3 torch lighter is the same that comes from a $100 torch lighter. Cases were made that a “true aficionado” lights his cigars with a torch, cases were made that someone of this gentleman’s economic status should use a lighter that closer matches the watch he’s wearing. I think a lot of these comments and ideas come from newer smokers who have a strange notion of what smoking cigars is all about. They seem to forget that cigars pre-date torch lighters by about 475 years, and that maybe them looking down on someone for how they light their cigars can be applied to other prejudices and turned around. Maybe Mr. Cent in the photo just flew in from somewhere and couldn’t get his Dupont lighter through TSA and a Bic was all he could carry on the plane? Who among us hasn’t been in that position? I’m preaching to the choir, I’m sure, but let’s try to educate the newer cigar smokers to apply some tolerance, teach the proper etiquette, including the common sense stuff like a Bic is OK, while a Zippo isn’t (although, a Zippo with a butane insert is fine!). That’s enough of a rant for today! 

 

Another discussion I was party to was someone asking if others thought Cameroon cigars were horrible because he did. This is a pet peeve of mine, of course, Just because you think something sucks, doesn’t mean it

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sucks. Anyway, I offered that up, and suggested he just didn’t like Cameroon cigars and not to smoke them and move on, but it made me want to smoke Cameroon cigars. So I popped my head into the humidor and grabbed a Partagas Decadas Limited Reserve 2019. This a 5 ½” x 49 robusto with a ten year old Cameroon wrapper.  For the binder they use the Honduran San Augustine tobacco that General has been using in a great many cigars recently. The filler is Piloto Cubano from the DR and Ometepe from Nicaragua. Years ago the Limited Reserve had a green band and I really enjoyed them, this cigar still delivers the goods. It’s got the sweet, nutty flavor that I like in a Cameroon cigar. These are quite nice cigars, well balanced, fairly delicate flavors, I can see where someone who smoked nothing but full-bodied cigars might miss the subtleties in this. I’ve always favored Partagas cigars, this one hit the spot.

 

Continuing my Cameroon journey, how could I not smoke an Arturo Fuente Don Carlos? Besides La Aurora, who else is synonymous with Cameroon tobacco than Fuente? Some of my earliest premium cigar memories revolve around Don Carlos and Hemingway cigars. So I lit up a Don Carlos No. 2 last night, and, you know what? I swear they taste the same now as they did 20+ years ago! It’s quite a miracle. Now this is a cigar that I can’t imagine someone not being able to find flavorful. This is a classic, it’s a big torpedo, it burns perfectly, and is loaded with flavor! it’s got that sweet, nuttiness, with some coffee notes as well. It’s one of those cigars that every humidor should have. I know I sleep better at night knowing I have some in my humidor! Help me out, was this one of the original sizes with the Robusto and the No. 3? Or was it part of the expansion around 2000 with the Double Robusto, Presidente and No.4? I think it was one of the original sizes. Regardless, it’s a classic. Maybe I’ll smoke a Hemingway Classic today! 

 

That’s more than enough for today. There was some news this week, but it involved Fratello being distributed in Switzerland, and Casa Cuevas doing retailer only events, but I didn’t think that was of interest to too many people who read here (and you probably saw them elsewhere anyway). Until the next time, 

 

CigarCraig

 

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by | July 9, 2020 · 9:16 am

A Montecristo White Vintage Connecticut and an Upcoming Local Event

Yesterday an event was brought to my attention happening here in south-east Pennsylvania that sounds like a great time. Of course, cigar events these days are few and far between, so I’m going to get behind this one! If you’re a golfer and you’re in the south-eastern PA area (or willing to travel) and are looking for a great day of eating, smoking, golfing and all that goes with it, check out this event. I’ve been to many of Goose’s events and they are always top notch. You can’t beat the food, cigars and golf offered with this deal! You can download the registration form here.  I’ll be watching this event very closely! There may even be special guests!

 

 

Since I had Montecristo on my mind, I selected a Montecristo cigar from my humidor yesterday. I had spent the morning running the chipper cleaning up a cedar tree that my son had taken down for us the previous evening. Mulching all those branches did me in, so I cleaned up and relaxed on the porch with a Montecristo White Vintage Connecticut Double Corona. First, it’s not really a double corona, it’s more of a toro, 6¼” x 50, which is fine with me. In all honesty, there aren’t a lot of Montecristos that float my boat, and the regular Montecristo White series really doesn’t do anything for me. That’s being generous, I actually just don’t like it, and I don’t say that about many cigars. The White Vintage Connecticut is a totally different story. The wrapper is a Vintage Connecticut Shade (Grown in U.S.A. in Montecristo Exclusive Farms, Exclusive to Altadis U.S.A.), the binder is Nicaraguan and the fillers are Dominican, Nicaraguan, and Peruvian. Perhaps its the U.S. wrapper that makes the difference, perhaps it’s the addition of the Peruvian in the filler, but this cigar is delicious to me. It’s buttery smooth, of course, and creamy, with plenty of body and a little strength, but not so much as to be off-putting, but enough to let you know you were smoking a cigar. This would be a wonderful cigar for the golf course. If I happen to attend this event (I may borrow my daughter’s clubs and pretend I golf! Is there some way I can fake it?) I’ll take one of these along. To recap, for me, if I’m choosing a Monte white, it’s going to be in the Vintage Connecticut line, for sure.

 

This Wednesday blog post is coming to you on Thursday, I got lazy and didn’t get it together yesterday. Every now and then I break with tradition. Stuff happens. E-mail subscribers won’t know the difference! That’s all for today, until the next time,

 

CigarCraig

 

 

 

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by | July 5, 2020 · 9:23 am

Fourth of July Cigars: J.C. Newman American, a Firecracker and a Havana

The Fourth of July seemed like a great time to smoke the J.C. Newman American that was generously gifted to me by a friend of mine and reader Adam Stevens. Check out Adam’s Wife, Jamie’s cigar reviews over at Cigar Talk Radio, she does a nice job. I really need to figure out a way to get together with those two before they more out of PA soon. Anyway, this has been a tough cigar for me to get my hands on, so I was thrilled when Adam included it in a Secret Santa package last year (I think?, right?). This is a cool project that Drew Newman, the fourth generation Newman in the business, spearheaded. Another aside, I first encountered Drew in the 90’s on the alt.smokers.cigars Usenet group when he was a 16 year old and caught all kinds of crap for being a kid posting on a cigar forum. Of course, he started the Cigar Family forum on their own website, which might have been the first major web forum dedicated to cigars shortly after. Anyway, the cigar is all US made components, made in the US. The wrapper is Florida Sungrown, the binder is Connecticut Broadleaf, and the fillers are “Pennsylvania Type 41, grown by Mennonite family farmers in Lancaster, Pennsylvania and Connecticut Havana, grown John Foster in South Windsor, Connecticut“. I used to live within ten miles from those Mennonite farms in Lancaster county, by the way. All of the packaging is made in the USA too, by the way. The cigar smoked perfectly, I lit it up late in the morning while relaxing on the porch. The wrapper has a dry, mottled appearance, it’s not pretty. It is, however, a tasty cigar. It has some sweetness and earthiness and is very unique. Certainly a cigar that should be tried, and most likely enjoyed, I know I enjoyed it. Thanks again to Adam for sharing this with me!

 

After lunch did something, which must have been an errand that wasn’t memorable because I can’t remember what it was, or I was waiting for something to happen, so I smoked a Mi Querida Firecracker. The Firecracker line of cigars by United Cigar Group, which is Dave Garofalo of  2 Guy’s Cigars distribution company, is a stroke of genius. Of course, this is why it’s so frequently plagiarized, but not only is the format cool, but it’s a sure sale every year, and the social media impact seems to be fairly high. I’m sucked in, I feel like I need to pick up at least few of the cigars to sample every year. It’s a little funny how the sales go through, isn’t it? You get super-cool, niche brands like CroMagnon and Mi Querida that sell out 500 boxes in a day and everyone is amazed, then Perdomo comes along, a seemingly, or at least comparatively, pedestrian, brand sells 1000 boxes in a few hours. I wonder if another brand could touch Perdomo’s numbers? Not that there’s a quality difference, the Perdomo Firecraker is great, I dig it, but I kinda like the Mi Querida more (and the CroMagnon, although my sample size is smaller). The Fratello Firecracker is amazing as well, as is the Kristoff (I’ve only had one LFD and enjoyed it). To my knowledge, the Mi Querida was the only Firecracker to spin off into it’s own sub-brand, the Triqi Traca, which is pretty cool. I love the Mi Querida blend anyway, so the Firecracker was a no-brainer and really quite good, and smoked for an hour, amazing for such

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a little cigar. 

 

It’s been an annual tradition of mine for a long time on the Fourth of July to smoke a Havana cigar. 20+ years ago it was a matter of smoking one of the best in my humidor, along with a bit of civil disobedience, which is kind of what the day represents, right? Anyway, it’s not longer that big a deal, I have lots of better cigars in my humidor, but it’s a tradition, right? It seems to have turned in to an exercise in how to have a bad cigar experience. Last night I decided to liberate a cigar from the depths of the humidor, one that had spent well over a decade resting. I don’t recall where this particular Cuaba Salomón came from, or when, I just know it’s been around a long time. I smoked a bunch of the little Cuaba Divinos (same size and shape as a Short Story basically) years ago and never really cared for them. they had a distinctly Winston cigarette flavor to them, and it wasn’t what I was looking for in a cigar. So I ignored this big cigar for a long time, wouldn’t 7″ of cigar taste worse than 4″? As one might guess, taste wasn’t a problem. Actually, the flavor wasn’t bad, when I could get some smoke through. Have you ever had those cigars that you pull though and get nothing, but blow through and smoke pours out? Infuriating

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, isn’t it? WTF causes this? I have to figure there’s a fold in the filler that acts like some kind of valve. I know, a poker should fix this, it’s never right. Fool that I am, ever the optimist, I thought maybe it would burn past the problem. Nope, messed around with it for an hour or so and got to about two inches left before it started kind of working like a cigar should. What I should have done what put it down and gotten something else, but I’m too stubborn. So I’m sitting here this morning enjoying the crap out of a Joya de Nicaragua Cabinetta No. 4 Robusto with my coffee (one of the old ones before it was part of the Joya series). It’s a cigar that’s been a favorite for a decade, and never is a disappointment. 

 

On with the day, I hope nobody lost any fingers yesterday. The fireworks around here were nuts, poor Macha spent the evening under her end table, she’s not a fan. That’s all for today, until the next time, 

 

CigarCraig

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by | July 1, 2020 · 9:34 pm

Best Cigar Prices Grand Exhibition Cigar Line

After my recent visit to the Best Cigar Prices shop up in Drums, PA, Jason there sent me a few of their latest exclusive Altadis series, the Grand Exhibition line. I figured I’d give them a smoke this week and see how they were. Here’s what he wrote about them on the BCP site:

 

Cigars have been showcased at World’s Fair Exhibitions dating back to the 1800s. Commonly featured in the agricultural exhibits of various nations, these displays often gave the public their first look at real tobacco leaves, demonstrated the care and expertise involved in crafting fine cigars, and were even judged and awarded medals based on quality and workmanship. Indeed, the same passion and pride of cigar making that we know today was in full force at these international conventions held hundreds of years ago.

Paying tribute to the historic presence of cigars at the World’s Fair, The Grand Exhibition cigar line presents three opulent Nicaraguan blends from a trio of the most well known and respected brands in the world – all of which were once celebrated at World’s Fairs. The celebration now continues in your humidor with the introduction of the world-class flavor of Grand Exhibition cigars.

 

I decided to start with the H. Upmann Grand Exhibition Toro. As a general rule, the regular Altadis H. Upmann line is not a flavor profile which aligns well with my own preferences. This is made in Nicaragua, and is listed as a Connecticut wrapper, which is very dark for a Connecticut shade leaf. It’s certainly Connecticut shade and not broadleaf as it has a very clean appearance, and tastes nothing like broadleaf. The Toro is 6” x 50, and was well made, with a free draw and perfect burn. It had the classic H. Upmann flavors of the Upmanns I remember from years ago when I smoked the brand. There was a slightly sour, leatheriness that some folks love, but isn’t among my favorites. It wasn’t totally off putting, and the smoking experience overall made up for the flavors not being totally up my alley. For a cigar in the $6-7 price range, it’s a good buy if you’re an H. Upmann Fan. Anymore, the only Upmann I really enjoy is the newer H. Upmann by A.J. Fernandez.

 

Next up I smoked the Romeo y Julieta Grand Exhibition Magnum. This is the 6” x 60 Gordo in the line. These are also made in Nicaragua with a Habano wrapper, and are priced in the $7-$8 range. I haven’t smoked Romeo y Julietas in a while, save for the infrequent RoMEo, so nothing really to compare this to. Again, the construction was perfect. I’m one of the odd ones who doesn’t mind a cigar of this size, and it performed very well. It was very flavorful, rich, creamy smoke with nice tobacco flavors. It has some of the spice and sweetness I like and was enjoyable to the end. I was quite pleased with the RyJ.

 

Tonight I smoked the Montecristo Grand Exhibition, which is the premier offering in the Grand Exhibition line, carrying the highest price tag. They are in the $9-$10 range. The Montecristo also has a Habano wrapper, and is made in Nicaragua. Again, excellent construction, perfect burn and draw, an absolute pleasure to smoke. I smoked the 6″ x 52 toro, and I love toros. I have a feeling that Jason at BCP knew my Toro preference when he chose the cigars to send. It should be noted that all of these are available in Robusto and Churchill as well as the Toro, with the Upmann and Romeo lines having a 6″ x 60 Magnum and the Montecristo substituting a No. 2 Torpedo. The Montecristo had a really nice, well balanced flavor. I nice spice, some sweetness, and on the stronger side of medium. It was certainly my favorite of the three, although all were very good. I followed it up later with an Espada with a few years age on it with was also very nice, and compared favorably. 

 

Thank you to Jason for sharing these fine cigars with me! If you find yourself in Drums, PA, which is near Wilkes Barre, you need to stop in to Best Cigar Pub for a bite and a cigar. It’s a great place and they have a great selection of cigars. That’s all for today, until the next time, 

 

CigarCraig 

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