Tag Archives: connecticut

by | August 25, 2010 · 7:55 pm

The Week’s Cigars So Far: CAO, Dirty Rat, Chateau Real…and a Contest! – Wednesday August 25, 2010

Got the week of to a good start with a really nice CAO VR Moby, a 6″ x 50 maduro toro.  I have enjoyed the three examples I’ve had which my wife bought for me for Valentines Day.  They were part of several 5 pack samplers she got from Cigars International.  I believe these are made for CI.  I think these are a nice, medium maduro that is very well made.  I’m not one for identifying specific flavors, but peppery is definitely a flavor descriptor that I’d use with this cigar.    I don’t know that I would drop a c-note on a box of 20, but I suppose they are worth $5 each compared with a lot of cigars out there.

I decided to wrap up the weekend with a treat and grabbed a Liga Privada Dirty Rat from the humidor.  This was one that Steve Saka had given me a few months back.  I have to say that this is just about cigar perfection.  The corona size is very appealing to me, and it’s just a really pretty cigar.  The dark and oily wrapper, the funny pigtail, it’s just so appealing.  Then you light it, and it burns razor straight with a nice flat coal and draws perfectly.  Steve says they cost more to make than the double coronas, and considering this little corona had five different filler tobaccos packed into it’s stalk cut Connecticut wrapper, it’s no surprise at the cost.  The leaves have to be scissor cut to fit them in.  Lot’s of labor involved but what a fantastic smoking experience.  I’ve enjoyed all of the Liga Privadas I’ve had, and I don’t often spend upwards of $10 on a cigar.  Exceptional cigar that will be worth the occasional splurge when they hit the shelves sometime this September.

Monday I went for a Chateau Real Gran Templar in claro.  Another cigar I really like and is consistently good.  I decided on this particular cigar since I had just come off the excellent experience of the Dirty Rat, and wanted something quite different, but without any surprises.  This cigar shared the excellent construction with its cousin the Rat, and had a clean and smooth flavor.  The Connecticut shade wrapper was without flaw and quite pretty.  Another cigar that’s more expensive than I generally prefer, but worth it. I really think Drew Estate is making good cigars, but I have to say that while their website is nice and flashy, it’s kind of a pain if one wants to link directly to a specific cigar and sometimes takes a little while to load up.  It does have a lot of good information though, which is better than some sites.

On to the contest!

Since I smoked a couple Drew Estate cigars this week, let’s go ahead and give away a DE hat and a Liga Privada cutter.  As a special bonus I will sweeten the deal with a brand new Liga Privada T52 in the Belicoso size.  While I was visiting the IPCPR show and saying goodbye to Saka, he threw several of these at me, so I feel the need to pay it forward!  I have yet to send out a cutter prize without including something to use the cutter on anyway, but this time it’s something that may not be in the stores yet.  So there ya go, that’s the prize.  Since I’ve been having trouble with my feline assistants lately, I’ll work on figuring out a clever selection process.  So leave me a comment which will be your entry.  I always enjoy comments anyway, but for some reason it seems that I get more when I give stuff away…not sure why that is…so bring on the comments and win some awesome stuff courtesy of Drew Estate!

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

CigarCraig

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by | May 2, 2010 · 8:13 pm

Weekend Cigars and a Drew Estate Liga Privada Contest! – Sunday May 2, 2010

Saturday evening I selected a CAO Mx2 Rob for my evening walk.  My wife had gotten me a selection of CAO cigars for Valentines day and this was among them.  It was a robusto, and pretty much everything a maduro cigar should be.    The combination of Connecticut broadleaf wrapper and Brazillian maduro binder really overwhelm the palate with  bitter coffee and cocoa.

This afternoon, while pressure washing my in-laws deck, I lit up a Maria Mancini Robusto Larga. This cigar served as an insect repellent as well as an enjoyable smoke.  While not as smooth as those that I’ve had with several years of age, it was still a tasty and well made cigar, which held up well to the rigors of outdoor work. This remains among my favorite cigars at any price and I have always had these in my humidor in one vitola or another.

My 20 year old son and I had exchanged text messages on Friday when he mentioned that he and his friends took a trip to Holt’s (they go to Drexel) and he had purchased and smoked a Liga Privada T52.  He picked this out based on having heard about them from me.  I don’t keep track of what he’s smoking, he started out just after his 18th birthday, with a Romeo y Julieta Coronitos en Cedro at his sister’s wedding.  He said he really loved that cigar, as he was turning seven shades of plaid after smoking it.  When he told me he smoked the T52 I told him that it should have made him vomit, but he said it was amazing.  That’s the word he kept using: “amazing”.  So, it that spirit, I selected a Liga Privada No. 9 for tonight’s smoke.

The Liga Privada No. 9 was blended for the personal use of Steve Saka, president of  Drew Estate. It has a Connecticut broadleaf wrapper and a five tobacco filler blend.  It’s a great cigar, very rich and satisfying.  The burn was as even as they come and it burned for a long time.  Delicious!  It’s no wonder Steve is rarely seen without one of these in his mouth.

Also in that spirit, I’d like to announce this month’s contest.  I have a really good prize for the winner this time.  It’s a five cigar Liga Privada Sampler courtesy of Drew Estate.  Here are the rules:  Leave a comment here with your guess as to what the digital hygrometer in my 48 quart Coleman Coolerdor reads.  I’ll post a photo of it when I announce the winner.  Contest ends Sunday, May 9.  Your guess should include both the temperature and humidity.  Any tie will be broken by cat selection.  I’m tempted to offer a bonus if someone guesses exactly, but the prize itself is pretty fantastic!

So tell your friends, spread the word, subscribe to my e-mails, follow me on twitter…..someone is going to get a nice five pack of Liga Privadas!

Until next time,

CigarCraig

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by | April 11, 2010 · 8:21 pm

Weekend Cigar Post: Romeo y Julieta, Padron – Sunday April 11, 2010

Beautiful weather this weekend, I managed to get in a couple cigars.  Last night, after spending all day putting down hardwood flooring on a staircase landing, I fired up a Romeo y Julieta Reserve Maduro Robusto.  This was a well made  cigar that was fairly mild, with flavor reminiscent of  bitter chocolate.  The afternoon’s worth of sawdust didn’t exactly compliment the cigar. Nice cigar for a beginner.  I don’t understand the wording on the website about the wrapper, they call it a “Blackened Connecticut Broadleaf”, what does “blackened” mean?  Could it be that the largest cigar company in the world takes shortcuts with their maduro wrapper?

Today, after going to a local restaurant with my son to watch the Flyers game, which was a “do or die” game, I felt the need to celebrate with a very old Padron Anniversario Principe.  This cigar must have been in my humidor for close to 10 years.  It burned perfectly and tasted great.  It had a really nice long finish that just clung to the tongue. I smoked it down to about a half an inch.  The Flyers game was quite exciting, it ended in the shoot-out, and if they hadn’t won it would have been the end of the season.  Now they move on the the play-offs.  It was fun to see the game with my son in a restaurant with a crowd of enthusiastic fans.

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by | March 21, 2010 · 12:57 pm

Sancho Panza, Chateau Reals and Minor League Hockey – Sunday March 21, 2010

It’s finally spring in SE Pennsylvania, so that means CigarCraig gets a wicked head cold.  I’ve been trying to keep it at bay, at least by trying to limit my cigar intake.  I did feel obligated Friday night after hearing about the passing of Frank Llaneza, who probably can take some of the credit for the post-embargo, non-cuban cigars that we enjoy today. When you smoke a Hoyo de Monterrey, Punch, El Rey del Mundo, or more recent releases such as the Siglo or Frank Llaneza 1961, you have this gentleman to thank for it.   I was surprised to find that the only cigar I could find in my humidor who’s pedigree could be traced to Mr. Llaneza was a lone Sancho Panza Extra Fuerte Cordoba.  I’ve really enjoyed the full body and flavor of these since buying a box several years ago,  a delicious cigar that will be missed in my humidor, much like Frank Llanaza will be missed in the cigar industry.

Here’s a write up in Cigar Aficionado about Mr. Llaneza’s passing <click here>.  Also , JR Cigars latest catalog includes a nice biography of him <click here>.

Saturday night I had the opportunity to attend a Reading Royals hockey game at the Sovereign Center in Reading PA. Minor league hockey is always a lot of fun to watch.  The stars didn’t line up for me to get the cigar store visit in that I had wanted to.  However, my old friend Jeff and I enjoyed some Chateau Real Magnum 46 Claros pre-game and some Chateau Real Gran Cru Perfecto Maduros post game.  Both cigars fall on the milder side of medium to me, with the claro having that nuttiness usually associated with the Connecticut shade wrapper, and the maduro with the cocoa notes that go along with the beautiful, dark Mexican wrapper.  The hockey game ended with a 4-0 win for the home team.  After a feisty first period, I thought that the animosity between the teams would build and there would be some exciting altercations, but after the Royals built the 4-0 lead it seemed like the opposing team, the Johnstown Chiefs, kind of lost their fire.  It was still an entertaining game, and we enjoyed some wonderful cigars.

After a few days of abusing myself (staying up late, smoking cigars when I really shouldn’t be, you know…) it’s time to focus on getting rid of this darned cold so I can fully enjoy cigars again (and sleep without coughing and getting up to blow my nose more importantly).  Lots of water and sun today, but I’m going to abstain from cigars until the funk in my sinuses subsides.  Cigars and sinus infections don’t go well together.

Next Saturday, March 27, I am going to make a pilgrimage to JR Cigars in Whippany, NJ to hang out for the afternoon and smoke a few cigars.  If anyone is in the area please stop by and introduce yourself!  I’ll be the guy smoking a cigar 🙂

Don’t forget to follow me on Twitter (@cigarcraig).  I have it set to automatically tweet when I update the page.  I’m  working on e-mail subscriptions for those who like that ( I do, so I figure there may be others too).  Any suggestions would be appreciated!

Until the next cigar,

CigarCraig

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by | February 21, 2010 · 7:21 pm

Sunday Cigar – Liga Privada “Dirty Rat” – Feb 21, 2010

It’s been a while since the weather was decent here, it was sunny and in the 40s today.  I was gifted a Liga Privada “Dirty Rat” by Steve Saka in Reno back in November and was hanging on to it until circumstances were appropriate for the proper enjoyment of this limited edition cigar.  My wife and  I received a package which included some more of these so I figured today was the day to fire one up.  The story on these, as I remember Steve telling it, is that they were playing with the Liga Privada blend in a corona size.  Because of the blend, the only way to get anywhere close was to include partial leaves, hand cut, of certain tobaccos.  This made the possibility of this particular cigar going into production relatively remote due to the considerable labor involved in making these.  It’s a shame, because the “Dirty Rat” is an awesome cigar.  The wrapper is a beautiful and oily, Connecticut broadleaf with a filler blend of five tobaccos packed into the 5″ x 44 pigtailed corona.  Here’s were I come up short in cigar reviewing, describing the flavor.  Whatever the flavors are I like them. They are heavy and satisfying, with some spice that progresses to just a delicious and savory tobacco flavor.  I love the Liga Privada No.9 and the T52, but this little flavor bomb is a special treat.  Thanks to Steve for giving me the rare opportunity to sample this cigar from your private stash.

In my inbox this week I received the following from Cigar Rights of America:

Cigar Rights Club, Pennsylvania Challenge Club Membership Goal: 500!

Cigar Rights of America is growing, and working to become the voice of cigar enthusiasts across this country in the local, state and federal battles that threaten one of life’s great pleasures, and a moment so fundamental to the “pursuit of happiness” – a cigar among friends.

There is a great adage in politics – there is power in numbers. Now, more than ever, we need cigar voters to stand up and be counted. We have issues to confront, votes to monitor, minds to change, and people to thank…all at once. That’s why we need your friends that also have the passion for a great cigar to join the cause.

Pennsylvania is pivotal to the growth of CRA. So we are issuing a special challenge. We want Pennsylvania to have 500 members of CRA going into the next election season. After we reach that benchmark, we’ll issue another…and another, until we know that we have the voting block of cigar enthusiasts necessary to protect your ability to enjoy great cigars, with as little government regulation and taxation as possible. It’s all about that, “pursuit of happiness.”

I’m surprised that there aren’t 500 members in PA, but if you aren’t a member please consider joining, even if you aren’t in Pennsylvania.  It’s a worthwhile organization and it’s only $35 per year.  They do a lot to preserve our right to enjoy fine cigars.

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

CigarCraig

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