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by | July 6, 2011 · 10:39 pm

Fourth of July Cigars and a TACFAW: My Uzi Weighs A Ton

fathersday_haul_2I decided to take a drive back down to Light’n Up Cigars in Frazer, PA to use my last LivingSocial Coupon that I got from my daughter for Father’s Day. My sons had some stops they wanted to make, so we made the cigar shop one of our stops.  The shelves were nearly bare.  They had gotten some boxes of Art Decos in, from the looks of the full tin boxes, so I grabbed one of those, as well as a La Traviata natural (which I still haven’t tried, I had the Maduro and wasn’t impressed), and an Alec Bradley American Classic, probably for next July 4th.  Another three new inmates in the asylum.

party_shortI have a couple of traditions when Independence Day comes along. As the 4th is my wedding anniversary, as well as our nation’s birthday, I always like to exercise some civil disobedience and smoke a fine Havana cigar.  This year I went with a very old Partagas Short.  While not a huge cigar, it’s got enormous flavor.  I love these little guys and this one had been sitting around the humidors for the better part of the last decade.  It burned great and was a very nice companion while the grill got fired up.  Nice little cigar.

cao_americaAfter burgers and hot dogs while waiting around for fireworks to start, I decided on a CAO America Constitution that I had received at the CAO party at the IPCPR show in 2008.  High marks for presentation on this dos capas cigar, with a nice Connecticut Broadleaf over a Connecticut shade wrapper, only revealing a pinstripe of the shade wrapper, a very nice spin on the barber pole wrapper.  The cigar was very nice, although not really overly distinctive.  It was a good cigar, no question, but not one I’d go out of my way for particularly.  Love the band and, in this case, I’ll even tolerate the foot band.

Take A Cigar For A Walk

MyUzi5x60Tuesday I felt the need to take a power walk.  Some people will take hand weights on their walk.  I decided to take a heavy cigar.  A couple weeks back I received a package from Jonathan Drew with two of his new cigar, My Uzi Weighs A Ton in the 5″ x 60 and 7″ x 60 sizes, along with a really cool Liga Privada cap, which matches my hair color in black and silver. This new line is from Jonathan’s Subculture Studios and Joya de Nicaragua, using tobacco from both Drew Estate and Joya de Nicaragua and rolled at the Joya de Nicaragua factory.  I opted for the 5″ x 60 for my walk, which took me almost 3 miles.  Based on the description of the blend of this cigar, I must admit I was expecting a little richer flavor.  The burn was perfect, which is to be expected from cigars rolled at the Joya de Nicaragua factory, and has Jonathan’s hand in it.  The Mexican wrapper wasn’t as flavorful as I would have thought, and I expected more from the Brazilian filler.  I still really enjoyed this cigar, and I can’t wait to smoke the 7″ monster.  I think I’ll use a stopwatch with that and a 7″ lancero and see if my theory that length is the biggest factor in smoking time holds true.  Many thanks to Jonathan for sending me these goodies!

In The News

The Monday Philadelphia Inquirer ran an article on a new shop in town, Xhale Lounge.  I dropped Brad, the owner a note and hope to catch up with him in Vegas, and eventually visit his shop. Here’s a link to the story: http://articles.philly.com/2011-07-04/business/29736221_1_cigar-shop-cigar-industry-cigar-smokers It was nice to see an article about something so  un-PC as a cigar shop!  The paper had large, color photos and everything!

That’s it for now.  Don’t forget to go back and enter the contest that ends this Saturday.  Leave a comment with a link to a patriotic picture on any post since the contest started back on June 19th.  Since there were some technical difficulties on my provider’s end, I felt like I should loosen up the rules.  There have been three very cool entries and it will be hard to pick a winner so far.  Please make it even harder with more entries!

Until next time,

CigarCraig

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by | June 26, 2011 · 6:01 pm

This Weeks Cigar Recap: 601, El Credito, Gurkha, Liga Privada, HC, Etc.

Here we go, another weeks worth of CigarCraig’s micro-reviews. I awoke today to find that ALL of the comments were gone from the site. Every comment ever! Of course, I am in a panic. Friday evening the site was inaccessible for a period of time, and I imagine whatever caused that problem must have had something to do with it. At this point I’m waiting for my hosting provider to correct the problem, and, since it’s the weekend, and the level 2 support folks don’t work weekends, I’m in limbo as far as my comments go. From what I can tell you can not leave a comment at this time.  I’ll be working tirelessly with Network Solutions threatening them often to fix this problem, as well as a couple other issues I’ve found.

 

First up was a 601 Green, which came along with the La Bomba and a Murcialago courtesy of Eddie Ortega at EO Brands. This has long been one of my favorites, but I think it may have been an unwise choice for a Monday evening smoke after fighting off a migraine earlier in the day. It’s a powerful maduro cigar that is lush with heavy cocoa and coffee. Accompanied by an IBC root beer, it held my attention, but I couldn’t smoke this too far past the band. I do love these cigars under normal circumstances, but the migraines and the meds to get rid of them take more out of me than I had available to fully enjoy this one.

 

 

Wednesday’s walk to the convenience store started late, so I grabbed another El Credito La Parrita and took a little dog for a walk! As I start typing, I know this is another tangent, so I beg your indulgence. I have long felt that smoking time was more a function of length than girth. I maintain that a 5” cigar of 42 ring gauge will take just about as long as a 5” cigar of 60 ring. I’ve been trying to figure out a good way to test this theory, but there are so many variables and I just haven’t had the time to work out a good, scientific test to prove the theory. Something to work on, I suppose. Back to the cigar, I found this example to be a little bitter and off. The “war of flavors”, which this cigar is sub-titled by the factory, did not go well for me in this instance, I guess I lost. Anyway, people love these cigars, and I think it there’s a big cool factor in the format of these ugly ducklings, and I either hit one at a bad time or something.

 

 

Next up was a Gurkha Para la Gente Robusto that I had purchased at De La Concha in NYC a few months back. This is another of the cigars that were produced exclusively for the New York market in an effort to provide retailers some relief from the onerous cigar tax in that state. As of this writing, I understand that the state is working on a modification of that tax which would provide a cap so that a $10 cigar wouldn’t be jacked up to $17.50, but would be a more reasonable $11. For the tobacconists that are left in the state, I hope this goes through, as many have closed their doors in the last year due to this tax. Anyway, I have not smoked many Gurkha cigars. I have a perception that they either produce cigars that are ridiculously high priced and over packaged and marketed, or budget priced cigars that CI sells for $40 bucks a bundle and tries to make you feel like you’re getting a $50 cigar for two bucks. (at this point writing this feels like it’s more editorial on state taxes and brand marketing…sorry…off my soapbox now!). Anyway, the cigar was very nice. The short robusto size was just right for the time I had available and it worked very well. I like a nice Brazilian Matafina, which I believe this is wrapped with, and it was well balanced and smooth. The cheap bastard in me still recoils at a $8 robusto, but it was a special treat and a souvenir from a nice day in the city.

 

I decided I deserved a treat for getting through another week and grabbed a Liga Privada No.9 Flying Pig that I received at an even in Reno back in November of 2009. It’s a cool perfecto format dating back to the late part of the 1800s. Drew Estate has since released their T52 blend in this same size, and the Cubans (who, ironically, are suing Drew Estate for using the word “Kuba”), recently ripped off the size for a special release for one of their “Festival” humidors! My biggest complaint about this little piggie was that it was just too short! It’s 4” x 60, remember what I was saying about length and smoking time? This one just was gone too quickly. It did hold the ash for the entire time I was smoking it, which was probably under an hour, which is almost a tease, considering the hearty and delicious flavors that this fat little bastard provided. I would have loved to have smoked this for another hour, but the ash fell off with under an inch to go and I was beginning to burn my fingers. Plus, my wife said I looked ridiculous smoking the cigar with a 3” ash…. I’m glad I have another one of these that I was given at Cigar Safari, because I am confident that there are not a lot of these still around.

 

Finally, I spent Saturday with my family at Monmouth Park in New Jersey watching horses run around in circles with little men on their backs, which is always entertaining. I did manage to have a cigar, no small feat at a public venue in the Garden State. The cigar I chose was a HC Connecticut robusto which I had purchased several months ago at an event at one of the local shops. I was disappointed in the event, there was a rep there who represented Xikar, and other brands as well. The were offering a “buy 3, get one” special, and I still don’t think $25 for 4 robustos, especially ones I don’t end up enjoying represents a good value. The Habano wrapper was the best of the bunch, for me, at least. This Connecticut had an acidic bite to it that was off-putting. It got better as the cigar progressed, but was always there somewhere. I understand that they have dropped the price on these, which I think was a wise move, but I still won’t be buying any myself anytime soon, they just didn’t have what I’m looking for in a cigar. To the credit of the manufacturer, they are exceptionally well made, and I’m sure there are plenty of folks who enjoy these. It’s just not a cigar that suits me.

 

That’s it for now, I’m still annoyed with whatever is going on with my comments. It’s bad timing, that’s for sure. At this time, the Oja contest will be extended for another week after the comments are fixed, and I will asses the situation when my technical issues are resolved.

 

Until the next time,

 

CigarCraig

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by | December 12, 2010 · 8:50 pm

Weekend Cigar: Xikar HC Habana Colorado – Sunday December 12, 2010

As the holiday season is in full swing, the opportunities to have a cigar become few and far between. Between the weather and the season it’s been busy in a non-cigar way.   Friday evening provided an opportunity for my son and I to attend a Xikar event at Old Havana Cigar Co. outside of West Chester, PA.  I had not tried the HC cigars prior and it seemed like a good time.  I picked up one of each of the robustos, a Connecticut, a Criollo and a Habana Colorado.  For purchasing three, I got one free, so I went with the Habana Colorado and smoked it there.  We all know that I’m not exactly a free spender when it comes to cigars, so it will surprise nobody to hear me say that I think the $8.25 price tag for these is too high, even with the free cigar I had some buyers remorse.  That’s not to say that the Habano Colorado wasn’t a fine cigar, it was, I just didn’t find it $8.25 good.  There are a lot of cigars that are just as good for less. Anyway, the cigar burned very well and lasted well over an hour, and was smooth and flavorful, and on the stronger side of medium.  I am looking forward to smoking the others in the near future, as they are well made and nicely blended cigars, but I don’t think I would purchase them again.  As far as the shop goes, the lounge is spacious and comfortable and the humidor was very well stocked.  It’s a little out of my way so I don’t get to this shop often, and only really ever go there when there’s an event that interests me.  I prefer JM Cigars in Exton,  PA as far as price, selection and friendliness, I just wish Jeff would have more manufacture events.

Don’t forget to enter the current contest, win some Joya de Nicaragua cigars and stuff.   Deadline for entry is close of business Saturday, December 18 (midnight).  Also, the folks at Thompson have some deals going on that they asked me to pass on, see http://www.thompsoncigarcoupons.com/ for more information.

Until the next time,

CigarCraig

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by | October 27, 2010 · 7:29 pm

This Week’s Cigars: Cigar Factory New Orleans Sampler – Wednesday October 27, 2010

Back in August, you may recall, my family took a trip to New Orleans and one of the souvenirs I picked up was a three cigar sampler from Cigar Factory New Orleans.  Actually, my son and I both picked up the sampler, and smoked them together.  I’ll include my interpretation of his impressions along with my own.  The sampler was packaged in a very nice slide top box, containing a box of matches and a brochure with information about the blends.  We visited both locations while we were there and were impressed with the talent of the rollers as well as the knowledge of the folks working there. Over the course of the last week my son and I smoked the 3 coronas that were contained in the sampler box.  I selected the order starting with what I judged the mildest an moving up to what I figured would be the strongest.

The first cigar was the 5 ¼” x 44 Plantation Reserve corona.  This cigar had a Connecticut shade wrapper, which led me to expect a mild cigar.  While certainly not a strong cigar, I wouldn’t characterize it as mild.  Corey enjoyed this one more than I did.  I found it to have a bitterness that was off-putting.  It burned and drew perfectly and was a very nice looking cigar.

The second cigar was the Vieux Carre Cafe, which at 6″ x 46 is less of a corona than a lonsdale, but still a very nice size.  This one sports an African Cameroon wrapper, however, I didn’t get that usual Camerooniness that I associate with that wrapper.  Maybe I just got another dud, because I thought this cigar lacked any real character, there were even some just plain bad flavors every now and then.  Again, Corey enjoyed his example, despite a small wrapper split at the head.  Again, the burn and draw were spot on.

The third cigar in the box was the Tres Hermanos Numero Tres, a 5¼” x 46 corona gorda.  This is just about my favorite size wrapped with a Broad-leaf Maduro wrapper.  As a broad-leaf fan from way back, my expectations were again high.  This time I wasn’t disappointed.  It started out very aggressively, with a big spicy blast of flavor.  It settled down pretty quickly to a fairly full bodied and full flavored hour or so of cigar goodness.  Clearly my favorite of the trio.  These folks do know how to construct a cigar, because the burn was razor straight and the draw was perfect. Corey concurred and even commented that he would consider purchasing this cigar again. I have read reviews of cigars that mentioned dried dark fruit and, until now, I never thought I’d taste such a thing in a cigar.  I think I actually did taste something akin to dried plums or something similar.  I say this risking ridicule as I really don’t consider myself much of a cigar reviewer.  This is a cigar both my son and I smoked to a finger burning nub.

In summary, Corey enjoyed all of the cigars in this sampler, while I only really enjoyed the Tres Hermanos.  This sampler was around $22, which I thought was expensive, but I accepted it as being in a tourist area and figured it was a souvenir.  They sell these in boxes of 10 and 25, and are not really too unreasonably priced in those quantities.  I would actually consider buying the Tres Hermanos again.  My one criticism is that their website gives only very vague information about the blends. I would like to know if the Tres Hermanos is wrapped in a Connecticut Broad-leaf or some other kind of broad-leaf, or if there is any local tobacco in the blend.  The best part of the whole experience was having been in the storefront factory and watching them roll cigars, as well has sharing the experience with my 21 year old son.  If you ever find yourself in the Crescent City, stop in and try some of their cigars!

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

CigarCraig

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by | September 17, 2010 · 6:37 pm

The Week’s Cigars: Camacho, Murcialago, CAO – Friday, September 17, 2010

Sunday evening my family went to our local park to see the final installment of the Concerts in the Park series which featured Liverpool Beat, a Philadelphia area Beatles tribute band. I took along a Camacho Connecticut 11/18 to smoke during the show. Both the band and the cigar were excellent. The 11/18 is a perfecto shape of sorts, looks like a toro with a bulging middle (not unlike myself), at 6″ x 48/54/48 ring gauge. The Connecticut wrapper, which was flawless, tempers the strength of the blend a bit, but it’s still a formidable cigar strength-wise. I like the Camacho line quite a bit, but the lines that lean more toward medium are my favorites, the Havana line, Connecticut and, yes, the Corojo Candela are cigars that suit my palate the best. The band played a rousing set of early Beatles hits in costume and in character and were very entertaining. You can see my wife’s review of the band on her site Beatles-Freak.com.

On Thursday I noticed a tweet from Eddie Ortega (@eddieor) of EO Brands that he was traveling to the Philly area and visiting a local shop. My son and I took the 20 minute drive to Old Havana Cigars in West Chester to say hello. Eddie greeted us like an old friend. I picked up a handful of Murcialago robustos and lit one up (it was the traditional “buy 3, get one” deal, I got 3 robustos and got a free 601  Robusto). I lit up the Murcialago and hung out with Eddie for a while. Old Havana Cigars is a nice shop with a spacious lounge in the back. The walk-in humidor is also quite large and seemed well stocked. I have only stopped into this shop once before and found their prices on the high side, but I’m a cheap bastard and am easily sticker-shocked. The Murcialagos were in the $6 range and the 601s were around $7, which isn’t bad, all things considered. The cigar was very nice. It had a dark Mexican maduro wrapper that was very pretty. The burn was good and it had a nice, full flavor. I gave my son one and he enjoyed it as well. Here’s some cigar math for you: I purchased 3 cigars and got one free. I smoked one and gave one to my son, I walked out with two cigars. My son purchased 3 cigars, got one free, AND Eddie hooked him up with another cigar. He walked out with 5 cigars. Something went horribly wrong for me! Generally the rules of Bad cellphone pic! Forgot the camera again!cigar math are that when you go to a herf or an event, no matter how many cigars you smoke or gift, you always seem to come home with more than you took (which, in fairness, I did). I just have to assume that every once in a while there has to be some karmic correction or something. What comes around, goes around. In all seriousness, I take great pleasure in gifting a cigar, and to know that my son enjoyed the cigar and doesn’t mind hanging out with his old dad for an evening is worth much more to me than the cost of a fine cigar.  I took a little tangent there… It was a very nice evening hanging out with Eddie, who is a great guy and quite a character, as well as the folks at the shop. We spent quite a while chatting with one of the locals, a lawyer we’ll call “Alex”. Chatting with “Alex” reinforced my opinion that cigars can bring folks together that perhaps normally wouldn’t have the chance to interact with one another. We came across so many little things we had in common in a brief chat that it was pretty incredible. All in all it was a nice way to spend a rainy Thursday evening.

This Just In!

In the “new inmates in the humidor” department, I couldn’t pass up the opportunity to buy a box of Chateau Real Small Club Coronas on JR Cigars Dutch Auction this week.  As I’m sure you know, I really enjoy this line and I fear that it is going away.  I’ll get some confirmation on that, but I picked up the box of 32 for under $50 delivered, which I thought was a dynamite deal for a cigar I like.  Heck, I’ve paid more than that for cigars I don’t like!  I also threw in a couple of cheap Klip-it key ring punch cutters to make me feel better about the $8.95 shipping charge.  Believe it or not, in 15 years of smoking cigars I’ve never owned a punch.  I figured for a whopping $1.25 I’d get a couple and see how they work.  s I’m writing this I’m enjoying a  CAO Black Bengal that I punched.  I have not particularly enjoyed this cigar in the past, but this one is very nice.  I doubt very much that the punch has anything to do with that, perhaps a couple more months in the humidor has helped, or maybe something else.  This is a nice, medium smoke that I’ve been enjoying on my deck as I type.  The burn has been dead even and except for a little flakiness in the ash, it’s exceeded my expectations.  The punch will find a home on my key ring for sure.

That’s about all I have this time, until the next time,

CigarCraig

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