Tag Archives: Black Friday

by Craig Vanderslice | January 7, 2024 · 10:32 am

Gurkha, Adrian Magnus and HVC Cigars, and a Story

Seems like almost a replay of last week, eh? Some of the same brands, different cigars. I smoked the Adrian Magnus XO, which is Cognac infused, and decided it wasn’t for me. Besides the fact that I haven’t touched spirits in over 30 years and have no frame of reference for that flavor palate, it just wasn’t my cup of tea. Less said about it, the better, but if you like that sort of thing, go for it. So I hoped for some redemption with the Gurkha 35th Anniversary Toro. This has a Habano wrapper, Indonesian binder and Criollo 98 Nicaraguan Esteli fillers in a 6″ x 54 format, made at the Artista factory. I don’t usually look up the stats on cigars before smoking them, but I was not at all surprised when I read that this was predominantly Criollo. This is a really nice looking cigar, the Habano wrapper is a nice café au lait brown, and it was well made. Criollo tobacco has a tart bite that I don’t care for, going back many years. So much for redemption. If I smoked cigars I really liked all the time this would be a boring blog. If you like Criollo tobacco, you’ll really like this Gurkha 35th Anniversary, and it’s reasonably priced.

Adrian Magnus does made some really good cigars, and the Supremos is another one that I tried and really enjoyed. Maybe I didn’t enjoy this one as much as the Imperials, but I certainly liked it more than the XO. This is a medium bodied cigar made in the Dominican Republic in a 5″ x 50 format. It boasts seven year aged tobaccos, and to my eye, the only way I could tell it apart from the Imperials is by the color of the band. Again, the company is not forthcoming with blend details. The flavor is different though, so it’s definitely more than just the age statement. This starts with a sourness, not off putting, but like a sourdough bread. Eventually a sugar cane sweetness takes over, not excessive, but enough to be interesting. I enjoyed this one, but find myself wanting to go find an old favorite to smoke.

I have a story to tell that I probably should have told nearly 2 years ago when it happened, but I had some reasons for holding off. Since I just heard that the store has closed, I’m going to put it out there. When Son’s Cigars opened up in late 2020 I was told by the manager that if I ever wanted part time work to let him know. It wasn’t until the winter of ’21 that I was in the position to work some extra hours, and I offered my services for Friday nights. Knowing the manager (who has since moved on to another shop), I trusted that compensation would be handled at some point, I wasn’t looking to get rich, but I wasn’t looking to do volunteer work either. Over the course of three months I put in over 40 hours before I said “enough is enough”, I gotta start seeing a paycheck here, and the fun started. I was told that the owner, who also owned a shop or two in NY, and owns a cigar brand, hadn’t approved my hiring, so I couldn’t be added to the payroll. He offered to compensate me with a store gift card. Then, he came back and reneged on that and said that my purchases using an employee discount was equal to the compensation I was due. I could have made a scene, I only mentioned it to a couple people, and I avoided the owners offer to meet to tell me his side of the story because I really didn’t want to hear it, I’ve heard plenty of stories about this guy and just wanted to chalk it up to experience. It was just better for my sanity to let it go and walk away. I spent a few Friday nights smoking cigars and helping customers select cigars that they might enjoy. In the future, I’ll get some details ironed out up front, I was dealing in good faith, and that was taken advantage of. I think the manager was complicit in this as well, he had to know, as I knew he was getting screwed over by the owner as well. I wish he’d have been a friend enough to cut things off before I had to. I distanced myself from the establishment, I even gave back a sample of the owners cigar to his distributor at the trade show on principle. I’ve left the names out to not be a complete d*ck, but it’s not hard to put things together. It’s a shame that Son’s wasn’t handled better, but there are better places around now. Karma gets you every time. I have Cigar Mojo less than a mile away, which has a much nicer lounge, and the selection is getting there…

Speaking of Cigar Mojo, I stopped in yesterday looking for something that I hadn’t smoked before, but I felt would scratch that itch I was having. I was fortunate to run into Trae, one of the owners, there and we had a nice chat. I ended up getting a couple HVC Black Friday 2023 Petit Gordo that I hadn’t smoked. This turned out to have been a great choice. The Petit Gordo is 4½ x 56, just the right size for a hockey period! It has a Mexican San Andrés wrapper with a Nicaraguan binder and fillers from Nicaragua, which are lower primings. This is a medium bodied cigar, like a larger Black Friday Firecracker, without the kick! It was smooth and chocolaty, not that it didn’t start with some spice, it did, but it was quite good. It scratched my itch and I’m glad I got more than one and there’s a bunch of them a mile away if I want more! I need to sample more of the HVC line as I have always enjoyed the ones I’ve smoked. I haven’t met Renier Lorenzo, but I’ve heard good things about him. I’ll grab some more HVCs.

That’s more than enough for today, until the next time,

CigarCraig

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Tagged as 35th Anniversary, Adrian Magnus, Black Friday, cigar, cigars, Gurkha, HVC, Supremos

by Craig Vanderslice | July 30, 2023 · 10:40 am

Cohiba HVC Black Friday, Reinado and Iron Pigs, Bacon and Flying Pig Cigars

We went to a baseball game last night, but more on that later, lets recap a few cigars I smoked earlier in the week. At the Atlantic City Cigar Festival I saw an old friend, Sean Williams, who was handing out Cohiba Rivieras at his booth. I met Sean back around 2011, I think, at the Delaware Cigar Festival, or the IPCPR show, I forget which. I do remember seeing him at the IPCPR show and he introduced me to his friend Willy Herrera, who was helping him blend some of his cigars at the time. I hadn’t tried this Cohiba Riviera, so Thursday seemed like a good enough day to smoke one. This is the first Box pressed “red dot” Cohiba, and the first that doesn’t have any Dominican tobacco. It has a San Andrés wrapper (another Cohiba first), Honduran Connecticut binder (broadleaf?) and fillers from Jamastran, and La Entrada in Honduras and Condega and Esteli in Nicaragua. The Robusto I had is 5″ x 52, the box press makes it feel small, which is probably why it took me awhile to get around to smoking it. This smoked very well, as one would expect a $20 cigar to smoke. It tasted much like one would expect a Honduran/Nicaraguan blend with a Mexican wrapper to taste, which, to me, was quite good, with rich, earthy coffee, cocoa, espresso, etc. notes. I rather enjoyed it. As with most things in the “luxury” segment, be it food, cars, watches, I’m not the target audience. I’m a low frills kind of guy, but I do appreciate it, there’s just more affordable luxuries I appreciate as much.

I had picked up a HVC Black Friday 2022 a few weeks ago, I had smoked the Firecracker and maybe one other iteration of the Black Friday series ( I think the 2021) and enjoyed it. This is the first of the series that is made in Fábrica de Tabacos HVC S.A. de Reinier Lorenzo as opposed to Aganorsa, although I can’t say I noticed any quality difference. I would have liked it if my example had been a tad drier, which is the fault of my humidors, I guess. The tobaccos in this may need to be stored with less humidity, or dry boxed, I don’t know, most cigars burn fine out of my humidors, every now and then one is weird. My fault for not being as diligent with my Humidimeter as I should be! The Black Friday has an Ecuador Habano wrapper and the rest is from Jalapa and Esteli with, apparently, no ligero. It was on the medium side, with nice, nutty flavors and some syrupy sweetness. It was a hot and humid evening, which may have added to my issues, also not a great time for a nicotine-heavy cigar for me! I’ll try again with some dry down time.

I was up obnoxiously early yesterday morning so I pretty much went from bed, to the coffeemaker to the porch and lit up a Reinado Connecticut C29 that Antonio Lam had given me when I saw him at the aforementioned AC Cigar Fest. Before I go on, I’d like to mention that as I type I’m smoking an El Güegüense that was from the original release (probably a 2016 trade show sample) that is simply divine. I don’t think I appreciated this blend as much then as I do at this very moment, whether it’s the age on this cigar, the beautiful morning, or what. It’s creamy, it’s got a hint of light spice, it’s just perfection. What made my think about that, besides being distracted by the smoke, was that I had the same thought yesterday morning as I sat in the dawning hours of the day, as the sun came up, enjoying the Reinado C29. The details of this. cigar are veiled in secrecy, obviously it has a Connecticut wrapper, Ecuadoran would be my guess, and it wouldn’t surprise me if it’s made at Aganorsa, like his Grand Apex (which is also exceptional). I have trouble loving a lot of Aganorsa cigars, however, Antonio’s cigars I do love, and if the C29 is made there, it’s one more I really loved. It was creamy, plenty of flavor, and burned perfectly. It was a great cigar to smoke on a quiet morning unencumbered by distractions.

Last night some friends treated up to a baseball game in Allentown, PA. The Lehigh Valley Iron Pigs are the Philadelphia Phillies Triple A farm team, and the upside is that they have a heavy bacon-centric theme. We snacked on chocolate covered bacon and skewered candied bacon, but sadly they were out of the bacon cannolis. Between innings they had races with people dressed as various pork based meats, and the players uniforms had Bacon emblazoned across the front. Fred Rewey would have been severely overstimulated. I misunderstood the team name and wore a Flying Pig shirt, and smoked a Kentucky Fire Cured Flying Pig on the ride home, as Coca Cola Stadium is non-smoking. When I first smoked the KFC at Cigar Safari 10 years ago I didn’t like it at all, it was too “campfire” for me. This Flying Pig, and I don’t remember where I got them, or how long I’ve had them, was very good, it had some nice sweet woodiness. I can’t recommend smoking a 4″ x 60 in a dark, stick shift car, though, that was less than ideal, but it was a good smoke, and it was a really fun game, with fireworks after the game. I’m not a baseball fan, and I’m confused by some of the new rules, but it’s nostalgic, I went to a lot of games as a kid, and I always enjoyed minor league games for the entertainment value.

There’s a lot coming up this week. Tonight, if you are in the Limerick, PA area, stop by Goose’s and see my friend Mike Kropp perform at the Goose Pond. Next Saturday, August 5, at the Leaf Cigar Bar in Easton, PA celebrate Jerry Garcia’s Birthday with live music at 3. Delaware Cigar Week kicks off on Thursday, August 3th with a schedule of events running through Sunday. Could be a busy weekend!

That’s all for today! Until the next time,

CigarCraig

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Filed under Events, Review

Tagged as Bacon, Black Friday, C29, cigar, cigars, cohiba, Flying Pig, HVC, Iron Pigs, Kentucky Fire Cured, Reinado, Riviera

by Craig Vanderslice | December 12, 2021 · 10:41 am

Cigar Prop Back in Black and HVC Black Friday Cigars

Thinking back, I suppose I should have smoked an Alec Bradley Black Market to complete the thematic trilogy, honestly, I wasn’t even thinking about both of these cigars having anything in common. Let’s start out with the Cigar Prop Back In Black By Espinosa (not a sponsored link). This cigar might be lesser known outside of certain circles. It’s a collaboration between Kevin Shahan at Cigar Prop and Espinosa Cigars, and was/is exclusive to Smoke Inn. This was the third one of these I’ve smoked, the first out of the production run, and the first I’ve been able to talk about. Kevin had sent me some samples of prototypes for my feedback some time ago, and there were two blends, this excellent blend which, obviously went into production, and another even better blend, which better fit the theme of the project (in my opinion), which ended up not being sustainable due to material shortages. Kevin likes barber pole style cigars. This one has a Habano (the wrapper Espinosa uses on the La Bomba line) and a San Andrés, and a Jalapa binder and viso and ligero fillers from Estelí and Condega. It’s a 6″ x 52, which we all know is a size I like, and has a simple black band. Funny that Kevin doesn’t usually like powerful cigars, not that this one is super strong, but it does have a little kick to it, it isn’t mild! I loved the samples I smoked, and I am glad I bought a box when they were finally released. These are suited to my palate, they are rich, with cocoa/espresso flavors like I enjoy. I’ve yet to have a barber pole cigar that I could detect any flavor changes, I mean, the wrappers are spiralled, they are both burning at the same time through the course of the cigar, but it’s a neat look, and as long as it burns well, I’m happy, and these have. Congratulations to Cigar Prop on his first collaboration! It’s fun to see the name on a box, isn’t it? I remember when he was but a simple CigarCraig.com reader…

I followed the Back in Black later in the day with the HVC Black Friday 2021. Maybe there’s a subconscious connection to my mood this time of year. I seemed to be in a better frame of mind back in the days when I could spend the two weeks leading up to Christmas giving away tons of cigars and swag. Can you believe 2015 was the last year I had one of my mega-day giveaways? On the other hand it was a major time suck, but a great one! Anyway, I have a few goodies stashed away for next week, stay tuned. So a normal person might have smoked the HVC Black Friday on the day after Thanksgiving, but I forgot about it. I probably have a few of them around, one from last year, a couple Firecrackers, and then this one I picked up a few weeks back on the recommendation of Brian at Son’s. This keeps happening with HVC cigars and the guys at Son’s, they ask me if I’ve tried one yet, I say know and take the one from them and buy it. I should always buy more than one. Either they need to learn or I do. The Black Friday 2021 is a 4 3/8″ x 54 short, chubby robusto, with a mottled broadleaf wrapper. Last years was a Corona Gorda, now that I think of it, I just saw one when rooting through the humidor. The rest of the blend is Nicaraguan, made at the Aganorsa Factory in Esteli. I was told it was strong, to smoke it after a hearty meal. I prepared by eating a leftover slice of Sicilian pizza with sausage and bacon. It was good. I’ll reiterate my failure to buy/Son’s failure to sell additional examples of this cigar. This is a friggen outstanding cigar. Yeah, it’s got some power, but not porcelain hugging level power. The size is good for a little over an hour for me, I could have smoked it in a toro last night as it was fairly mild for a december evening, but it was still quite satisfying. As I think about it, maybe a toro would have been too much and would have ratcheted it up to an uncomfortable level. This is going on my list of cigars to grab a few more of (box of 50? let’s not get carried away). The Corona Gorda and Firecrackers better hide.

Everyone who signed up for the Secret Santa should have gotten their assignments. I am to understand at least one person signed up and for whatever reason it didn’t take in the system. It seems like there’s always something that goes wrong when I try to do these things! I sent mine out yesterday, and posted a small rant on Facebook and Instagram about how the USPS sets the expectation of 2 day shipping right on the label, I didn’t ask for it. It’s their idea, they should make goo on it, right? Anyway, we’ll see how that goes…that’s al for today, until the next time,

CigarCraig

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Tagged as Back in Black, Black Friday, cigar, Cigar Prop, cigars, Espinosa, HVC

by Craig Vanderslice | November 11, 2020 · 9:28 pm

HVC Black Friday 2020 Cigar

Sunday I took a little ride out to Havertown, PA to visit my favorite daughter, I am allowed to say that because I only have one daughter. She also has my favorite granddaughters, and I like to see them from time to time. Ironically, they live very close to the Wooden Indian, so I stopped by with the intention of picking up a few new to me cigars to smoke. The Wooden Indian is still operating under COVID restrictions, not government mandated, but out of concern for safety of employees and patrons. As Dave Mayer, the owner, will point out, the humidor provides a nice environment for a virus to live, so he doesn’t want people wandering in and out. Their lounge is open to their members, with a separate entrance, but the store is closed to the public. I pulled up and called. I had an idea what I was looking for, but they didn’t have the first couple selections I asked for yet, and I goofed when I asked for the All Saints, I wanted the Dedicación, and asked for the Solamente, which I had already smoked. Not that I was too disappointed, the Solamente is a great smoke, and I didn’t mind having a few more in the humidor. It’s a problem I plan to correct tomorrow night. Anyway, Deanna, who was working in the shop, ran through some of the new arrivals for me and mentioned the HVC Black Friday which was one I had wanted to try, so I picked up a few of those. Deanna took great care of me over the phone. She was very knowledgeable, and delivered my cigars to the door to me quickly. In the future, I’ll go on their website and make my shopping list.

I haven’t smoked anything from HVC yet, and I remember seeing HVC at the TPE show, but, for whatever reason, I failed to meet Lorenzo. It seems to me that his area was busy whenever I wandered by. I’ve been hearing a lot about the brand, and I’ve been hearing a lot about the Black Friday. To my surprise, the HVC Black Friday has been an ongoing limited edition, going back to 2015! I’ve been somehow missing out on this brand. This years cigar is a corona gorda, 5 5/8″ x 46, an excellent size. From what I can tell it has a Habano wrapper, double binder consisting of Corojo and Criollo and Nicaraguan fillers from Jalapa, including Ligero from Aganorsa’s farm. This is a strong cigar! It starts off with a load of pepper, and smoothes out a little but not much. It has some sweetness, be remains a powerhouse throughout. I really enjoyed this cigar! I didn’t really look at the price, but some post sale research shows these in the $7.50 range, which is quite a deal. United Cigar is offering a Black Friday Firecracker, which sounds really interesting, but I don’t know if a stronger version is really necessary! I’ll try to get my hands on some, as I like sampling the Firecrackers, but I can imagine it’ll live up to the Firecracker name. I couldn’t wait until the day after Thanksgiving to smoke the Black Friday, and I’m not sure if the other one I have will make it another couple weeks! Great cigar, and now I need to find some more HVC cigars to sample.