Tag Archives: Contest

by CigarCraig | December 18, 2018 · 9:09 am

Contest: CigarCraig’s Holiday Giveaways No.1!

At the risk of being politically incorrect, Ho, Ho, Ho! I’m waiting for someone to take offense to that and ban it, everything else upsets someone nowadays! So it goes in the cigar industry, several years ago, cigar companies were falling all over one another sending me boxes upon boxes of cigars to give away in the now legendary CigarCraig’s 12 Spectacular Days of Cigar Giveaways, which usually went for 13, 14 or 15 days and made a lot of people happy! It made me happy too, but it took a toll, it was a huge time investment at a busy time of year. So, with the cigar companies unable to provide piles of cigars, I’ve scaled back, and dig into my personal vault ‘o goodies to spread some holiday cheer! (Oh crap, with the new job and all, I just remembered I forgot to organize a secret Santa this year! Why did nobody remind me?). So here’s the first holiday giveaway of 2018!

As you know, Ventura Cigar Co. has been showing up frequently in the news here over the last year or so, and has been a company of interest of mine for a few years. I’ve been a fan for about 5 years since smoking a Psyko Seven when I was a guest on The Cigar Authority in 2013. I think it was the 2016 IPCPR show that they had a media event at their booth where they highlighted their Case Study line, and gave out some neat swag, which has rested in storage since then waiting for me to find a proper purpose for it.

The central item here is a cool 15 count travel humidor. It’s not going to hold 15 6x60s, but it’s big enough for a long weekend, but not too big to take up a lot of space in your luggage. Actually, it’s just about the right size in my opinion, if I didn’t have a bunch of travel humidors already, we wouldn’t be having this conversation! Along with it is an aluminum water bottle, and a hardbound blank journal, great for recording your cigar notes, listing grievances against your enemies, or whatever. I will, no doubt, rummage through my humidors and find some appropriate cigars to include in the travel humidor too!

Thanks to Kevin at CigarProp.com, there will also be one of his Lighter Bleed Tools included!

Thanks to the folks at Ventura, even though they have no idea they are sponsoring this! Standard rules apply, leave a comment to enter, must be of legal age to win, and I’ll select a winner on my next post, which might be Friday, might be Sunday, we’ll see how things go!

Until the next time,

CigarCraig

61 Comments

Filed under Contest

Tagged as 12 days, Case Study, cigar, cigar store, cigars, Contest, Giveaways, Psyko Seven, Ventura

by CigarCraig | November 2, 2018 · 8:52 am

Big Papi Humidor Contest Winner Announcement!

I got a bit busy over the last couple of days, and didn’t get around to selecting a winner in the Big Papi Humidor contest sponsored by El Artista Cigars. So I’m going to just go ahead and do it tonight! It’s appropriate, since the Red Sox are the World Series Champions, although it still is a really special humidor any way you look at it! So I once again consulted the random number generator at Random.org and it gave me the number 14. I went back to the contest post and counted to the 14th comment and it was Matt Hopper. Let me go back and double check…this is an important thing, not to be taken lightly. Yup, I checked and Matt Hopper is the winner! Matt needs to e-mail me his contact information so I can pass it on to El Artista cigars so they can ship this beautiful humidor to him so he can celebrate the Red Sox World Series victory by (hopefully) filing it up with all his Big Papi cigars!

That’s three great contests in a row, sorry to say there isn’t a fourth right now, but stay tuned, you never know what may happen! I have been smoking a few good cigars this week so watch for the regular Sunday recap coming up…er….Sunday! Until then,

CigarCraig

8 Comments

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Tagged as Big Papi, cigar, cigars, Contest, El Artista

by CigarCraig | October 24, 2018 · 8:51 pm

Contest: Big Papi Humidor from El Artista Cigars for the World Series!

Yes, it’s another contest! You’d think it was December! I hope everyone isn’t disappointed when the holidays roll around and I’m working in retail for the first time in 3o years and can’t do giveaways like I used to! Of course, I’ll try to do something, but temper your expectations! Let’s get a winner for the last contest out of the way, the lucky winner of the Joya goodies courtesy of Joya and the Wooden Indian is Jared Berel! E-mail me your address so I can send you your loaded travel humidor, hat and cutter! Don’t forget to check out the Wooden Indian’s online store!

In honor of the Boston Redsox being in the World Series, the great folks at El Artista has offered up one of their beautiful Big Papi humidors for a contest! I told them I had just done two contests in a row and my readers were sick and tired of having the opportunity to win great cigar related goodies, but they were insistent, and due to the time sensitive nature of the World Series and all going on as we speak, it was pretty much now or never. I’ve seen this humidor (the winner will receive it directly from El Artista), it’s a beauty, very well made, good fit and finish.

I’ll select a winner next Wednesday. I just looked at the schedule and I suppose the series will be decided by then. I rather expected them to stretch it out for a week but they don’t mess around, a sweep could have this wrapped up by the weekend! (That will make the Boston fans happy and piss off the LA fans, I guess…). So go ahead and leave a comment for an entry like usual. This one is open to everyone. Many thanks to El Artista for the great humidor for this contest!

Until the next time,

CigarCraig

40 Comments

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Tagged as Big Papi, cigar, cigars, Contest, El Artista, humidor

by CigarCraig | October 14, 2018 · 12:27 pm

A Joya de Nicaragua Event at the Wooden Indian and Another Contest!

OK, full disclosure, the seasons changed overnight, it went from temps in the 80s and shorts and t-shirts to fall with sweatshirts all at once, and my immune system hasn’t handled it well, so I’ve had a bit of a cold this week. On the plus side, I had three promising job interviews this week, at least 2 of which I hope produce second interviews and possible offers real soon. Sadly, neither are in the cigar industry, although I would certainly entertain offers in that area! Interested parties should not waste any more time! Anyway, when I get a cold, I tend to smoke cigars I know pretty well, and steer clear of cigars I want to pay a lot of attention to, and if things get really bad I avoid them altogether. I had a Macanudo Red Robusto, an Epic Maduro Robusto, a CAO Flathead 660 and a Camacho Criollo Churchill. All are cigars I really like, I have a bunch of on hand, and are readily available anyway. Funny story about the Camacho (maybe not funny “ha ha” funny…), I posted that I remember in the old days of Camacho when this cigar was called the Camacho Havana. Kevin of Cigar Prop (Thanks again for the Lighter Bleed Tool for last week’s giveaway, it’s on it’s way to the winner!), says he smoked a ton of the Criollo, but never knew it had a predecessor. I told him I might have an old band around, and he seemed interested in seeing it. I have a 26″ tall vase I throw my bands in, but that fills up, so sometimes I stuff (and I do mean stuff) the overflow in gallon bags. I pulled a gallon bag out of storage, dumped it on the floor after looking it over, and, in Rainman fashion, immediately found two old Camacho Havana bands. I guess I’m a cigar band savant.

Friday evening, after a day of interviewing, I went down to the Wooden Indian (check out their new online store!) for their Joya de Nicaragua event. Of course, I’m a huge Joya fan, it’s the first cigar factory I ever visited, my appreciation for their cigars goes back many many years. They are one of the rare companies that doesn’t make a cigar I wouldn’t smoke. Sure, there are some that I like more than others, but not a one I dislike. Juan Martinez, the president of the company was there, and I always enjoy my time speaking with him, and this was probably the first time I was really able to hang out with him where it wasn’t at the factory, or the trade show or industry event. I smoked a Joya Silver Toro, which I enjoy a lot, and talked to Juan about the Cinco Decadas, and how it does share some tobaccos with the Silver, confirming my suspicion. I also was able to see the “Joya de Nicaragua “Cinco Décadas: The Rise of the Nicaraguan Cigar”” Book, which is absolutely beautiful, I can’t wait to read it. It was printed in Peru and the graphics and quality are absolutely stunning. As always, Dave, Dan and their staff, as well as Alex, our local Drew Estate Rep, hosted a great event.

Contest

Here’s what happens when I don’t smoke a lot of new cigars during the week. Even though I JUST had a contest, Dan at the Wooden Indian hooked me up with a nifty Joya de Nicaragua Travel Humidor, so courtesy of Joya de Nicaragua, Drew Estate and the Wooden Indian, let’s have another CigarCraig.com giveaway celebrating 50 years of Joya de Nicaragua and the launch of Wooden Indian’s Online store! In addition to the JdN 5 count travel humidor, there’s a JdN hat and a JdN cutter, and I picked up 5 Joya Cigars at the event to fill the humidor! There’s a Joya Silver Robusto, a Joya BlackToro, a Cabinetta Toro, an Antaño 1970 Gran Consul and a very special event only Joya De Nicaragua Clasico (actually, you could probably get this if you were a diplomat, as this is the cigar that’s in embassies around the world for dignitaries to enjoy). I know, it’s crazy having another contest so soon, my apologies! I hope you can forgive me!

Same rules as always, leave a comment on this post to enter, the only other rule is that the last winner isn’t eligible, give someone else a chance! One entry per person, and I’ll select a winner next Sunday, 10/21/2018. Let’s see a bunch of entries, this is some great stuff!

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

CigarCraig

37 Comments

Filed under Contest, Events, Stores

Tagged as cigar, cigars, Cinco Decadas, Contest, drew estate, Joya, joya de nicaragua, Silver, wooden indian

by CigarCraig | October 7, 2018 · 1:36 pm

Foundation Cigars at Gilbertsville Cigar Factory, a Marzio Cigar, and the Contest Winner!

Friday I took a long overdue drive up to the Gilbertsville Cigar Factory, a shop in Gilberstville, PA which used to be called Sir Stogies, and occupies a building which was the W.K. Gresh & Son’s Cigar Factory, and Gilbertsville Cigar Factory No. 95 in the late 1800s and early 1900s. The shop is owned by Chris and Amber, and Chris is wears another hat as the area’s rep for Miami Cigar and Company. I’ve known Chris since I met him in 2011 when he gave me a special cigar on the day my first granddaughter was born. The store is beautiful, with spacious lounge areas, two walk-in humidors, and an attentive staff. The historic building offers a very nice ambiance. Gilbertsville Cigar Company is one of the few shops around, due to their close ties to Miami Cigar and Co., that carries Marzio Cigars, which is an interesting sort of joint venture between Toscano and La Aurora. I have wanted to try this cigar since I heard about it, out of curiosity. Considering the tobacco they use from the Toscano cigars is basically Kentucky or Tennessee fire cured tobacco, it compares to the KFC, and it’s a bit unfortunate that there’s nothing else to compare it to. It started out to be overwhelmingly smokey and didn’t appeal to me, but it mellowed over time and wasn’t that bad after a while. I think, like the KFC, some humidor time would mellow these out, but I’m not sure I’d go too far out of my way to find out. I’m reminded that I bought some various Toscanos in Rome when I was there that I still have to open up and try.

Anyway, The last time I visited this shop was in 2010, and just like that occasion, I ran into Walt White, whom you know as one of the founders of Stogie Review, and I spent a good deal of the evening catching up with him. I always enjoy hanging out with Walt. The reason I decided to make the trek to Gilbertsville was because they were having an event with Foundation Cigar Company and Nick Melillo. I knew Nick was going to be at a closer shop the next day, but I had other plans, and I always go to events at that shop anyway. It was a very busy event, lots of traffic and it looked like they sold a lot of cigars. I fully enjoyed a Tabernacle Robusto, and picked up a few cigars that I didn’t need. Of course, the Tabernacle is a favorite of mine, it’s Connecticut Broadleaf wrapper, San Andrés binder and fillers from Jamastran in Honduras and Jalapa and Esteli Valleys in Nicaragua. I was hoping the new Tabernacle Havana Seed CT #142 was going to be there, but I didn’t see it and I forgot to ask Nick when it would be around. The Tabernacle is such a great cigar, dark, rich espresso and cocoa, right up my alley. They don’t call Nick the Chief of Broadleaf for nuthin. It was a great event in a great shop, highly recommended if you find yourself in that neck of the woods.

One of the Foundation cigars I picked up was the Charter Oak Maduro in the Toro size. I think I paid a whopping $5.50 + 6% sales tax for this cigar here in Pennsylvania, a state with no cigar tax for a 6″ x 52 cigar wrapped in the same Connecticut Broadleaf used on the Tabernacle, with Nicaraguan (Habano, Sumatra, the website says both) binder and fillers from Esteli and Jalapa. Even though it may have burned a little faster than the Tabernacle, and the ash wasn’t quite as sturdy, but for the price this was a really great smoke. Similar coffee and cocoa flavors, not as deep and rich, less refined, milder, but a very nice cigar. this is certainly a cigar that I would put in my regular rotation if I had such a thing. Top notch, and previous experience with the Connecticut Shade version, which is also actual Connecticut leaf, not Ecuador (how this is done at this price is anyone’s guess), was also very good.

Contest Winner!

Wrapping up another contest! this is another one which I noticed there weren’t as many entries as there used to be. I might put up a poll to see if I can figure out whats up with the contests. Do people no longer want free cigars? What’s the deal? I’ll keep giving stuff away, fewer entries just means better odds for my faithful readers who enter year after year, and I thank you all who enter! And special thanks to people like Kevin of Cigar Prop who not only provide cool stuff for me to give away, but have the creativity and ingenuity to create cool tools like this and make them a reality. Honestly, there isn’t a day that goes by that I don’t use a lighter bleed tool or a one of Kevin’s Cigar Props! He has some cool ideas coming up that I’m excited to share when I’m allowed! Anyway, I’m also always happy to share cigars that I’m into, even if it means depleting my own supply :-)! No big deal, the fun of smoking cigars is sharing them with others, and this time, I’m sharing them with Karl Brooks! The random number generator told me comment number 6, and Karl’s comment was the 6th one. Karl, please send me your contact info so I can pack up these goodies and send them out to you! Thanks again everyone! I need to start scrounging some things together as the holidays approach!