Tag Archives: Barnsmoker

by | November 13, 2022 · 12:33 pm

Big Fundraiser Giveaway Winner Announcement!

I usually recap a few cigars I smoked during the week on Sundays, but I only really smoked one new cigar this week, the Mi Querida Black “SakaKahn”, and it was pretty good. I had smoked one at the PCA show with Steve, and have been looking forward to smoking more. So far, it’s really good, but doesn’t hit me like the Triqui Traca and the “Blue”. It comes across as milder to me.  Obviously more research is in order.  In the spirit of this particular giveaway, I had a Liga Privada T52 last night that was pretty good.

 

Speaking of Saka, I have to give him a big thank you for kickstarting the K9s for Warriors fundraiser with his donation of a über-rare box of Liga Privada Pequeńos.  This is believed to be the only box (first of four ever made) in existence. Steve scribbled on the bottom, but otherwise it’s pristine! When he provided this and announced it, I decided that I was going to offer the first name drawn their choice of prizes: The Pequeńos, the Drew Estate Barnsmoker pre-party pack, the Barnsmoker pack, and the NewAir Humidor generously provided by Kevin Shahan, the addition of which definitely pushed us over the $5000 mark!  Many thanks to Kevin for this and his promotion of the event!  Wouldn’t it be funny if he won the humidor? Thank you to everyone who donated to this worthy cause.  

 

Here’s the way this is going to work: I’m drawing the first winner and asking him what prize he wants. When I get a response, I’ll draw the second, third and fourth winners and, starting with the second, give them their choice of the remaining prizes.  My wife and I spent the morning reviewing the entries, double and triple checking, and I have a spreadsheet with everyone’s info.  I am happy to share that upon request.  SO, WITHOUT FURTHER ADO! 

The first winner is Marvin Roberts!  I’ll be contacting you to get your prize preference!  Watch for the next post tomorrow or Tuesday with the next winners!

 

Thanks again for everyone’s generous donations!  I’m especially thankful to whoever it was that made the donation to round the total to the nearest $5, my CDO thanks you!  Until the next time, 

 

CigarCraig

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by | October 28, 2022 · 9:32 pm

Contest! Win Some Drew Estate Goodies with a Twist! – Updated –

Back in August we attended the Drew Estate Connecticut Barnsmoker, and came home with a boatload of cool goodies!  Normally I would have a simple contest, but with this amount of great Drew Estate gear and cigars, I wanted to try to do some good.  It’s tricky, but I’ve decided to put a fundraiser on Facebook, and ask people to donate to what I consider a worthy charity. We’ll compile a list of entries and pick winners of two prize packages from the entrants.  In an effort to avoid any problems, I’ll just add an entry for every five dollars donated and chose winners at random.  Since I don’t think Facebook is keen on tobacco products, the description in the fundraiser will be limited. It won’t be easy on my end, but two people will win these two prize packages.

 

Package number 1, the pre-party package:

There’s a backpack, sunglasses case, lighter, cigar stand, travel humidor, lighter, battery pack, wallet and toiletries case.  There’s also some cigars (from my personal humidor, for legal reasons), including the DE 25 collection of nine cigars, and event only two packs of Liga 10, Undercrown Tuani, and Herrera Esteli Caja China. This is a very nice collection.

 

Package number two, the Barnsmoker package:

 

Included in this package is a Barnsmoker sling bag, cutter, lighter, cigar stand, cap, travel humidor, pocket knife, bandana, banner and challenge coin.  The cigars are the ten cigars we got at the door, and nine cigars collected at the event.  I’m not sure which collection is better, they are both pretty great! 

 

UPDATE!  

Pack number three, the Liga Privada Pequeńos:

 

Steve Saka is providing a rare box of Liga Privada cigars from 2012. The box has some writing on the bottom, but is the first of four boxes ever created.  These Pequeńos are about the same size as the Dirty Rat, if memory serves.  Steve has posted a video about the box here. Since it seems like this has become the premier item in this giveaway, so here’s how I’m going to do it.  I’ll pick one winner, and ask what prize they prefer.  I’ll do that with the second also, and the third, well, that person will get what’s left (which will still be spectacular!).  Here’s Will Cooper’s take on this great cigar, one of which he shared with me and it was exceptional.  https://cigar-coop.com/2012/09/cigar-pre-review-liga-privada-no-9.html This is a real unicorn, I doubt there are any in the wild.  I can’t thank Steve enough for helping out!  

 

UPDATE #2!

Pack number four, a NewAir Humidor:

 

Kevin at CigarProp/I’d Tap That/TrashPanda is providing this Newair® Smoker’s Club Electric Cigar Humidor 250 Count Electric Humidor. From NewAir: This Electric Cigar Humidor comes with Opti-Temp™: a heating and cooling system designed to preserve the full flavor of your cigar collection. Inside the stylish stainless-steel design, you’ll find removable Spanish cedar shelves, a cedar drawer, and an easy-touch digital thermostat that gives you full temperature control from 52-74F degrees Fahrenheit.  I have a larger NewAir that works wonderfully.  This is a $675 value!  We are down to the last few days, so get in for a chance to win one of these four packages! Thanks Kevin! 

 

I’ve chosen K9s for Warriors as my charity. This covers two areas of interest for me, dogs and veterans.  From their website:

Determined to end veteran suicide, K9s For Warriors provides highly-trained Service Dogs to military veterans suffering from PTSD, traumatic brain injury and/or military sexual trauma. With the majority of dogs coming from high-kill rescue shelters, this innovative program allows the K9/Warrior team to build an unwavering bond that facilitates their collective healing and recovery.

Please visit this link:https://www.facebook.com/donate/676320833848466/6876379542374088/ and make a donation.  Facebook handles the money, and gives it all to K9s for Warriors. I’ll track the donations and keep a spreadsheet, assigning numbers to each donation. The donation period will end on November 11th (Veterans Day) and I’ll post the winners on November 13th.

 

Thank you to Drew Estate for having us at the Barnsmoker and for providing amazing products!! If you haven’t been to one of these, go!  Thanks also to Steve Saka and Kevin Shahan for their contributionsThat’s all for today, until the next time, 

 

CigarCraig

 

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by | August 14, 2022 · 11:33 am

2022 Connecticut Barnsmoker and Pre-Party

I got back late last night from another great Drew Estate Event, the Connecticut Barnsmoker.  I would have just gone to the PA Barnsmoker last month, but testing positive for Covid after the PCA show made that sound like a bad idea.  Fortunately Connecticut is only 4½ hours away (6 with traffic), so we drove up Friday to go to the VIP Pre-event event.  I can tell you, and my wife, who accompanied me and took a lot of the pictures will attest, this event alone would have been worth the trip! First, the SWAG and cigars are ridiculous.  Great food and a band from Minnesota called Viva Knievel who played all the hits! The event was held at the New England Air Museum, and we were treated to a walk through two hangars loaded with vintage aircraft.  There were large planes outside which provided an amazing backdrop.  The food was very good (I passed on the alligator), and many fine cigars were smoked. I ran into a bunch of old friends, and we had a great time! 

As if all of this wasn’t enough, Saturday we arrive bright and early at the Foster Farm for the first of the two day event.  I’m guessing that they split it up over two days because of the number of attendees, as the group there was smaller than I remember from past Barnsmokers.  The day started with presentations at three stations, with Jonathan Drew, Pedro Gomez and Willie Herrera, accompanied by the principles of the farm, telling us about the planting, cultivating and processing of the various tobaccos grown on the farm.  The backdrop here, among several curing barns, was a large field of tobacco destined to me Liga Privada T52 wrapper.  After this was another great meal of barbecue, there was chicken and pork, as well as brisket, slaw and mac and cheese, and apple crisp.  All very delicious! Then there were all of the activation stations! This was a bit of a Trick or Treat, with coupons for each station and activities, in some cases revolving around the brand. Besides the ten great DE cigars we got upon entry, along with more neat SWAG, we collected more cigars.  I also got a haircut at one of the two barbers there, I got a new look from the Barber and Cigar Company (@the_barber_and_cigar_company on IG) and nobody seemed to notice! I passed on the cigar rolling at the Undercrown activation, although I wish I had dragged my wife there to see how she’d do! 🙂 (she took a lot of the great pictures here). I’ve done it plenty of times and wanted to give others a chance! The event ended with raffle prizes, one dude won BOTH of the barrel shaped bars! I hope he didn’t fly in, but he was very excited about it.  I got the spend some time with some great friends who I hadn’t seen much, and I’m sure I missed a few people.  I think Op: Cigars For Warriors raised about $32k over the three day event!

 

 

The Barnsmokers are events I heartily recommend, you certainly get a lot out of it, in education, in cigars and SWAG, and in joining friends for a great time! I really missed the PA event in my backyard, but this one was well worth the trip.  Thanks to Joe and the whole DE crew for  a great experience!  

 

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

 

CigarCraig

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by | April 15, 2021 · 6:02 pm

News: Drew Estate Barn Smokers Return Beginning in August 2021

Well, it looks like the Barn Smokers are back! I’ve been to the Pennsylvania Barn Smoker twice, and the Connecticut Barn Smoker once and they were great, but there were a lot of people there! I can see where smaller crowds in a more controlled environment would be more enjoyable. I’m just a little sad that there won’t be one in PA. Read on, while I go find a Liga Privada of some sort to smoke tonight, and watch for a cool contest in the near future. 

Drew Estate Barn Smokers Return Beginning in August 2021

Drew Estate will resume its Barn Smoker program in 2021 after a year’s hiatus due to the Covid-19 pandemic. The company will host three Barn Smokers beginning with the Connecticut Barn Smoker on Aug. 14-15 in the beautiful Connecticut River Valley. The Kentucky Barn Smoker will follow in Hopkinsville, Kentucky, on Oct. 9. Finally, the Florida Barn Smoker will take place on Nov. 13-14 in Clermont, Florida.

 

Drew Estate hosted its first Barn Smoker in 2014 in Hopkinsville, Kentucky, bringing cigar consumers to the farms where Drew Estate sources some of its specialty, often rare tobaccos. Attendees are immersed into the real American tobacco experience by learning about tobacco growing, leaf processing and finishing and cigar making techniques. Each guest will receive special Drew Estate cigars and exclusive Barn Smoker swag, while tasting local cuisine and sampling premium spirits in a festival atmosphere.

 

Drew Estate’s 2021 Barn Smoker program will include a few small changes to protect attendees and Drew Estate personnel and event vendors from Covid-19. The Connecticut and Florida Barn Smokers, typically the two largest events in the Barn Smoker calendar, will each be spread over two separate event days, which will accommodate smaller crowds for each event session and each event session will require a separate ticket Additionally, Drew Estate will follow any local protocols required to ensure safety at the events.

 

As always, Barn Smoker attendees will enjoy an immersive deep dive into a variety of unique sensory activations that will focus on Drew Estate brands, including: Undercrown, Herrera Estelí, Pappy Van Winkle, Joya de Nicaragua, FSG, Tabak Especial and ACID, while chillin’ with Drew Estate ambassadors, including company founder and president, Jonathan Drew; master blender, Willy Herrera; and La Gran Fabrica Drew Estate factory spokesman, Pedro Gomez. Of course, your favorite Drew Estate sales force members will be at the Barn Smokers as well.

 

 

From the Wynwood Safehouse, Drew Estate’s founder and president, Jonathan Drew says, “Last year was tough for everybody and we all missed celebrating American tobacco, smoking and having a drink together … but 2021 is going to prove that we are all unbeaten and unbowed. This year’s Barn Smokers will have a bit more special meaning than before because we’re finally going be together again in #fellowship after a long period of isolation. I’m excited to bond with everyone and raise money for our Cigars For Warriors peeps.”

 

There are three ticket tiers available for each 2021 Barn Smoker—General Admission, VIP and VIP Plus Dinner. General Admission tickets enable consumers to attend one day of the Barn Smoker event and includes a packet of swag and 10 Drew Estate cigars. Consumers who purchase a VIP ticket will have early access to the farm to join us for a Tabak Especial breakfast experience and receive exclusive VIP Barn Smoker swag. The VIP Plus Dinner ticket will include an invitation to dinner with Drew Estate Ambassadors on the Friday night before each Barn Smoker, early access for a Tabak breakfast experience and admission for both days of the 2-day farm events.

 

Tickets and more information about the 2021 Barn Smokers are available at www.barnsmoker.com.

 

ABOUT DREW ESTATE

Founded in New York City in 1996, Drew Estate has become one of the fastest growing tobacco companies in the world. Under their mantra “The Rebirth of Cigars”, Drew Estate has led the “Boutique Cigar” movement by innovating new elements to the tobacco industry with their unique tobaccos and blending styles that attract new and traditional cigar enthusiasts. In their Gran Fabrica Drew Estate, the Nicaraguan headquarters, Drew Estate produces a variety of brands such as ACID, Herrera Estelí, Herrera Estelí Norteño, Isla del Sol, Kentucky Fired Cured, Liga Privada, MUWAT, Larutan by Drew Estate, Nica Rustica, Pappy Van Winkle Barrel Fermented Cigars, Tabak Especial, Undercrown, Florida Sun Grown, and Java by Drew Estate.

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by | November 4, 2020 · 10:03 pm

News: Drew Estate Announces Cancellation of Barn Smoker Live Virtual Event

This is the last of my Wednesday news barrage, and sadly it’s bad news.  I really don’t like posting bad news, and in retrospect, I should have put these in a different order, if only to make myself feel a little better. The silver lining is at the end of the press release, but we have come to expect this sort of generosity from the folks at Drew Estate. I have been to three of the Barnsmokers, and recommend them when life returns to normal. 

 

Today Drew Estate announces the cancellation of the upcoming Barn Smoker Live virtual event, originally scheduled for November 14th, due to the recent increase in COVID-19 cases throughout Florida.

 

 

The virtual Barn Smoker Live event was designed to be broadcast live from the tobacco fields in Clermont, Fla., featuring members of the Drew Estate team including Jonathan Drew, Willy Herrera, Pedro Gomez and more. However, due to the recent significant rise in COVID-19 cases in Florida, Drew Estate has, after much consideration, determined that it is unfortunately necessary to make this difficult decision to ensure the safety of both the staffs of Drew Estate and the incredible Florida Sun Grown Farm with whom Drew Estate partnered for this event.

 

From Sag Harbor, N.Y., Jonathan Drew, President and Founder of Drew Estate, notes, “It is with a heavy heart that we make this decision, but it’s clearly the right thing to do in this precarious moment. Many stakeholders, including DE staff, tobacco farmers, and a multitude of suppliers have contributed a great deal to creating such an amazing experience … all for the love of the leaf, love of our special relationship with each of you, and to celebrate our industry and culture. Keep your heads up, stay safe, and support your friends and loved ones during these times. We love you guys and look forward to being together soon under the big tents at the farms.”

 

Drew Estate had previously announced that as part of the Barn Smoker Goodwill Act, it would be donating $50,000 to Cigars for Warriors. Despite being unable to move forward with Barn Smoker Live under the current conditions, Drew Estate will still be making the full $50,000 donation to Cigars for Warriors, a charitable organization to whom Drew Estate has donated over $250,000 to date.

 

Financial donations to Cigars for Warriors may be made via PayPal. Cigar donations may be made at an authorized Cigars for Warriors donation center or sent to Attention: Cigars for Warriors at 8585 SW Hwy 200 Unit # 16, Ocala, FL 34481. For more information, visit cigarsforwarriors.org.

ABOUT DREW ESTATE

Founded in New York City in 1996, Drew Estate has become one of the fastest growing tobacco companies in the world. Under their mantra “The Rebirth of Cigars”, Drew Estate has led the “Boutique Cigar” movement by innovating new elements to the tobacco industry with their unique tobaccos and blending styles that attract new and traditional cigar enthusiasts. In their Gran Fabrica Drew Estate, the Nicaraguan headquarters, Drew Estate produces a variety of brands such as ACID, Herrera Estelí, Herrera Estelí Norteño, Isla del Sol, Kentucky Fired Cured, Liga Privada, MUWAT, Larutan by Drew Estate, Nica Rustica, Pappy Van Winkle Barrel Fermented Cigars, Tabak Especial, Undercrown, Florida Sun Grown, and Java by Drew Estate.

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