Tag Archives: cohiba

by | May 26, 2019 · 10:35 am

Henry Clay War Hawk, a Gurkha Ghost, a Hamlet Liberation and a Cohiba Connecticut Cigar

I had a visit to Goose’s shop in Limerick this week as my wife had a meeting with Goose to work on a super secret project, so I picked up a few cigars while there, and smoke the new addition to the Henry Clay line, the War Hawk. I’ve been looking forward to trying this new addition to a line I’ve long been fond of, going back to the days when they were ugly things. I really like the Stalk Cut, despite the silliness of the name (all the Connecticut Broadleaf and Habano tobacco in stalk cut anyway, so it’s really no big deal), it’s a poor man’s Henry Clay Tattoo, which is a spectacular cigar. The cigar is beautiful, with an Ecuador Connecticut Shade wrapper, Broadleaf binder and Honduran fillers, made at Altadis’ Flor de Copan factory in Honduras (which is for sale, by the way, a few billion and it could be yours). I really liked this cigar for what it was, as it bore no resemblance, in my opinion, to a Henry Clay that I could think of. It stood on it’s own as a really great tasting cigar with a nice nutty flavor with balanced nicely with the sweetness of the broadleaf binder and the earthiness of the Honduran fillers and was, overall, a really enjoyable medium bodied cigar!

 

A few months ago I was headed to the airport to pick up my son and stopped in Jacoub’s Cigars in Ridley Park, which is only about four miles from PHL.  I didn’t have time for a cigar, but I bought a few, and one of the ones that caught my eye was a short, fat Gurkha Ghost perfecto. This cigar was about 4″ x 60, I guess, I neither took the time to note the size or name of the cigar when I bought it, and the little bit of research I did when I decided to smoke it turned up no information. To be honest, I didn’t look that hard. People tend to crap all over the Gurkha brand, I know they have a bunch of bundle-esque stuff in the catalogue market and they hype a lot of stuff too much, but there are a bunch of cigars in their portfolio that are worthy of mention, and the Ghost, to me, at least, is one of them. I got a late start and was looking for a shorter smoke, and this short perfecto was about what I needed. It’s just about the same size and shape of a Flying Pig, with a Brazilian, Arapiraca Maduro wrapper, Criollo ’98 binder and Dominican and Nicaraguan fillers. It looks like they call this vitola the “Spook”, I just did a little more research. Anyway, it’s made in a major factory, Placencia or someone like that, and it burns well, has a great flavor and I was satisfied by the experience. Ghost, most of the Cellar Reserves and Seduction are all Gurkha cigars I enjoy.

 

While at Goose’s, Alex Kraft, the local Rocky Patel rep, happened to stop in with Dave Bullock, the VP of sales who was traveling with him. I had not met Dave before, and hadn’t seen Alex in some time, so it was nice to get aquatinted. Somehow or other a rather large Hamlet Liberation found its way into my pocket, Goose had something to do with it. This is a 6 ½ x 55 large toro with a tapered head and a shaggy foot. A very interesting looking cigar. I lit the unfinished foot and expected the flavor to change once it started burning the Habano wrapper, but, sadly, I never really noticed a difference. It was a good cigar, well behaved, and certainly good for about 2 hours of smoking time. there was never a real “wow” moment, but it was a solid, good tasting cigar. It has some spice and woody flavors and is and all-around good cigar. I enjoyed the size and shape of the cigar, the classic Cuban “109” style head is unique and interesting,

 

My last cigar to talk about today is the new Cohiba Connecticut. This cigar hit the shelves in March, and was a late addition to my sample humidor, but a welcomed one. I certainly don’t mind sampling new cigars, but I rarely (read: never) will splurge on a $20 cigar, and this starts at $19.99 for the Robusto, which is the vitola which was generously supplied to me by General Cigar Co. It’s 5½” x 50, which is a nice size, and has an Ecuador Connecticut wrapper which is grown by an independent grower in the Los Rios Province in Ecuador. It has Brazilian Mata Fina, Dominican Piloto Cubana and Nicaraguan Jalapa in the filler blend, and,not unlike the classic Macanudo, it has a San Andrés binder. It got me thinking that I might have to revisit what I consider a miss in the Cohiba portfolio, the Blue, the OSA wrapped “budget” priced Cohiba, just to see if that’s gotten any better over time.  This Connecticut was a good Connecticut cigar. It was on the high side of mild, with good flavor, some sweet notes to balance the bitterness of the shade leaf, and an over-all nice smoke. I kind of forgot I was smoking a high-end, luxury cigar for a while there as the burn was a bit funky. At this level, I rather expect perfection in the burn and draw, and the burn was wavy and required some correction. I expect a certain aesthetic, that I certainly forgive in a lower priced cigar. I seem to remember having the same complaint with the much more expensive Septre. Obviously, this is targeting a certain niche market, and I may not fit into that niche, but it’s a good smoke, if you have a chance to smoke one, don’t be afraid of being disappointed!

 

OK, that’s enough for today, time to get moving.  Happy Memorial Day to everyone. I’ll be working tomorrow, although I was lucky enough to have a rare weekend off. Remember why we celebrate. Enjoy some good cigars while remembering those who gave their lives so that you can enjoy yours. Also remember those family members who lost loved ones, they sacrificed too. Until the next time,

 

CigarCraig

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by | February 7, 2019 · 5:39 pm

News: General Cigar Announces Cohiba Connecticut

Here’s some news from General Cigar Co. about a new offering from Cohiba, their first Connecticut shade cigar. I gotta say, for an Ecuador Connecticut, it carries a pretty hefty price tag.  I’m generally a fan of GCC and Sean Williams, but a cigar has to be pretty darned special to pry a $20 out of my wallet…and I’ve become a bit of a cigar snob of late. 

 

The artisans of Cohiba are proud to unveil COHIBA CONNECTICUT, a super-premium release that marks an important milestone for the brand, as this is the first Cohiba to be wrapped in Connecticut Shade.

Cohiba Brand Ambassador Sean Williams said, “Our agronomists partnered with an independent grower in Ecuador’s Los Rios province to produce a silky and lustrous Ecuadoran Connecticut Shade wrapper. Unlike cloth-covered fields that shield the tobacco from the blistering sun in Connecticut, this special wrapper is grown beside Ecuador’s Vinces River and beneath the thick, natural cloud cover that blankets the region. The volcanic soil yielded a wrapper that was intentionally developed for its aesthetic qualities, with veins that are barely perceptible. Looks aside, the wrapper is ideal for blending, as it maximizes the filler and binder leaves.”

 

Brazilian Mata Fina and Dominican Piloto Cubano lend complexity to the blend, and Nicaraguan Jalapa enhances the strength of the cigar, while Dominican Olor adds depth to the smoke. A Mexican San Andrean binder complements the filler leaves and delivers optimal combustibility. This is a mild-to-medium-bodied smoke with a rich aroma and compelling notes of sweetness and spice.

 

Cohiba Connecticut is handcrafted by artisans at General Cigar Dominicana and is a full-time addition to the Cohiba portfolio. It will ship to retailers in early March and will be available in these four sizes:

Robusto (5.5” x 50); SRP per cigar $19.99; each box contains 20 cigars

Crystal Robusto (5” x 50); SRP per cigar $20.99; each box contains 10 cigars

Toro (6.25” x 52); SRP per cigar $21.99; each box contains 20 cigars

Gigante (6” x 60); SRP per cigar $22.99; each box contains 20 cigars

 

In support of Cohiba Connecticut, Sean Williams will visit fine cigar shops nationwide to share the blend with discerning cigar smokers.

For more information about Cohiba, please visit www.cohiba.com.

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by | October 28, 2018 · 8:14 am

A Cohiba, a La Flor de Ynclan, a Flor de Cesar and a Herrera Esteli Cigar

I’ve had a lot going on this week as I started a new job. In this week’s contest post, which everyone should go back and enter if you haven’t already, because it’s pretty darned special (a beautiful Big Papi Humidor from El Artista Cigars, go HERE to enter!) a few people asked about the new job. It occurred to me that in nine years of writing this blog, I’ve never been forthcoming about my day job details. I’ll  continue to keep that close to the vest, except that this position is in retail management and logistics in consumer electronics area. It’s a small, local company, not a big box, national company or anything. So far the first week has gone well, and I’m looking forward to learning all the ins and outs. I appreciate everyone’s well-wishes!  Of course, I smoked some cigars this week to celebrate.

 

One of the adjustments I’ve had to make was the schedule, having spent the last 15 years working nine to five, then the last six months not working at all,  having an unusual schedule is going to be odd. This week I just worked until six, not too bad to start.  Tuesday I started off with a Cohiba  Spectre.  This is an interesting cigar that was released at this past year’s IPCPR. This double corona is 7¼” x 54 and is a blend of eight tobaccos from five countries. The wrapper is a rosado high priming Ecuador Sumatra, there’s Dominican Piloto Cubano from a 1995 crop which was aged in “tercios”, bales wrapped in palm bark.  There’s also Nicaraguan filler aged in Sherry casks and Honduran filler from San Augustin, Jamastran and La Entrada.  They used on;y one pair of rollers to make 1800 cigars, which have an MSRP of $90 each. I think I’ve only smoked one cigar that had a higher price tag than this, and that was a Cuban Davidoff Dom Perignon from the 1980s a dozen years ago at a wedding. I figured this was as good an occasion as any. It was a pretty tasty smoke, it was medium bodied, with a nice sweetness. I’d like to be able to say it burned dead even, but it meandered a little, and needed a few corrections, which I didn’t expect from a cigar with this hefty of a price tag. Overall, I found it very enjoyable and worthy of the occasion! I’m deeply appreciative to General Cigar Co. for the opportunity to try this cigar.

 

Earlier this year Villiger released the La Flor de Ynclan in a limited edition Lancero Especial, a 6¾” x 43 cigar with a Ecuadoran wrapper, Indonesian binder and Dominican and Nicaraguan fillers made in the ABAM factory in the DR. This is basically a Lonsdale as opposed to a Lancero, or a Dalias in the Cuban Vitolas de Galera. Call it whatever you want, it’s a wonderful size and an excellent tasting cigar, and provided a very nice smoking experience. When I smoked one of these a few months ago it smoked terribly, what I could taste was promising, but it smoked very “wet”, wouldn’t stay lit, just didn’t burn well at all. several months later certainly made all the difference. I enjoy this blend in other sizes, granted I haven’t yet smoked the Churchill, which I look forward to, why haven’t I smoke that size yet? I love Churchills! How did I let the summer slip by without smoking a La Flor de Ynclan Churchill?

 

Flor de Cesar is a cigar that’s made at the Fabrica Oveja Negra by James Brown for BnB Cigars in Chestnut Hill, PA. I smoked the Robusto a few months ago at the shop and Vince there gave me a Toro Larga (6½” x 50) to try.  I meant to try this sooner but got distracted and came across this in the humidor and figured this week was a good time to smoke it. This cigar has a Brazilian Mata Fina wrapper, an Ecuadoran Binder and fillers from Nicaragua, Brazil and the Dominican Republic. This is a different flavor profile than other cigars I’ve smoked from the Black Works, Black Label family, to my palate, admittedly, my experience is limited. To me, the cigars I’ve smoked from Black Works are darker flavored, which I like, but the Flor de Cesar has brighter flavors. I really enjoyed the light spices and sweetness that I enjoyed throughout this cigar that burned perfectly. I’ll be sure to pick some more of these up the next time I’m visiting Vince at BnB.

 

Finally, I smoked another Lonsdale (in addition to the delicious Cornelius Lonsdale, that’s three this week!). When I was at the Wooden Indian at the Joya de Nicaragua event, Alex, our local Drew Estate rep, slipped me a Herrera Esteli Brazilian Maduro Lonsdale. I’ve been really looking forward to trying this new line which was announced earlier this year, and I don’t even know if these have made it to stores yet. Since I didn’t get to the IPCPR show, I didn’t get a chance to try any of the new releases, so I was thrilled to try this cigar. This was a home run by Willie Herrera, certainly one he should be proud to have his name on (not like he isn’t proud to have his name on the rest!) In the Herrera Esteli line I tend to really like the Norteño, and the rest are just OK. I know that’s heresy to many, but that’s how I roll. This cigar was brilliant! It maintained the medium bodied, sophisticated, subtle complexity of the Herrera Esteli, while adding the sweet, dark fruit and cocoa notes from th Brazilian maduro wrapper that I love. yum, frickin, yum. I can’t wait to try all the sizes of this cigar.

 

That about wraps things up, I’m off to work on a Sunday for the first time in a while. It will be nice having weekdays off here and there I’ll admit. Don’t forget to enter the contest! Also, check out the IPCPR’s new website,  www.cigaraction.org , which is kind of a parallel to the Cigar Rights of America in that it allows you to easily contact your elected officials about cigar related legislation. Use it, use both, let the people you elect know that you want them to protect our rights!

 

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

CigarCraig

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by | October 1, 2017 · 11:03 am

Villiger, General Cigar, and Drew Estate Cigars

Since I posted the contest Wednesday (go enter if you haven’t already!), I have a fee more cigars than normal to post about. Bear with me, it was a pretty good week!  We’ll start off with Villiger‘s newest release, the La Flor de Ynclan. A couple of months ago a package arrived at my door that weighed about 12 pounds and I thought “what the heck is in here?” It turned out to be a little box with three La Flor de Ynclan cigars in Churchill, torpedo and robusto sizes, and a bottle of Zaffra Rum, a very generous gift, many thank to the folks at Villiger and Creativas! Most of my loyal readers know that I don’t drink, so one of these days (and I should have done it while the weather was warmer!), I’ll have to have some people over and have them sample this rum and put out a spread of Villiger cigars. From the Villiger website:

 

The La Flor De Ynclan is a special cigar, diligently crafted by Heinrich Villiger and master blender Jose Matias Maragoto of ABAM Cigar Factory in the Dominican Republic.

Heinrich Villiger, chairman of the board of Villiger Soehne AG, came across a young ambitious Cuban native 22 years ago in the Dominican Republic. That Cuban, Jose Matias Maragoto was an unknown cigar maker, who was beginning a new life in a new country. Fast forward two decades, the once untested Matias Maragoto is the overseer of all Villiger made product made in the DR. The Flor de Ynclan cigar, is the fruition of a bond between two different men from different backgrounds, over the love of tobacco.

The La Flor De Ynclan is a cigar that presents a distinct full-flavor experience, due to the extended aging of the tobacco. Choice Nicaraguan and Dominican filler tobacco, along with a true Indonesian binder, wrapped in a beautiful Ecuadorian wrapper make the La Flor De Ynclan a cigar that has been worth the wait.

FlordeYnclan

 

I started with the Churchill, a beautiful 7″ x 48 (close enough), with the above-mentioned components. I thought this was a terrific cigar. It was solid medium, and had a quality that I though would suite the European market well. It was complex with some citrus sweetness and a twinge of spice. There have been some Villiger cigars that I really liked, some were so-so, but this one stands apart, I think. It was very tasty, worth a try. I am disappointed that they discontinued the Trill line (made at Tabacalera Palma), although the name is kinda dumb, the cigar is good. I bought a box while I had the chance.

 

BolivarMoving on, I found myself at The Wooden Indian Tobacconist once again where Sean Williams, the Cohiba Brand Ambassador, was appearing for a meet and greet with the lounge membership. I first met Sean at the 2011 IPCPR show, in his El Primer Mundo booth. Ironically, Willie Herrera was hanging out in the booth with him at the same time, so it was also when I met Willie. I got there early and bought some General Cigar Co. cigars that I hadn’t smoked before, as well as a couple of the newer Sean_CohibaBolivars that I’ve enjoyed in the past. The only Cohibas that they had in stock were the Macasar, and I had a couple of those in the humidor already (and they are really pricey!). I was in the mood for Broadleaf, so the Bolivar 652 Toro was the smoke of choice. I know, I know, the Bolivar has a Connecticut Habano Maduro wrapper, not Broadleaf, but it was as close as I was going to get, OK?  This was released at the 2015 IPCPR show, and was Michael Giannini’s project re-imagining the Bolivar (and Ramon Allones). I like the box design, but I can’t say I love the band, it could have been classier, not Rami_Generalthat my opinion counts. I wonder what Mr. Giannini is up to? The Bolivar cigar is great, to my palate. I dig the closed foot and pigtail cap on these and they are very well priced. Anyway, it was a great evening at the Wooden Indian. Dave and his staff are top-notch and it was nice catching up with Sean ( and Rami, the area sales rep, another cool dude).  One last thing about this cigar. It’s neither on the Cigarworld.com or the Foundry websites, the only info I have is from the General Cigar Co. press info from the show.

 

LigaPrivadaSerieUnico_AI slipped back and forth between General Cigar Co. and Drew Estate this week, but I was probably heavier on the DE. I had to smoke another of the Florida Sun Grown toros since I bought a few more at the Wooden Indian charity event, and it was pretty darned tasty. Friday I couldn’t figure out what I wanted to smoke, and decided to go big and smoke a Liga Privada Serie Unico “A” that came from the Connecticut Barn Smoker. I probably should have swapped it for one from the 2014 two count box, but I was too lazy.  An “A” is a traditional Cuban size, it’s 9″ x 47, two notable examples being the Cuban Montecristo and the Sancho Panza Sancho. I took a walk with this cigar and when I got home an hour later I was just hitting the 6″ mark.  It was delicious, but due to its length, was on the milder side for a Liga Privada. It’s a good cigar, no doubt, and actually burned faster than I would have thought, I was finished in a little over two hours. From what I can tell, this is more of a T52 blend as it has the Connecticut stalk cut Habano wrapper, so I guess I’m still looking to satisfy my Broadleaf desire. I’ll find something today. These are only available at events, and are probably considered something of a unicorn in the Liga Privada world. I loved it, I thought it was delicious, but if I had ponied up a bunch of $ on the secondary market I’d have felt a little let down.

 

AcidKubaCandelaSince the current contest features a Drew Estate Acid KubaKuba Candela, I was kinda challenged to smoke one. Fortunately, I had one, as well as a couple of the little Blondie Candelas. I could have wimped out and went with the Blondie and gotten it over with, but why not just go for the gusto?  The regular KubaKuba is just distasteful to me, can’t even stand the smell.  I smoked a Kuba Maduro once in Nicaragua after about eight cigars and it was enjoyable. I entered this with as open a mind as I could muster, and, to lend credence to that, I didn’t take a spare cigar on my walk. I was committed (or should be). Happy to report that I enjoyed the cigar. The Candela wrapper has some bitterness that counters the sweet floweryness of the infusion. If one doesn’t like Candela cigars, I don’t imagine this one is going to change that opinion, because the grassy candellaness (my made up word for the day) is apparent. But, like it’s siblings in the Acid line, it’s well made with quality tobaccos. If you like the Acid line, try this, it’s probably going to be interesting. If you like Candela wrapped cigars, try this. If you don’t like either Candela or infused, I don’t know what to tell you…maybe this one would be a good change of pace, open your mind!

 

I was going to add one more cigar in here, but it’s getting long, I’ll circle back to that cigar. It was good and came highly recommended, I want to smoke another one and pay a little more attention to it before writing about it. Also, I bought a ticket to a Meet and Greet with Ernesto Carillo at the CigarCigars King of Prussia Mall store (smoke while your wife shops!) on Wednesday, October 11 which seems like a good deal, $25 for three cigars, booze and hors d’oeuvres and the chance to talk to a legend in the cigar business. Interestingly, this is a General Cigar event, featuring the new La Gloria Cubana Colleccion Reserva.

 

That’s all for now, until the next time, when we’ll select a contest winner,

 

CigarCraig

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by | May 3, 2017 · 9:54 pm

Cohiba News, Cohiba Blue, Sancho Panza and a Cigar Quiz

I mentioned the Cohiba Blue in a recent post, and received some samples to try on Monday. I broke my usual rule to let thing sit, because General Cigar Co. made the announcement today that they have hired a new brand manager to represent the Cohiba brand, Sean Wand that person is none other than my friend Sean Williams of El Primer Mundo fame. I recall hearing him interviewed on a recent Smooth Draws show and he mentioned something big in the works, along with talking about his brand and the fact that he had partnered in a factory to produce El Primer Mundo and Larceny (an offshoot project he did a couple of years ago with Eddie Ortega). Sean’s El Primer Mundo brand pre-dated the FDA predicate date, I want to say, off the top of my head, he debuted the brand in 2006. here is part of General Cigar Co.s press release, in case you missed it on other sites:

GENERAL CIGAR APPOINTS COHIBA BRAND AMBASSADOR

May 1, 2017 — General Cigar announced today that the company has appointed Sean Williams as a full-time brand ambassador for Cohiba. Williams is former owner of El Primer Mundo Cigar Company, a boutique collection of highly-rated cigars made in the Dominican Republic.

“We have brought Sean on board as part of the continued expansion of our experiential platforms,” said General Cigar President Régis Broersma. “Our focus is on deepening retailer and consumer engagement around this pivotal brand in our portfolio. With Sean, we are gaining a passionate cigar maker who is also a connoisseur of the finer things in life. We are confident he will make great strides in further aligning Cohiba with luxury lifestyle activations.”

Sean will bring the Cohiba brand to life at in-store events held at premier cigar shops across the U.S, and will activate the brand at an array of luxury venues across the country. He begins his new role today. Sean joins the company’s expanding team of brand ambassadors featuring Rick Rodriguez (CAO), Jack Toraño (Toraño) and Justin Andrews (Foundry Tobacco Company).

Sean will report to Gus Martinez, director of marketing, and will be based in Atlanta.

As his first order of business, Sean will spend several weeks at General Cigar Dominicana, working closely with the artisans who handcraft Cohiba to become fully immersed in the brand.

Prior to joining General Cigar, Sean founded El Primer Mundo Cigar Company in 2006 and successfully grew his brand internationally with distribution in the U.S., Southeast Asia, Australia and Russia. His commitment to creating superior cigars has resulted in numerous 90+ ratings spanning the cigar industry’s most respected publications.

 

I first met Sean at the 2011 IPCPR show, and have been a fan since. I look forward to seeing him at an event in the near future, if you are going to CI’s Cigar Fest this weekend look him up and tell him I said hello (as well as Rick Rodriguez and Jack Toraño)!

 

Cohiba_Blue_RobustoI mentioned that I broke my rule about letting samples sit for a while before smoking by lighting up a new Cohiba Blue in the 5½” x 50 Robusto size. This new Cohiba uses the Honduran OSA (Olancho San Augustin) wrapper, which we saw on the CAO OSA Sol, and more recently on the Partagas Heritage. The binder is also the OSA and there’s Honduran Jamastran, Nicaraguan Ometepe and Dominican Piloto Cubana in the filler. This cigar smoked well for the first two-thirds, then it got funky and needs some more humidor time. It had a sweet leathery kind of flavor that has promise with some more time to settle. I thought it was a nice smoke, and I will revisit this in a few weeks.

 

SanchoPanza_TripleAnejo_RobustoMonday night I smoked a Sancho Panza Triple Añejo that I had bought last year at a shop I visited called Jacoubs in Ridley Park, PA. I’m used to Sancho Panza being a very reasonably priced good smoke, and smoked a bunch of the Extra Fuerte back about 15 years ago. This one was $9, bujt it had a deliciously dark wrapper, and the make-up sounded like something I’d like.  It has a high-priming Nicaraguan Jalapa Sun Grown wrapper and Ecuadorian Sumatra, US Broadleaf, and Brazilian Arapiraca long-fillers. I’m thinking if this had been a little dryer it would have burned better and given me a better experience, but who’d have thought it would be any different from the many, many cigars smoked from the same humidor? Once again, I could see where this would be a great cigar, the flavor I got was good, but it was too much trouble and burned on the steamy side.  I though maybe my palate was shop, but a Rosalones 460 I smoked last night was a treat! I probably won’t buy another at $9, but the better priced Sancho Panza Double Maduro and Extra Fuerte are keepers.

Quiz

Our friends at Best Cigar Prices are at it again with another quiz! This one was a real challenge, I took it and only scored 80%, I’m embarrassed to say. Two of the ones I got wrong were careless mistakes. Take it and let us know in the comments how you fared!

https://www.bestcigarprices.com/blog/cigar-history-quiz/

That’s all for now. I should have had this done an hour ago but some connectivity problems gave me some fits.  It’s all good now, so until the next time,

CigarCraig

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