I stopped by my local Tobacconist Association of America retailer recent;y and picked up a few cigars I hadn’t tried yet. I got a couple TAA Exclusives and a PCA (Premium Cigar Association) exclusive. These are cigars that are only available to members of the respective associations, in the case of the TAA, the members have an annual meeting (usually at a tropical resort ironically outside of the US (technically they are still in “the Americas”). Selected manufacturers make exclusive cigars, some good, some not so much. … Continue reading
Brick HouseTag Archives
Brick House, West Tampa, Big Sky and Stolen Throne Cigars
I got a bit of a late start on Bricktoberfest, thanks to our friends at UPS, and maybe the weather. Every year (at least for the last 6) the folks at J.C. Newman celebrate Oktoberfest (which runs from September 21 through October 6ish I think) with a special release of their Brick House cigar.… Continue reading
News: TAA 2021 Exclusive Cigar ‘Brick House Beginnings’ Ships
This looks interesting, I really like the Brick House cigars, and I have a TAA retailer nearby, so I’ll have to check them out. I still want to get to Tampa to visit the remodeled factory, I have a pretty good feeling I could get in…check out this news from J.C. Newman.
Before we could start on the major restoration we just completed at our El Reloj Cigar Factory in Tampa, our team had to clear out almost 70 years’ worth of items from the building. During this process, we uncovered some hidden gems.… Continue reading
La Unica, Quorum and Brick House Cigars
I really would love to get down to Tampa in the near future to see what J.C. Newman is doing with the historic “El Reloj” factory there. They have been remodeling it in celebration of their 125th anniversary, and I imagine it’s going to be spectacular. I haven’t ever really been to Tampa, funny enough. It’s just such a weird time. Anyway, I smoked
some of the more pedestrian of the J.C. Newman offerings lately, and I figured I’d discuss them here. Let’s start out with the Quorum. I’ve actually smoked a bunch of these maduro toros over the last few weeks and I have to be honest, they aren’t bad. They’ve all had pretty good construction and a nice mild to medium strength. These are made in J.C. Newman’s PENSA factory in Esteli, and run around $2.50 a cigar.… Continue reading
A Local Cigar Lounge Visit, a Brick House and a Diamond Crown
Wednesday I took a ride to a newer shop and lounge in nearby Upper Chichester, PA, The Hideout. This aptly named shop is nestled in a carwash building and wasn’t easy to find. I actually drove past it twice looking for it. Strike that, three times. When I finally found it, I was greeted by John, the shop manager. The store is small with a reasonable selection a Pennsylvania pricing. They are fairly new, so they don’t have a lot of direct accounts, but they had plenty of good cigars to choose from. I picked up some Aganorsa Leaf Habanos and Connecticuts that were on special. The shop and lounge aren’t connected, the lounge is accessed through a door next to the store and is upstairs, and is beautifully appointed. It’s a members lounge, with a $20 purchase giving one a daily pass. There’s a kitchenette, several TVs and a bunch of comfortable leather chairs. There’s also a covered patio in the back. Considering the appearance from the outside, one would never know such an oasis existed behind that plain door. I spent an hour or so enjoying a cigar in the lounge (a Lunatic Maduro perfecto gifted by John, with was quite delicious), as Jack, one of the owners stopped to visit, and John came up to tell me about the YouTube Vodcast he does from the lounge, The Cigar O’Clock Show. If you can find the Hideout, it’s a nice place to hangout and have a cigar.
Friday I smoked a Brick House Maduro Robusto, the 5″ x 54 Brazilian Arapiraca wrapped cigar made in J.C.Newman’s PENSA factory in Esteli. It’s been a long time since I smoked one of this, and I forgot how much I like this cigar. It might me four years since I had a Brick House Maduro, and then it was the Mighty Mighty, and I liked it. This could actually climb onto my list of those cigars could have in a rotation and smoke regularly. It’s a really delicious maduro cigar with a nice sweetness like rich cocoa. The construction was excellent with the burn and draw being perfect. I will definitely stock my humidor with more of these, it will be one of those go-to cigars for sure. I dig it.
The Diamond Crown is another cigar I love but I don’t smoke often. I remember smoking the No.2 at a weekend cigar party in Las Vegas in 1998, back when they were only available on the west coast. This is another J.C. Newman cigar, but this one is made by Fuente in the Dominican Republic. When these came out, they were 54 ring gauge, which was huge. This cigar has a Connecticut wrapper that is fermented twice, and the cigars are aged for five years. Whatever they do to these, they are really tasty, mild cigars. they are smooth, creamy with some sweetness, no real grassy flavor like one often gets with Connecticut Shade cigars. This is another one of those classic cigars that stands the test of time, and seems to taste the same as it did 20 years ago. I have several cigars I keep on hand that are kind of sentimental, seems like most of them are from the Fuentes for some reason. Interesting!
That’s all for today, until the next time,
CigarCraig
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