Tag Archives: Blanco

by CigarCraig | June 8, 2016 · 7:14 am

The Cigar Crate Cigar of the Month Program

There are tons of Cigar of the Month clubs out there, most of the online retailers offer them, even The Cigar Authority has their monthly “care package”. Often times there are a couple good cigars and a few private labels or house brands, but a few of them do it right. A new oneÂ that was recently brought to my attention is the Cigar Crate. Cigar Crate is based in Tennessee and is the creation ofÂ Veljko Bogdanovic andÂ David Xayabudda. The premise is simple, and what should be the standard, provide four great cigars for a monthly subscription fee.They also make a donation to Operation: Cigars for Warriors for each purchase in the form of one cigar for each monthly subscription. I received the first month’s crate last week and the presentation was very nicely executed. There were four cigars in a heavy ziplock bag, nestled in shredded cardboard, Â with a fact sheet on the included cigars. All of this is in an OD Green cardboard box with the Cigar Crate logo on top. Â Shipping is included in the monthly subscription price of $39.95 (or $37 if you commit to a six month plan).

The June line up included a Caldwell Blind Man’s Bluff Robusto, a Flor de las Antillas Robusto, a Blanco NineÂ toro and a Liga Privada No.9 Robusto. Â I smoked all four cigars over the last three days, and all of them were in perfect condition, burned well and happened to all be cigars that I have smoked and like. Actually, the Liga Robusto is one I haven’t smoked in that size, I’ve really only smoked the Parejos, and maybe a Belicoso here and there. I liked it, I wonder why a cheapskate like me hasn’t tried the smallest size? Of the four, they were all good, but I think I like the Blanco Nine the best. The important thing is that they arrived ready to smoke.

In a subscription service like this, quality and condition are key. The website shows what the next month’s selection will be, so if you approach this month to month you can make an informed decision before you commit. Nothing worse than being surprised with cigars you may know you don’t care for every month! With shipping included, and the donation to Operation: Cigars For Warriors, Cigar Crate seems like a very nice little program.Â As an added bonus,Â Veljko has provided a discount code just for us! Â Use the code CRAIG at checkout to get a 10% discount!

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

CigarCraig

7 Comments

Filed under Review

Tagged as Blanco, Blind Man's Bluff, cigar, Cigar Crate, Cigar of the Month, cigars, Flor de Las Antillas, liga privada

by CigarCraig | November 12, 2014 · 9:36 pm

Gurkha, Rocky Patel, Blanco’s Primos, Straight Jacket and Contest Winners!

First a little rant, then we;ll get on to some cigars and contest winners. This week it was reported that the city of Philadelphia proposed a tax on cigars and “other tobacco products” to help fund the schools. They apparently already levied a tax on cigarettes recently for the same reason and now they are going after the rest. What they don’t understand is that this tax will either close, or drive out many cigar shops (Holts has a large presence in Philadelphia), taking business and payroll taxes out of the city, and even if there are cigar stores left, people will make a short trip to the surrounding suburbs to shop. The city will not only fail to collect the taxes they want for the schools, but they will lose the other taxes. Once again, short sighted government actions hurt many and benefit nobody. This was reported on The Cigar Authority where you can read the full text of the proposal.

Sunday, after breaking my back once again doing yard work at the new house, I took a nice, long walk with a Gurkha Xtreme XO, the 6″ x 60 size. Obviously this is a new cigar in Gurkha’s core line, as there is no blend information on their website. I saw Bianca, Gurkha’s Marketing Manager, three times over the last few months, and she gave me this cigar on one of those occasions. I actually can’t recall which. It had been in my humidor for a few months so I figured it was time to dig it out. As with all the cigars I smoked this week, I used the Screwpop punch which gave me an acceptable draw. I expected a powerhouse cigar, based on the name. The cold draw and aroma off the wrapper was like freshly tanned leather. It wasn’t anywhere near as strong as I expected, it was solidly medium and had a consistent leathery flavor all the way through. It was a really nice cigar, but I had hoped it was a bit stronger.

Monday I grabbed a Rocky Patel Platinum which I got back at Cigar Mojo‘s Anniversary/Halloween event. This box pressed robusto was a very nice cigar. This had a Connecticut Broadleaf wrapper with a San Andrés binder and fillers from Esteli and Condega. I knew there was some reason I liked this cigar! The combination of Broadleaf and San Andrés gave it a nice, sweet and earthy flavor. I was quite happy with this cigar, and it burned very nice. I have to keep an eye out for more of these, it was the free cigar with a purchase of four RP cigars, so I have no concept of what the Platimum costs. I will say that it was well worth what I paid for it!

Tuesday evening I had my mind set on smoking something strong, dark and familiar, but at the last minute I came across a cigar that David Blanco gave me when I saw him at The Smokin’ Goose festival in September. The Primos Estate Selection Habano Criollo Rosado in the toro size, 6″ x 52, has a ruddy Habano Rosado wrapper grown in Nicaragua, with fillers from Nicaragua, Honduras and Peru. I tend to enjoy cigar with Peruvian tobacco in the blend, and I enjoyed this cigar. It’s getting to be the time of year where I gravitate toward bolder cigars, and this one had some more delicate, subtle flavors that were nearly lost on me, but they were there and I enjoyed the sweetness and medium bodied tobacco flavor. I think this would be a great morning or early afternoon smoke.

Tonight I finally broke into the Asylum Straight Jacket box that I won in the silent auction benefiting Operation: Cigars for Warriors at the Smokin’ Goose fest. I took a run out to Goose’s Tobacco a couple weeks ago and settled up, between the new house and the car/deer mergence a few weeks back, it was hard to get out there. These are a limited edition cigar made in Honduras at the Fabrica Unidas’ El Aladino factory with Nicaraguan tobacco. These are supposed to be the strongest Asylum cigar yet, and I’d tend to agree. This is exactly what I’ve been craving. It’s smoke is dense and full of heavy, creamy flavor. I have enjoyed everything I’ve smoked from Tom Lazuka’s crazy Asylum line, but this one is the pick of the litter for sure! Even the burn was perfect with that nice, flat burn that I love.

Contest!

We had a pretty good turnout for the two Screwpop 2.0 Cigar Punches (and whatever cigars fall into the box…you’ll have to trust me). This will be the last contest for a month, at which time I’ll launch into the forth annual 12 Spectacular Days of Cigar Giveaways. I’ve already gotten some spectacular prizes in the pipeline, soon I’ll have to put the temporary prize coolerdor into service again as the goodies roll in. Get ready, it’s going to be pretty darned cool. Anyway, we had 37 entries and Random.org chose number 12 and 35, so the winners are Jeff Ketcham and Tim! Please e-mail me your addresses so I can get these cool new tools out to you. Thanks to everyone and stay tuned for the big show in a few weeks!

That’s it for now! Until the next time,

CigarCraig

5 Comments

Filed under Contest, Editorial, Review

Tagged as Asylum, Blanco, cigar, cigars, Contest, Gurkha, Primos, rocky patel, ScrewPop

by CigarCraig | October 15, 2014 · 9:16 pm

Blanco Cigars, La Palina, L’Atelier, and Placeres Reserva and Macha

Last time I offered a five pack from my humidors for the correct answer to our dog’s name significance. While it’s true that the SPCA named her after Macha, the goddess in Irish mythology, I decided that it had to have a Beatles tie in. We have cats named Max (Maxwell’s Silver Hammer) and Eleanor (Eleanor Rigby), so I knew there must be a connection, and there was, sort of. It’s a stretch, but in 1981 George Harrison financed a film starring Ringo Starr called “Caveman”, one of my favorite movies. One of the first peices of dialog in the movie is Ringo’s character, Atouk, encountering a dinosaur, and yelling “Macha!”. So, it’s obscure, but I was able to come up with a Beatles reference for the name Macha! I’m surprised (not really) that nobody came up with it. Here’s the first part of Caveman for your entertainment. Interesting to note that the movie is set in One Zillion B.C., October 9. October 9 is John Lennon’s birthday, and he was murdered the year before. This was an homage to him. I suppose since nobody got it right I’ll select a winner at Random, the number generator spit out the number 10, so Dan Colley needs to send me his address. Thanks for playing along, I’ll try to throw these little contests in from time to time.

http://youtu.be/pGepwTmhBtA

On to the cigars! Sunday I selected a Blanco Liga Exclusiva de Familia Connecticut Shade Salomon. David Blanco gave me this cigar at The Smokin Goose event a few weeks ago and it looked really special, so I had to smoke it. It’s a 6″ x 54 Salomon shaped cigar with a beautiful wrapper which is US Connecticut seeds grown in the Talanga Valley of Honduras. It lit quickly and easily, and burned perfectly. The cigar was silky smooth and creamy. It was a very enjoyable cigar, refined and delicious. I really like the Blanco 9, but for totally different reasons. This pretty perfecto is something special. Highly recommended.

Monday I went for another new cigar, the La Palina Black Label Robusto. This 5″x52 robusto has a dark Brazilian wrapper, with Dominican and Nicaraguan fillers made in the PDR factory in Dominican Republic. It recent;y came to my attention that the PDR factory is located either in the same complex, or very close to, Jochi Blanco’s factory where the Boutique Blends lines are made. These are both very hot factories in the DR. I expected a very good experience from the La Palina, and I received it. The Brazilian wrapper gives it a nice espresso like flavor, with a hint of sweetness. It hit the spot on my evening walk.

Tuesday I had to do some things at the new house after dinner, so when I got home I took my walk with a L’Atelier Maduro MAD44 which I bought back in August at Havana Manor in Longmont, Colorado. I was pretty sure the small size would come in handy one day, and this was the perfect time. It was perfect for a mile and a half walk listening to the Flyers game. This line has the Connecticut Broadleaf wrapper with a Sancti Spiritus Nicaraguan binder and Nicaraguan fillers. This is yet another refined smoke, with a sweet, strong coffee flavor. It burned perfectly for the entirety of it’s four inch length. It’s a great short smoke.

Tonight I came across a Placeres Reserva Estrellas from Kuuts Cigars in the humidor and decided it’s time had come. This cigar is made in Honduras, with a Nicaraguan wrapper and binder and Nicaraguan and Honduran fillers. This is the first of this line I’ve tried, and it’s a winner. It had a savory flavor, like a nice steak. It burned perfectly with a nice flat and even burn. Some say that a cone shaped ember is the sign of a perfect burn, I disagree. I love to tap off the ash and have a nice flat coal, it tells me that all the components are burning at the same rate, and it’s no small feat to make this happen. It’s a testament to the blender who manages to get leaves of varying thickness and oiliness to burn so well. I’ll be anxious to sample other cigars from Kuuts after having such a good experience with this one.