Tag Archives: cigar store

by Craig Vanderslice | December 8, 2019 · 10:39 am

Random Cigars and a Dunbarton Event at BnB Cigars in Philly

I already posted this week about the new cigar I smoked, and I’ll get to the other one in a bit, but first I want to recap a few other cigars I revisited during the course of the week. I’ve been busying myself helping out a friend and continuing my job search. It’s a bad time of year for this sort of thing, but I did it once in 2002, so I should be able to pull it off again. so I’ve been continuing my evening routine of having a cigar and taking a walk, weather permitting. It’s been cold (or advancing age has reduced my tolerance), so I’ve been choosing more robustos, so one day this week I grabbed a La Aurora 1962 Corojo Robusto. Since I bought my first box of cigars in 1996 (La Aurora Bristol Especiales), I’ve always had some La Auroras in the humidor. It’s a sentimental choice for a few reasons. My celebration cigar when my grandchildren were born was the 2003 Puro Vintage, and I have two stashed for the next two grand children, but I suspect they will be very well aged by the time I’ll be smoking them. My daughter’s name is Aurora, which might be important information in this story, ties it together, I suppose. She may still have that old box from 1996 someplace. Anyway, the 1962 Corojo uses a Dominican Corojo wrapper, Ecuador binder and Dominican and Nicaraguan fillers and is a medium bodied cigar with nice flavor. It’s one of those cigars that I can’t really pinpoint flavors but it’s flavors I like, and I know I can just grab one and have a good experience. Honestly, I’ve only ever smoked the 5″ x 50 robusto, so I’d solve to try this in the toro or Churchill size one of these days. I want to say the the 1903 Cameroon and 1987 Connecticut have the same binder and filler, with only the wrapper being different, I like all three.

If I were going to do something crazy, like have a cigar of the year, my next cigar would be in the running, or at least the brand would. I might just do it, because the Don Juan Calavera line from Danli Honduras Tabaco has really captured my corozón! I smoked the Connecticut this week, because it’s hard for me to not smoke these all up. I’m at a serious crossroads as to which of their three offerings is my favorite, Connecticut, Sumatra, or Maduro. The Connecticut is atypical, it is creamy, but not grassy, and not at all mild. Like every cigar I’ve smoked from the line, the construction has been excellent, burn and draw have been perfect. I’m trying to find out the best pathway to purchase these, so far e-mailing them, using the form on their website, or contacting them via Facebook seems to be the only way to buy them. As soon as can provide an easy to follow guide to purchasing these I’ll post it, because everyone should be enjoying these. Edit: I just received word that at this time contacting the manufacturer is one way to get them, but two stores in Virginia carry them, Blacksburg Pipe & Tobacco (Blacksburg VA) and Milan Tobacconists (Roanoke VA). Try calling these stores to purchase the cigars. I should save some gushing for that cigar brand of the year post! Shh…don’t tell anyone!

Yesterday I finally had the opportunity to smoke the Mi Querida Triqui Traca, and I did so at BnB Cigars in Chestnut Hill, PA. They were having an event there with Steve Saka and Dave Lafferty (Cindy Saka was there too) of Dunbarton Tobacco and Trust, with a bunch of test blends that Steve had accumulated over the years as add-ons to purchases. I smoked one which was obviously a Mi Querida Gordita with some variation of the wrapper, although who could tell? It was delicious. Of course, I always learn stuff hanging with these guys, and the store is a cornucopia of boutique cigars. I highly recommend a visit there, if not in person, check them out for your online shopping, as Vince has curated an amazing selection of cigars. The lounge is comfortable and the clientele is friendly as well (which will mean nothing if you shop online). Anyway, the Mi Querida Triqui Traca I smoked was the 648, which is a clever name, as it’s 6″ x 48. This blend is based off of the Mi Querida Firecracker blend that Steve made for Two Guys Cigars last year, so it’s got a little more oomph than the Mi Querida line. I really enjoyed it, although it’s too early to tell if I like it more than the regular line, I don’t think I really need to have a preference actually, I can like them both equally! The Triqui Traca had the great espresso and spice that I love with more of the ligero power. I was told that the strength manifests itself more if you keep it in your mouth while smoking, which I don’t, so I guess I missed out on that aspect. It, as always, is great seeing my friends and spending time with them. I was surprised there weren’t as many Saka fans there, but I’m sure many wish they could have been.

That’s plenty for today. I have a Sobremesa Brulé on the menu for today, I actually haven’t smoked regular production versions yet, so I’m looking forward to it. If I have the time there might be other goodies from yesterday to smoke. Until the next time,

CigarCraig

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Tagged as BNB Cigars, cigar, cigar store, cigars, Danli Honduras Tabacos, DOn Juan Calavera, Dunbarton Tobacco and Trust, La Aurora, Mi Querida, Triqui Traca

by Craig Vanderslice | October 30, 2019 · 11:04 am

The New Cigar Mojo in King of Prussia, PA

Yesterday I dropped by the new location of Cigar Mojo, the cigar shop and lounge in King of Prussia, PA. They opened the first shop back in 2013, and I posted about it here. It’s hard to believe it’s been that long, they’ve had their challenges over the years, but Ive been to some great events, and it’s turned into one of the premier lounges in the area. To those not familiar with the area, the name King of Prussia sounds like an odd name for a town, but it’s adjacent to Valley Forge, which holds a significant place in American History, and the Prussian troops played a large part in the Continental Army’s success, hence the area being named after their king. Of course, none of that has anything to do with Cigar Mojo, except that I’m sure some tobacco was smoked at the King of Prussia Inn in the 1700s, as tobacco was one of the things that funded the war. Anyway, The Cigar Mojo guys had enjoyed success in their beautiful lounge, but decided to move a half mile down the road into a vacant bank building and create a bigger and better Mojo. This new location is nestled between an Aldi super market and a Duluth Trading Company store, and has plenty of parking (where as the old location was nestled between a Wawa and a cemetery, and had limited parking). I have only included exterior photos today, as they had just received their occupancy permit and were in the process of moving in, so, while functional, the inside was in a bit of disarray. Trae, one of the owners, was busily stocking the large and centrally located humidor with their generous stock. The store has three lounges, a public lounge to the left of the humidor, the members lounge to the right, and an outdoor lounge in the rear of the building. All of them have plenty of seating, and TVs, even the outdoor area. There is a dominos room and also a kitchen I’m told. As I said, the large humidor is in the center, when you walk in the door, it’s in front of you, and you move through the vestibule to the left to enter the retail space. I look forward to seeing it when it’s all cleaned up and organized, it was understandably a mess as they had to hurry to vacate the old location.

As always, you can go to any cigar shop anywhere and strike up a great conversation with a total stranger. Sure, I’ve been to Mojo plenty of times, and there were several people who came in and out who I knew, but you can just sit and talk to someone new and have mutual friends and interests and have a great time. Trae was kind enough to find me a box of RoMaCraft Baka in the 4″ x 52 Bantu size and open it up and sell me some singles, one of which I smoked in the public lounge. I had gone in thinking I was just going to smoke a particular cigar, then, as I saw the chaos in the humidor, and the tons of cigars there, I forgot what it was I was thinking of. So I grabbed a couple Cromagnons, and, half jokingly, asked Trae where the Bakas were. He said they had them, and dove into a pile and found a box. I really enjoyed this cigar! It’s not as powerful as other cigars in the RoMa line, it’s got a sophistication, along with the nutty “Camerooniness”. The size was deceiving too, as it easily burned for an hour. This is a winner, although I doubt anyone would be surprised.

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

CigarCraig

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Tagged as Baka, cigar, Cigar Mojo, cigar store, cigars, RoMaCraft

by Craig Vanderslice | October 6, 2019 · 8:24 am

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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Tagged as Brick House, cigar, cigar store, cigars, Diamond Crown, Hideout, J.C.Newman

by Craig Vanderslice | August 18, 2019 · 9:10 am

Southern Draw 300 Hands and Tatuaje Mexican Experiment and ME II Cigars

Wednesday evening I finally got around to trying the Southern Draw 300 Hands Connecticut in the Piramides size. This is a 6 1/8″ x 52 figurado, a classic size, with a US grown Connecticut shade wrapper, a Peruvian binder and Dominican and Nicaraguan fillers. Like all Southern Draw cigars it’s made at the AJ Fernandez Factory in Nicaragua. The wrapper is on the darker side for a Connecticut shade, and I found the flavor to be less grassy than most cigars in that genre. It smoked very well and was a very enjoyable cigar, well priced, with proceeds going to help less fortunate people in Nicaragua.

Thursday I stopped into the Downingtown CigarCigars shop to see Kevin, the manager there, looking for some “white” cigars for this coming Thursday’s Diner en Blanc. While I didn’t really find anything there, I did pick up some new cigars to try, including the Tatuaje Mexican Experiment and ME II in the Churchill sizes. I got a few others that will come up later as I get around to smoking them, and there was a E.P. Carillo event there which I hung around for the start of. Ali is the new EPC rep, and I’ve known here for quite a few years. I enjoyed a Seleccion Oscuro robusto there while talking with Kevin, which is one of my favorites in the EPC line. You know what I found really interesting about the Tatuaje Mexican Experiment and ME II? They are priced at $10 (in no cigar tax PA) for any size. The box pressed 6½” x 48 Churchill seemed like the logical choice to me, so I picked up one in each blend. I started with the Mexican Experiment, of course, it would be insane to smoke the II first. There’s not much blend information about the to cigars, they have a Mexican San Andrés wrapper over Nicaraguan binder and fillers, and are made at the My Father factory in Nicaragua. Honestly, I’d have to smoke these side by side to really be able to say what the difference is, perhaps the ME II was a bit more spicy than the Mexican Experiment. Both cigar were solidly in my wheelhouse, loaded with lush, heavy tobacco flavors with dark chocolate and espresso. I smoked these fresh from the store, for the most part, I should probably grab a few more to leave in the humidor for a year to see how they age, I suspect they would be spectacular, or more so, having spent some time resting. I got my start smoking Mexican cigars back in the 90s, my father-in-law turned me on to Te-Amos and I found the maduros to be to my liking and I smoked a bunch of them. My first box buy was a box of toros, and I used to buy the Te-Amo segundos by the bundle. At the time Mexican cigars were not exactly considered the cream of the crop, I guess I was ahead of the curve! There is a difference between a blend and a puro, and all Mexican tobacco might be overwhelming, I get that. Certainly these two Tatuaje cigars are great for my palate, and I really enjoyed the Churchill size. The other three sizes offered (Robusto (5” x 54),Toro (5 ¾” x 50) and Belicoso (5” x 52)) are actually pretty close together, made it hard to make a selection.

Off to work another Sunday, until the next time,

CigarCraig

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Tagged as 300 Hands, cigar, cigar store, CigarCigars, cigars, ME II, Mexican Experiment, Southern Draw, tatuaje

by Craig Vanderslice | July 7, 2019 · 9:53 am

A Couple of Shop Visit, a Couple of Cigars and a Contest Winner!

Happy Sunday! I suppose it’s the end of a holiday weekend for a lot of people, I had Thursday off, and stopped into the CigarCigars shop in the King of Prussia Mall and picked up a couple cigars, one of which I smoked later to celebrate our wedding anniversary. Sure, I have plenty of natural Padron 1964 Anniversary Exclusivos, but I hadn’t had a Maduro in quite some time, so I picked one up. My wife spied a Foundry Compounds, Elements and Musings Uranium box with two cigars left in it, so I bought them and got the box. I’m pretty sure I’ve smoked Uranium before, although I don’t smoke many 7″ x 70s. The artwork is cool and I’ll rig a light in the box and it’ll be a nice shelf piece. Gotta give Mike Giannini credit for creative design! So my wife got a ring from Tiffany, and I got some cigars, it was a good day. The Exclusivo was exceptional, of course. I remember smoking my first one probably 20 years ago and they haven’t changed.

Friday evening I took a ride up to Suburban Cigar Lounge in Mount Penn, PA, which is near Reading. This is a really nice lounge run by Gary, over top of what is, by all reports, a very nice restaurant, which, if I’m not mistaken, his wife runs. I went to meet up with Boston Jimmie, of Stogie Press fame, who took his sweet time showing up. If you advertise that you’re going to be someplace from 7-10, showing up at 8:30 is not acceptable, I don’t care how things are done in Florida. 😜Anyway, Gary has a nice lounge with a friendly clientele, and his humidor has a modest but diverse selection from which I purchased some Alec Bradley Magic Toast Gordos, and RoMaCraft Aquitaine Mode 5s, and lit up a Magic Toast. I love this Magic Toast, it’s my kinda smoke. The dark, oily Honduran wrapper is beautiful, and the flavor is equally dark and lush. I smoked a Mode 5 next, and while I prefer the CroMagnon, the Aquitaine is damn tasty. This is a great example of how the wrapper can completely change the flavor of a cigar, as the wrapper is the only difference between the CroMagnon and Aquitaine lines. Jimmie finally showed up and hung out for a while. I hadn’t seen him since the 2017 IPCPR show, so it was nice seeing him again. Suburban Cigar Lounge is a great place to hang out of you find yourself in the area. I’m sorry I didn’t let long time reader Corey know I was going!

Last night I smoked the 2Guys Smokeshop exclusive Pistoff Kristoff Firecracker. Every year they do a special Firecracker release, last year it was the Mi Querida, prior to that it was the Fratello. I’ve managed to smoke a bunch of them, except for the original ones. It’s a small format, 3½ x 50, in a stronger blend. This was the second Pistoff Firecracker I smoked and I thought it was very good. I’m OK with the Pistoff blend to begin with, so I figured I’d be OK with this, and if I wasn’t, it wasn’t going to be a large time commitment. I do, generally, get an hour out of the Firecrackers, smoking them slowly. Because of the closed foot, a trademark of Kristoff, and usually a Firecracker trait, it starts with a blast of wrapper flavor, and some concern that the draw will be tight, once the wrapper burns, this one opens up to a perfect draw and has a good, bold flavor. It was strong, but well balanced. It looks like these are sold out, as is the case with most of the limited Firecrackers, but often the have second runs, and I would recommend these and others if you like small, strong cigars. They have all been exceptional in my opinion.

Contest

It’s time to select a winner in last weeks contest. To recap, I am giving away some great, in my opinion, Don Juan Calavera cigars from Danli Honduras Tabaco (from my own humidor, to protect the innocent), a Herics Cigar Tape, and a Cigar Prop and Light Bleed Tool from CigarProp.com. It’s possible some other goodies could fall into the box while I’m packing it up. There were 42 entries, and according to the random number generator, the winner is Bob Langmaid! I seems like Bob wins everything all the time, but I could only find one instance of him winning one of my contests, and that was almost 4 years ago. I’d rather have someone who hasn’t won before win, but Bob’s name came up, and he’s been fanatically religious about entering my contests for many years, so fair is fair! Please send me your address Bob!