Tag Archives: Arturo Fuente

by CigarCraig | February 4, 2015 · 10:05 pm

An Ortega Mini Cigar, a Nestor Miranda and a Short Story

It’s been Maduro week so far! Monday turned out to be very cold and windy, and after taking Macha on a car ride (she loves the car) to PetSmart for a little outing in lieu of out evening walk, I hit the back patio with an Ortega Mini Cigar in maduro. Oddly, I was about to grab a little A. Flores Gran Reserva half corona when I came across the Ortega Mini Maduro from the 2013 IPCPR show. These are both made in the PDR factory in the Dominican Republic, which didn’t occur to me until I lit up the Ortega. I enjoy everything that I’ve smoked from Eddie Ortega, especially the Serie D maduros, and these little 4″ x 38 cigars are perfect for a half hour or so in my protected, but unheated patio. It smokes like a much larger cigar, with all the richness and flavor. It’s kinda like the last half of a lancero without the time commitment.

Tuesday was a little better, although still pretty cold, so I went with a Nestor Miranda Collection Maduro in the 4½ x 50 Robusto size. I’ve had the good fortune of smoking a few of these and it’s a really tasty cigar. It’s made in Don Pepin Garcia’s My Father factory, so it’s got a bit of the signature spice that one would expect, but is loaded with smooth, cocoa flavors and burns and draws exceptionally well. The new bands on these are very cool, the maduro having the red accents with black and silver foil, which makes it tricky for an amateur like me to photograph, but is quite striking otherwise. This is a tasty smoke, as is it’s Habano wrapped sibling. I am looking forward to sampling the Ecuador Connecticut one of these days when the weather is better. I find that lighter cigars get lost in the cold weather, and the risk of the fragile wrapper splitting is greater. Jason Wood at Miami Cigar an Co. did a really nice job on this line.

Tonight I got off to a late start after replacing the guts in one of the toilets. I’m hesitant to replace these commodes with modern ones, I never realized how much I missed the flushing power of the old three gallon flush johns. Somehow it seems more efficient to use three gallons once, as opposed to 1.6 gallons twice or more. Another case of shortsighted over regulation I suppose. Along those lines, I re-upped my CRA membership today, something everyone should do. Anyway, I just came in from enjoying the heck out of an Arturo Fuente Hemingway Short Story Maduro that I had bought 2 years ago. A business associate just sent me a bag of Fuente cigars, and there was a Short Story Maduro in there, so I figured it was as good a time as any to burn the one I had been holding on to. Because of the way the head of these is finished, I recommend a straight cut as opposed to the punch. There was a fold that the punch didn’t get and I wasn’t getting a good draw, even after burning through the perfecto tip. A quick snip and it was free flowing broadleaf goodness all the way down to a tiny nub. The Short Story has been a special treat for me for nearly twenty years, but the maduro is a relatively new version for me. I loved it, but there’s nothing quite like the Cameroon wrapped SS. Either way this is a cigar that should be experienced, if it seems pricey for such a little cigar, and I can get thing in the $6 range here in PA, I think it’s a classic, and a great value as it gives an excellent smoking experience.

That’s all I have for now. I have a cigar I need to smoke this week for an upcoming Prime Living Magazine article I’m in the midst of writing, you can check out my prior articles in the Gentleman’s Room area of their website. This month features Arielle of La Sirena‘s Oceano, a very tasty smoke.

Until the next time,

CigarCraig

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Filed under Review

Tagged as Arturo Fuente, cigar, cigars, Eddie Ortega, Miami Cigar and Co, Nestor Miranda, PDR

by CigarCraig | December 1, 2013 · 12:20 pm

Post Turkey Day Opus X and a Couple La Gloria Cubana Cigars

I hope everyone who celebrates it had a nice Thanksgiving holiday and stuffed themselves silly with turkey and all the fixins. We went to my daughters house where she cooked a delicious meal and we had a nice day with the family. I didn’t even take cigars along because I’d rather play with my granddaughters and there would be plenty of time for a cigar later. When we got home I dug deep in the humidor and found a cigar I don’t smoke often, a Arturo Fuente Opus X Pefecxion X (6 ¼”x48). This wasn’t the oldest Opus I have in the humidor, but it was in there for several years. I actually have very few Fuente Cigars in my humidors, and I don’t really know why that is. They are perfectly fine cigars, I just don’t buy them for whatever reason. I suppose I’m too busy smoking new stuff. I’m guessing it’s been the better part of a decade since I smoked an Opus X, so I was expecting an exceptional smoke. I always feel a little conflicted when I know a cigar is excellent, but it doesn’t really fit my flavor preferences. Its easy to say something isn’t good if we don’t like it, right? I don’t like lima beans, they taste terrible to me and I can’t imagine why anyone should like that flavor, but people do. To me, lima beans are bad. With this Opus X I had an excellent smoking experience, burn and draw were spot on, and the flavor was good, just not what I really like in a cigar. The lima bean analogy doesn’t fit here, I don’t know why I mentioned it, really. A cigar can be awesome and of exceptional quality even if it isn’t my favorite flavor profile. There were no ‘off’ flavors in this cigar, just none that grabbed me by the collar and slapped me around. It did have some strength to it! I should smoke one of the ten plus year old Opi I have and see how it is.

Black Friday came and went without any shopping going on around here (except a trip to the grocery store). I figured a cigar with ‘black’ in the title would be appropriate. I didn’t have any Leccia Black, Partagas Black or even Tatuaje Black. I did, however, have a La Gloria Cubana Serie R Black! This 6″x60 cigar is one I picked up at my birthday party at Cigars International last August. The Black is a catalog/internet exclusive, so I guess a place like CI is going to be one of the few stores you can walk into and purchase these. This cigar, along with it’s Brick &Mortar exclusive sibling the Serie R Esteli, is the first La Gloria Cubana made in Nicaragua. The Black has a Jalapa Tapado Ligero wrapper, and Nicaraguan filler and binder making it a puro. I always expect a little more strength from these, but it’s a solid medium bodied cigar. The flavors, while certainly right up my alley, are subtle and muted. Great construction and burn with a snug draw.

I decided since Saturday was billed as “Small Business Saturday”, and since most Brick and Mortar Tobacconists are small businesses, I’d follow the La Gloria Cubana Serie R Black with a Serie R Esteli to compare the two. The wrapper seems to be the major difference here, the Esteli has a Jalapa Sol wrapper. I find the Esteli to be much richer in flavor than the black. Could it be that one should expect a richer experience going to a brick and mortar tobacconist as opposed to purchasing from a catalog or online? I doubt that’s the intent of the manufacturer. I’m happy smoking either one, and actually prefer both over the original Serie R maduro, which I’ve had recently and thought was a little too mild. I love the cocoa/espresso flavors in these Nicaraguans though. I think last nights Serie R Esteli in the 6″x54 size smoked for at least 2 hours. Maybe it’s the difference in ring gauge that makes the Esteli more flavorful than the black to me.

That’s all I have for now. If any of the above is a little out of whack it’s because I wrote it in an Imetrex induced haze while trying to get rid of a migraine. I should be OK later and go back and edit all the craziness out! Until the next time,

CigarCraig

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Filed under Review

Tagged as Arturo Fuente, cigar, cigars, La Gloria Cubana, Opus X, Serie R

by CigarCraig | May 27, 2012 · 8:26 pm

End of the Week Cigars: Villiger, a Special Fuente, a La Gloria Cubana and a San Lotano

Wednesday evening I was , once again, in experimental mode…OK, that’s a lie. The truth is that I have one coolerdor that has some small sampler boxes floating around in it and this particular one was down to two cigars, so I wanted to get things tidied up a little. Regardless of the truth, I picked out this Villiger 1888 robusto from said dwindling sampler. I recall enjoying the 1888 Fuerte quite a bit, so I was curious about the regular 1888. This was the robusto, and was a nice looking cigar with a milk chocolate colored wrapper. I enjoyed it quite a bit, it was medium bodied, well made and consistent in flavor through the smoke. It wasn’t mind-blowing, but certainly a good cigar. I would certainly smoke this cigar on a regular basis, but I never seem to see these in my local shops. Thanks to Anne at Villiger for sending me the samples and for providing a really nice gift in last December’s 12 Days giveaway!

Thursday I decided to dig into the new cigar from Smoke Inn‘s Microblend series, the Arturo Fuente Solaris. This is a 6″ x 49 belicoso that Fuente had made 6 years ago in a small batch and found a home for it at Smoke Inn. It’s unlike the other cigars in the microblend series in that they had no hand in the blending of it. Still, having a super exclusive Fuente product is a big deal. The sun grown wrapper is quite light on this cigar, and it’s very visually appealing. I’ll be the first to say that Fuente makes some great cigars, however I don’t often find myself smoking them. I’ve smoked many over the years, and gravitated toward smaller sizes in the Hemingway and Don Carlos lines. I expected to be wow’d by this cigar and I was impressed with it over-all. This is a cigar I wouldn’t have had the chance to try if it weren’t for the generosity of Smoke Inn. Be sure to give them a visit when shopping online or in the South Florida area.

Friday was the end of a long week, and, more importantly, the beginning of a long weekend! What better way to start it off than with a favorite, the La Gloria Cubana Artesanos Retro Especiale Cubano. I brought this box back with me from the Dominican Republic and really enjoy them when I have time for a large cigar. It’s 6½” x 58 and is a good, smooth hour and a half or so of relaxation. As has been customary lately, I took my son’s new dog for a walk along with this cigar. A mile long walk and I still had three quarters of the cigar to relax on the front porch with for a while. I’ve had the pleasure of smoking a bunch of these since their release and am always delighted by the interesting flavors. I love a lot of the La Gloria Cubana line, and this is among my favorites.

Saturday turned out to be an interesting day. First, I received a call from my friend Greg saying he noticed a new cigar store in the area. It turns out to be a new location for a shop that has been around a while. More on that in a bit. Several months ago my wife and I had been to a unique little vintage record store and noticed some cigar box art in one section of the store. I had done some housekeeping in the basement and had a dozen or so empty cigar boxes laying around, and my wife and I took them down to see if they wanted them. They were thrilled with the boxes and insisted upon trading them for a very rare record that the proprietor had found for my wife. I love the artistry of cigar boxes, but we tend to take them for granted. It’s so cool when someone who has little interest in cigars is so appreciative of them. On the way home we stopped at the cigar shop. I have been to several locations of this local chain, and have only been impressed by one of them. This shop has moved into a free standing, ex-convenience store which has had more businesses in it over the last 20-some years than I can remember. I had a job interview in one of them 10 years ago. They have a Montecristo lounge which looks nice, and a huge walk-in humidor that needs more stock, needs to have the split and broken cigars removed, and needs more price labels on the boxes. I’m a self proclaimed cheap bastard, and price plays a part in my buying decisions, so I don’t like surprises at the register and won’t buy what isn’t priced. I picked up a couple of the new Romeo by Romeo y Julieta just because I’ve been wanting to try them, but I can’t see visiting this shop often. It is located in such a place that there are a couple friends I could meet up there for a smoke, and I really hope they make it, but they need to fix a few things. I came home and smoked a San Lotano Oval Toro because I saw them there but I was scared off by the condition of some of the cigars around them. The Oval is a fantastic smoke and couldn’t have been a better end to the day. Deep, rich flavors and a perfect burn. These are pricey, but delicious and I look forward to trying the maduro. It’s a neat shape too.

That’s it for now. More great cigars to smoke! Since my son got his dog, I’ve been taking her on my evening walks with me. I’m open to suggestions on “Dog Walker” cigars! There will, no doubt, come a time when the weather is less than ideal for enjoying a fine cigar, so what does everyone keep on hand for those occasions?

Until the next time,

CigarCraig

3 Comments

Filed under Review, Stores, Take a Cigar For a Walk

Tagged as 1888, Arturo Fuente, cigar, cigar store, cigars, La Gloria Cubana, oval, Romeo, romeo y julieta, san lotano, Smoke Inn, Solaris, Villiger

by CigarCraig | February 23, 2011 · 7:43 pm

Take a Cigar for a Walk: A Short Story And A Note from Tommy

After a particularly difficult day which included more of the demon snow and various work related lunacy, I decided to dig deep into the humidor and pull out a lonely old Fuente Hemingway Short Story for my evening walk. For many years this was a favorite of my wife’s, and every one I came across went her way. This one has been in my humidor for the better part of a decade just waiting for her to ask for it. She informs me that that day will probably not come as she has gotten away from cigars, so I decided last night was the night to smoke it. As I said, it’s been many moons since I enjoyed a Hemingway of any size, so I clipped it a lit it up. It took a few minutes to burn past the tip and open up, but when it did I got that wonderful, although milder than I remembered, Cameroon goodness which I enjoy so much. For a tiny cigar this one lasted for my entire 1+ mile walk and even had a little left for the all-important cool-down period on the front porch. I haven’t priced these recently, but I remember when they were $103 a box, and $4 was a lot to pay for a little cigar, but this is a cigar that everyone who likes cigars should enjoy. I’ve smoked most of the Hemingway line and the only one I never cared for was the Classic, which always had a metallic taste to me. I bet I haven’t had a Signature in 10 years. I may have a couple more floating around the humidor, I thin kI have a Work of Art in both Cameroon and Maduro wrappers, and there might be a Best Seller hidden someplace. I’ll wait for warmer weather to smoke them as they are all well aged and I may have missed some of the subtleties of the Short Story smoking it in the cold as I did last night.

Here’s the latest from Tommy Berry:

This past week was a bit different for me! I spent some time outdoors, which with a desk job as an architectural designer is a nice change every now and then. I spent two days doing some surveying for a current project. Now, I could have smoked me a cigar or two…or even three each day…but I failed to remember my traveldor. However, I spent a total of six hours walking…walking…climbing…and only getting to enjoy my Copenhagen Moist Snuss/Snuff. (A habit that I don’t wish on anyone…but I guess it’s a cowboy thing down here in Texas!) Anyway, I was able to get in a lot of constant walking…a lot! It was a blast to be outdoors, but I have to admit that from my recent walks…I am very sore! That though is a plus…as obviously I am exerting some energy during each walk. I hope to get out for some time with a cigar and the next walk tonight (Monday).

With all of this going on, I have failed to “weigh in”. I have a goal to use this challenge to not only get healthier…but to lose weight as well. Soon, I will begin to update you with my current weight…helping more with accountability…in regards to actually losing weight…which will require eating less and properly…more often.

I would love to hear from some of you, if you are being challenged by this (in addition to those that have already commented on past posts) and what your thoughts and/or suggestions are.

Until next time…long “walking” ashes to ya!

Great to hear Tommy moving in a positive direction with his personal goals! Let’s continue to support him through comments here or wherever you might encounter Tommy, as well as by taking a cigar for a walk yourself. My offer still stands to publish any other guest reviews you wish to submit.

I’m going to try to make it to The Wooden Indian Tobacco Shop in Havertown, PA Saturday as they are having a Drew Estate event. They had sponsored a recent Cigar Safari Trip and I’m looking forward to hearing about their trip. I’m sure it will be the subject of a future article. They have one of two Liga Privada Lounges in the country and it’s very nice as well as an enormous walk-in humidor.

Tommy stole my “Until the next time” line, so Adios Amoebas!

CigarCraig

9 Comments

Filed under Guest Review, Review, Take a Cigar For a Walk

Tagged as Arturo Fuente, cigar, cigars, fuente, Hemingway, Short Story

by CigarCraig | January 3, 2011 · 11:09 pm

Cigar Recap: Fuente, 777, Chateau Real – Monday January 3, 2011

First post of 2011! I hope everyone had a safe and festive holiday and that 2011 is better than 2010. Last year was a great year for CigarCraig.com and the coming year should be even better. While I’m thinking about it, if you’re looking for a top ten list or a “best of” you can forget about it! What I think about any of the new cigars this year is of little consequence to anyone, there were very few “new” cigars that I sampled and the few that I did I wasn’t really “wow’d” by. I will say that the Liga Privada Dirty Rat is my favorite new cigar, but I received my first sample of that cigar in 2009, so it hardly counts!

Anyway, last week we had some fairly unseasonably temperate weather, so I grabbed an Arturo Fuente Double Chateau that was a gift from a friend. It’s been years since I smoked one of these, and I was in the mood for a milder cigar for an afternoon walk. Certainly a perfectly constructed and well balanced cigar, I honestly don’t know why I don’t grab Fuente products more often. I have a handful of what I consider “special” Fuentes, various smaller Hemingways, Opus X, the odd Don Carlos, but I save them for some reason…probably because I figure I’ll never have them again if I smoke them! Ridiculous, I know. I promise to smoke some of these when the weather gets warmer or I have an good inside opportunity.

Next up was a re-visit of a cigar I smoked and liked a few months back, the J. Fuego 777 maduro corona. I enjoyed this cigar again, but it didn’t hit me the same as the first one. I blame the colder weather, I seem to prefer stronger flavored cigars in the winter, and I think this fits that, but obviously my palate misses some of the complexities when the mercury drops. The size of this cigar is just about perfect for me at 5½” x 46 and the burn and draw were perfect. I picked up a few more of these last week and I think they are a fairly good cigar for $4.50 each. I look forward to smoking more of these.

Tonight I got lazy, and, considering that the weather has taken a colder turn, I went with a familiar friend, the Chateau Real Small Club Corona Maduro. There’s a couple things I really like about these cigars. The size, 4″ x 44, is great for my walk to the local convenience store and the strength of flavor is perfect for the colder weather. These are wrapped with a dark Mexican leaf that gives the cigar a rich and earthy taste. I think this box purchase was my best of the year at right around $50 for a box of 32.