Tag Archives: cigar store

by | January 6, 2013 · 1:43 pm

An Afternoon at Xhale Lounge in the Fishtown Section of Philly

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I’m finally about over the illness that gripped me over the last week and my wife wanted to do some research at a library in center city, so I decided to pay a visit to a shop I had read about some time ago in the Philadelphia Inquirer, Xhale Lounge. I don’t think I’ve ever been to this part of town before but I needed a cigar adventure so here am! It also presents me with an opportunity to smoke a few cigars inside after my hiatus as well as try writing my Sunday post “In the field” on my tablet. We’ll see how the later works out.

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The walk-in humidor here is reasonably large for a little storefronts the city. There’s a nice selection of both the usual suspects and some boutique selections. I spyed some Room 101 San Andreas coronas and grabbed a couple of those, and the Arturo Fuente Short Story Maduro looked like something I had to finally try. My last selection was admittedly a bit cliche, but I had to try the Flor de los Antillas since it recently received acclaim. Like I need to buy more cigars. It’s a full house in the lounge, which occupies the front of the shop, so I took a seat on a stool in the window under the large TV which is displaying the game. I’m safe as long as people don’t throw things at the screen, but the clientele seems nice enough.

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This Room 101 S.A. is hitting the spot. Being the first cigar I’ve really been able to enjoy in a week, it’s bold and loaded with the dark and dirty flavors I love. It’s burning perfectly except that I’m having to relight it now and then due to my writing as a smoke. I suspect a Short Story will be next, although I can’t count out the Flor de los Antillas as it looks pretty tasty.

I’m going to cut this short and try to not be the weird stranger sitting in the corner typing on a tablet. This is a nice little shop, well appointed and reasonably priced with a friendly clientele. If you find yourself wondering the Fishtown neighborhood in Philadelphia, stop in for a smoke. You’ll be able to find something you like, and a welcoming place to smoke.

Until the next time,

CigarCraig

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by | January 2, 2013 · 6:31 pm

Another Visit to Cigars International Hamburg and the Gurkha Contest Winner

It’s been a while since I’ve written a “normal” blog post, and you’re just going to have to wait a little longer since I’ve contracted the funk that my wife had just after Christmas.  I don’t even want a cigar, except that I fantasize about the day when I will feel like smoking one again.   Combine that with a first day back to work after 11 days off, I’m lucky to have the cognitive powers to construct this post.  However, I can tell you about Sunday’s cigar journey.

 

As I said, my wife had been sick and really needed to get out of the house. If it had been just about any other cigar store it probably wouldn’t have been a good call, but the new Cigars International Super Store in Hamburg, PA is well ventilated and more of a destination than just a cigar shop.  We went there to meet up with Corey (@czerbe) and Walt (@WaltW of Stogie Review) and hang out for a while. I grabbed a few Undercrown Corona Vivas and promptly lit one up.  These are a fine smoke, but both examples I smoked while there had some issues in the middle of the cigar where undercrownthe wrapper wanted to stop burning. I don’t know if that’s because the store is kept a little too humid or what (the whole  enormous space is kept humidified).  Nobody else seemed to have a problem with their cigars and Walt mentioned having issues with that size.  I haven’t myself in the past and it’s unusual to get a poorly made cigar from Drew Estate, but it really didn’t detract from my overall enjoyment.  At one point we phoned in an order to the Red Robin and they delivered it to our comfy leather chairs. It was a great day and I even got to save some shipping by hand delivering Corey’s Day 11 prize.  It was a great way to spend an afternoon, especially chain smoking Undercrowns.  Glad I got that in before getting sick!

 

Gurkha_contest010113I’ve held you hostage long enough, it’s time to announce the winner of the Gurkha Goodies!  Thanks again to Oliver at Gurkha for sending us the good stuff!  Random.org selected 29 and taking out past winners I declare Jake to be the winner! E-mail me with your details so I can ship this stuff to you!

 

That’s it for me, I’m going to bed…until the next time,

 

CigarCraig

 

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by | December 15, 2012 · 7:18 am

CigarCraig’s 12 Spectacular Days of Cigar Giveaways Day 4: POST REMOVED

I have to start out by saying that my heart breaks for the victims and families of the tragedy that occurred yesterday in  Connecticut.  I’m first and foremost a father and grandfather, and it’s inconceivable to me that anyone could commit such an atrocity.  Please keep all of these families who are facing unimaginable horror in your thoughts.  Back to the contests.  Helpful hit:  If you’d like to receive an e-mail notice when this page is updated, there’s a place to subscribe on the left sidebar about half way down.  Just fill in your e-mail address, and I never share my list of subscribers with anyone.  I’m pleased to announce that the winner of a fine selection of Monte Pascoal cigars from Tobaccos Mata Fina USA is Jeff Ketcham.  Congrats, Jeff, please send me your particulars so I can get these in the mail for you!

 

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Until tomorrow,

CigarCraig

Rules

Here’s how you enter: leave a comment.  That’s it, plain and simple.  Tweets don’t count, but feel free to spread the word, only comments on this page count as an entry.  Each day there will be a different prize and the winner will be drawn from that day’s comments. The winner will be announced on the next day’s post. The contest is open to everyone, even if you’ve won one of my contests in the past six months, but once you’ve won, you are ineligible to win again in this series of contests. All prizes will be mailed as soon as I get a chance to go to the post office, or whenever the sponsor decides to ship, whichever is the case, so don’t make me chase down your address!  Please e-mail your contact information to 12days@cigarcraig.com as soon as possible!

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by | November 28, 2012 · 7:52 pm

The CAO Concert Event at G & G Cigars

It snowed! It’s not even December yet and we have a blanket of snow on the ground. Last year the only major snow we had was at the end of October 2011, so maybe we get it out of the way again and have a nice, mild, uneventful winter? I can hope. I like cigars too much to limit myself to coronas and petite coronas all the time. Don’t get me wrong, I think a smaller ring cigar is fine, love a lancero and coronas, but variety is the spice of life! Go away snow!

 

Right before it snowed I had an opportunity to attend an event at G & G Cigars in West Chester PA. This is a nice little shop in the downtown area in what was once the Warner theater and is now the Warner Hotel. The hotel is a new addition and just looking into the lobby from the street (what was once the movie theater lobby, I think I saw the Muppet Movie there! back when you could smoke during the movie and you d didn’t think twice about rats running over your feet…you know, the good old days!) it looks like a very nice place. G & G Cigar Co. has been here for 13 years and is capably run by Doug and Jan, who I run into at the trade shows more than I see in the shop. Admittedly, I don’t get to this shop as much as I’d like, but that’s because I really don’t frequent any one shop over another in my area. I end up going to cigar events wherever they may happen to be and am not one to just go hang out at any one shop. If I were and lived a little closer, this shop would be the place. They work things a little differently here, the lounge and their events are for their members and not open to the public. I was lucky enough to weasel and invite out of Doug because my buddy Rick Rodriquez was bringing his CAO Concert tour to my home town. Rick is the man when it comes to the new blends coming out of CAO and I was fortunate to get to know him a bit when I visited General Cigar Co. in the Dominican Republic last year. He has studied the blending arts with Benji Menendez among others and knows his stuff and is a heck of a cool dude too.  A big thank you to Doug and Jan for extending me their hospitality and Ricky and his crew as well.  As you can see in one of the pictures, they even had a cake for Ricky’s birthday that’s this week, Happy Birthday Bro!

 

I enjoyed a CAO Concert Roadie while enjoying the company of several of the members. I have to say that many shops, membership or not, can be a little intimidating at first. I have been a guest of Doug’s in his lounge on two occasions and was welcomed and treated as a friend both times. This says something for the clientele at this shop and after talking to several members, they all seem to drive past one shop or another to come to this one. I wasn’t a fan of the members only lounge and events model but it’s working quite well here and if I were closer and would spend more time hanging around I would gladly pay the membership. Good group of folks for sure. As far as the CAO Concert goes, it’s a nice smoke. Medium bodied with a nice sweetness here and there that probably comes from the broad-leaf binder.  I enjoyed the heck out of the cigar as well as the time I spent talking to all the folks at the event.  It was a fun time.  If you get a chance to meet Rick on one of his tour stops do it, he’s a great guy and really knows his art.

 

Since it’s cold and there’s still stinkin snow on the ground I grabbed a short smoke for my walk, a CAO OSA Sol Lot T.  This 4 ½” x 50 box pressed torpedo is quite a neat little smoke.  It was loaded with  flavor and burned perfectly.  It’s a different experience from the Concert, it’s got refreshing, bright flavors that will be even better on a 80 degree summer afternoon by the pool than a cold evening with the moon and Venus lighting up the snow.  It was perfect for my walk.  I picked up a few of these at  Cigars International when I was at the new super store and they were in the $5 range, quite reasonable.

 

That’s it for this installment, enjoy the rest of your week and take some time to relax with a fine cigar, whether it’s at home in your favorite smoking spot, or in a nice lounge like G & G Cigars has.

 

Until the next time,

 

CigarCraig

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by | November 14, 2012 · 7:04 pm

A 1502 Black Gold, an East India Trading Co. Red Witch and a Visit to Goose’s Lounge

It’s a special treat when I get to smoke two spectacular cigars in a row. I thought Saturday’s La Aurora Cameroon was as good as it got, and it was a fantastic smoke. Sunday afternoon was stunningly gorgeous so I grabbed a larger cigar, which turned out to be a 1502 Black Gold Torpedo that Gary Griffith had recently sent my way. Somehow I managed to miss this booth at the Delaware Cigar Festival, which is a great disappointment to me. The 1502 line is named for the year that Nicaragua was founded officially, and the cigars are all Nicaraguan puros. The cigar is visually beautiful, the maduro wrapper glistens with oils. The wrapper is cut a little long and folded over the end of the cigar, giving a nice burst of wrapper on the light-up. I spent the afternoon sitting in the sun thoroughly enjoying this cigar.’s deep dark, rich flavors. As I was smoking it I kept thinking that I am very happy that Gary sent me two of these torpedos and I really am looking forward to trying the other lines in the 1502 portfolio. Another darned yummy cigar!

 

Monday evening I ran across the Red Witch from the East India Trading Company arm of Gurkha. I find myself with a growing collection of Gurkha cigars where my experience with them is limited to a few lines, the Seduction being a personal favorite. I still haven’t tried the Wicked Indie, perhaps I’ll grab a couple the next time I see them. This toro sized cigar was very handsome, the Habano wrapper was quite nice. For a cigar that should set you back right around $5, this was an enjoyable smoke. the first few inches give you the impression that it’s going to be a butt-kicker, but it mellows out into a nice, smooth smoke. Gurkha has so many lines it’s dizzying, which is one of the reasons I’ve tended to steer clear, just because I can’t wrap feeble head around all the variety (much the way I feel about Rocky Patel’s cigars). I am going to make a conscious effort to pick up more of their cigars as they have proven to be well made, beautifully presented and generally tasty. Any suggestions?

 

Tuesday I got wind of an event going on at a local shop that I’ve been meaning to visit. Goose’s Tobacco Outlet is only about 15 miles from home, and I found out through the grapevine that Willy Herrera and Chris Stone from Drew Estate were doing an event there. I like to catch the Drew Estate events when I can. It gives me the opportunity to catch up with the local rep and usually score a good deal on some smokes I like. This time I was able to score another Joya de NicaraguaCabinetta lancero! I picked up a few of the Antaño Dark Corojo El Martillos and couldn’t get one lit fast enough. Delicious cigar! I ran into a couple of guys I had met at another recent event who are members, as well as Rob and Mike (?) the two DE ambassadors, one from New Jersey and one from Ohio. These guys travel considerable distances to help spread the word about cigars they love, it’s a pretty cool thing. Anyway, I got to hang out with Willy Herrera a little bit, but I got there too late, he had already stopped rolling his new Hererra Estelli cigars. I look forward to trying one when they come out in January.  The store is huge, I actually drove past it Herrera Esteli Box from the IPCPR Showonce because I was looking for a smaller place.  They have a neat walk in humidor that’s “U” shaped, and I look forward to going back to explore it further  as I said, I was late and wanted to get a cigar lit, but it looks to be well stocked.  The lounge is a Montecristo Lounge and is probably the same size as the retail area, which is enormous. I spoke with John Sr., the owner, and he gave me the grand tour, and his son, John Jr. provided excellent service in the humidor.  If you find yourself in the shadow of the Limerick Nuclear plant’s cooling towers in PA, stop in and pay Goose’s a visit.  It’s a really nice place to sit and relax with a smoke.

 

That’s all I have for this episode.  I’m off to find a good cigar to smoke while I walk the dog, or she walks me, as the case may be.  So, Until the next time,

CigarCraig

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