Tag Archives: diesel

by | May 26, 2024 · 8:39 am

Villiger 1888, Diesel Whiskey Row and Jaime Garcia Cigars

I’m going to preface this post with the following disclaimer:  ignore any tasting notes I might write this week.  I had probably the worst cold I’ve had in years this week, so I took a few days off smoking (not in a row!).  I did a fair amount of nose spray (I have a very low tolerance for not being able to breath through my nose), some cough drops, and some Nyquil to get through it.  I’m feeling much better, thanks.  Since I quit smoking cigarettes and had sinus surgery in 2007 I haven’t had nearly the severe colds that I used to get, and I haven’t had bronchitis since, which is a very good thing.  This cold was way worse than when I had Covid two years ago. When I finally had a cigar Friday, it tasted interesting. I started back with a Villiger 1888 Nicaragua in Churchill size. I wrote about this line almost a year ago (here), Ecuador Sumatra wrapper, Nicaraguan binder and Nicaraguan and Pennsylvanian fillers, made at the Villiger de Nicaragua (Joya de Nicaragua) factory.  I forgot to ask René about the factory situation when I saw him last week. This is a proper Churchill at 7″ x 47, which I love. Anyway, the flavor was popping with a rich, mouth-coating cocoa with a hint of licorice.  I loved the flavor, although I didn’t remember this cigar having those qualities.  I loved it.

 

Saturday I had accomplished a lot by about 2:30, so I figured it was time for a cigar.  I had gone to home depot, picked up a bundle of oak hardwood flooring, started installing the hardwood (we had about a 50 square foot section that we tore up because it was badly stained), and mowed the backyard. I picked a Diesel Whisky Row Founders Collection Mizanura that was gifted to me by a dude I see at cigar events all over.  I even ran into Steve when I was in Tampa a year or so ago.  From the Diesel website: “This full-bodied blend boasts a dark Brazilian Mata Fina wrapper and spicy filler tobacco from Nicaragua, but the real star lies at its core. We aged the Connecticut Broadleaf binder in Rabbit Hole’s rare Japanese Mizunara oak barrels—the same ones used to age their Founder’s Collection Bourbon. The result? A smooth, robust cigar with great complexity.” Tis is presented in a 6″ x 52 Toro. I’m a big fan of the Sherry Cask version of the Whiskey Row, not so much the original blend. This was another cigar that had very pronounced flavor, however, it was very much like the last.  This is a cigar I’m going to have to find another and try again when I’m back to full health. Now, the flavor I’m getting from these cigars is really great, it’s a flavor I enjoy, but if all cigars taste the same that’s no fun, is it?  I really enjoyed this cigar, thanks Steve!

 

Finally, I had picked up a Jaime Garcia Reserva Especial Toro locally, and, again, I’ll grab another one one of these days to see what it really tastes like!  I hope it tastes as good as this one.  I usually think that having a cold adversely affects taste, this time it really seemed to enhance it. This was a delicious cigar.  It has a Connecticut Broadleaf wrapper, an Ecuador binder and fillers from the Garcia farms in Nicaragua.  This toro is 6″ x 54.  Like I said, this was a great smoke, hard to believe I haven’t smoked this before. I can’t help but compare the flavors to the previous two, although there’s little reason the three should taste similar, except that my taste buds are compromised.  I’m going to smoke a Connecticut shade cigar today and see what happens. If it tastes the same I’m going to smoke some cigars that I don’t usually care for! Usually cigars don’t taste this good on the downside of a cold!  Whatever the cause, I’m not mad about it, the cigars tasted great.  Weird stuff.  While I can’t say that you’ll taste what I tasted in these three cigars, I thought they were all excellent, so don’t be afraid to try them if you haven’t already!  

 

Many thanks to our fallen soldiers and their families as we celebrate Memorial Day in our own ways.  I’m hoping to finish up this floor over the next two days, and get the front lawn cut.  I’ll smoke  a few cigars too. Until the next time, 

 

CigarCraig

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by | April 28, 2024 · 10:16 am

Two More Panacea Cigars, a Room 101 and a Diesel Vintage

I finished off the sampler of Panacea Classic line cigars I bought from them a couple weeks back.  I’m to understand there are a few shops that carry the Flatbed Cigar Co. line, but they mostly are selling direct via the website. I’ve placed a couple orders and both were easy transactions and the cigars came well packaged, presented well and in a timely manner.  Of course, the company is located barely an hour from me, which helps with the shipping.  I’m going ot have to arange a visit one of these days!  I had the Blue Label and Black Label left, and smoked the Panacea Blue Label on Thursday.  This was the Toro size, a 6″ x 52, with a Cameroon wrapper.  I had thought that the Green Label was my favorite, bt I might have to amend that after smoking this Blue Label.  This was a delicious cigar, it had a nice white sugar sweetness, along with the nuttiness I get from Cameroon.  This was a fine, medium bodied cigar that I really enjoyed.  I might have to see if they offer a sampler of these like the Green Label sampler I got!   

 

The Panacea Black Label, which I keep wanting to call the White, I guess because I associate Connecticut wrapped cigars with white. Probably something Davidoff and Montecristo put into my head.  The Black Label was their first line launched in 2007, If I’m not mistaken.  Like I mentioned, it has an Ecuador Connecticut shade wrapper, and the rest is Dominican and Nicaraguan.  I had the Perfecto shape, which is 6″ x 51.  I was impressed with the flavor, it had a hint of that white sugar I got with the Blue Label, along with some of the classic shade grass and nuts.  I wish this had a better draw, I thought it would open up after the tapered foot burned down, but it really didn’t.  This would have been an outstanding cigar otherwise, certainly a Connecticut I’d smoke again.  After smoking thought the line, I think I’m most looking forward to sampling the Green and Blue Labels again, or maybe I’ll explore their Panacea Grande line.  Good stuff.

 

Yesterday I got some yard work and errands done, and spent a little time i the afternoon with a Room 101 Hit & Run Redux Robusto.  This 5″ x 50 has aSan Andrés wrapper, Ecuador Sumatra binder, and Nicaraguan and Pennsylvania fillers.  This is made at the William Ventura factory in Tamboril, DR.  I have to start out saying two things:  Is it weird that a 5″ x 50 seems like a small cigar now days?  It used to be y go to size, now I avoid them because they seem to smoke too quickly.  I suppose an hour isn’t that quick, but I guess I like to spend a little more time smoking now than I used to.  Second, I have not historically cared for a lot of cigars from William Ventura. I’m not entirely sure why that is, they seem to smoke well and have a large following, I just can’t seem to get into them.  Given the blend, I should have really liked this cigar, and I did like it, just found it a little underwhelming.  It had a nice toasty cocoa, almost a dark chocolate flavor.  The presentation is nice, and I’ll give another one a try after a while.  

 

Finally, I smoked the Diesel Vintage Series Natural in the Robusto Gordo size. This is 5″ x 56, made by A.J. Fernandez in Nicaragua, with an Ecuador wrapper, Nicaraguan Habano binder and five to seven year old Nicaraguan Jalapa fillers. I’ve smoked a lot of Diesel cigars over the years, And I really liked the original Diesel Vintage, which had a San Andrés wrapper. I have a rather basic palate, I got some saltiness, along with some citrus and nuts. Burn and draw were exceptional, it was a pleasurable smoke.  I would suggest you read my buddy Kaplowitz’ review of this if you would like a more colorful description.  I hit the basics, Kap digs deep into the flavors.  This probably falls near the bottom of my list of favorite Diesel cigars through no fault of the cigar, it is a more refined Diesel, which misses the point of the brand in my eye.  I think there’s some 13 year old Unholy Cocktails in the humidor, I might have to smoke one later.

 

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

 

CigarCraig

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by | August 27, 2023 · 9:51 am

New El Rey Del Mundo and Diesel Cigars and a DBL Cigars Event

Thursday evening I went to the new Cigar Mojo location in Malvern, PA. which is about a mile closer to my house than the next nearest cigar store, which is two miles away.  Yes, I could walk there if I so chose. Wade and Trae have built a really nice shop and lounge in a small center with restaurants,  an Ax throwing venue, several other businesses, located adjacent to a huge corporate park in suburban Philly.  The humidor is massive, and will soon be impressively stocked, and the lounge is well appointed and comfortable.  I’ve been told that they are currently fully staffed ;-).  Anyway, they had an inaugural event there with Francisco Almonte of DBL Cigars and I couldn’t manage to find an excuse not to make the one mile trek over there.  Francisco has a background with the Fuente and LFD factories, and went out on his own probably ten years ago or more.  I think it’s been at least that long since I first met him.  Super-nice dude, and very talented cigar roller. I smoked the DBL Extra Viejo Maduro while there.  It was pretty good, some coffee and espresso notes that I like, there’s something in DBL cigars across the board that I don’t get.  Friday evening I smoked the DBL Nicaraguan, which was initially called the La Union, but the Garcia’s had that trademark tied up with their upcoming anniversary project with Pete Johnson and asked for the name to be changed. I hoped that the Nicaraguan expression would suit my palate better, alas, it still had something that didn’t jive with me. I’ve said this before, as recently as a few weeks ago with Aganorsa, there are some lines that just don’t hit the palate, and that’s why there are so many different cigars. DBL makes good, quality cigars, and if you like a lot of different cigars than I tent to like, you’ll probably enjoy them!  They are very well priced, and certainly deserve a try, and if you find yourself at Cigar Mojo at The Grove, give me a holler, if I’m free, I’m like three minutes away. 

 

I’ve been fortunate to have come into a batch of new cigar samples, so I’ve been trying out some of the new releases lately.  One I smoked this week was the El Rey del Mundo Shade Grown.  El Rey del Mundo is a brand that’s been in my humidor on and off in some way for over the last 25 years, I can remember smoking many Rectangulares, Flor de Llanezas, and Robusto Largas over the years, and it was always a delicious, satisfying cigar.  In this case, they’ve put a Honduran grown Connecticut shade wrapper on it, over a Honduran Jamastran binder, with Copan and Jamastran fillers, making a Honduran puro.  If every line has to have a shade cigar (does it?), this cigar isn’t a bad fit with the brand.  It’s got the creaminess, and is on the milder end of medium, but still has plenty of flavor.  I rather enjoyed it, as I’ve been enjoying shade cigars lately, as long as they aren’t too mild and flavorless!  Not too bad! 

 

Last night after a heavy Italian meal out with friends, we retired to the sala fumatori at la mia casa for a digestif.  Earlier in the day I had finished watching “James May: Our Man in Italy” on Amazon Prime so I was all Italianed up.  I suppose a Toscano would have been more appropriate, but I had been eying up the new Diesel Vintage, and wanted to talk about it in today’s post. I’m also smoking one as I type this morning, on a fresh palate, because smoking one with company and conversation and alone without distraction can be two different experiences.  Turns out they were pretty close.  This is a cigar that is to my liking.  It has a San Andrés Negro Madoro wrapper, Esteli binder, and Jalapa fillers ranging from five to eight years old.  Like all Diesel cigars, it’s made by A.J. Fernandez for Forged Cigar Co. I’m smoking the 5″ x 56 Robusto Gordo, and it’s available in 4 other sizes, which I will eventually sample as I find them in the wild.  I can personally attest that this cigar is as good after a heavy meal as it is with a morning cup of coffee, although I did end up smoking too late and slept like crap last night…a function of my advancing years, I’m afraid, I’m in the final days of my 50’s.  I see an afternoon nap, and I’m talking right after noon…anyway, I really like this Diesel Vintage. It’s got a load of sweet spice, earth, coffee, cocoa, all the flavors I really like.  I want to smoke the Toro, it could become a go-to.  Great smoke.  

 

That’s all for today. I celebrate a couple milestones this week, one being the 14th anniversary of CigarCraig.com, the other being the 10th anniversary of my 50th birthday, so I’ll be smoking some special cigars here and there to mark the occasions.   Until the next time, 

 

CigarCraig

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by | July 23, 2023 · 9:22 am

Romeo y Julieta, La Gloria Cubana and Diesel Cigars

Summer is whizzing by way too fast for my liking.  I’ve been enjoying a lot more cigars, three of which were just yesterday, which I plan to tell you about! I started the day with a Romeo y Julieta Reserva Real Twisted Love Story.  This came to me in a sampler of barber pole style cigars I bought from Fox Cigars, I had set this small cigar aside for an appropriate time, and that time came yesterday morning.  It was a toss up between this and a Rojas Breakfast Taco Maduro, but I kinda remember the Sumatra Breakfast Taco being a bit of a powerhouse, and I wasn’t feeling like a strong cigar yesterday morning. I wondered in a previous post how Altadis got away with making a cigar this shape with the name “story” attached to it, because it’s very close to the same size as the Hemingway Short Story, although it’s a few ring gauges slimmer at 4″ x 46 as opposed to 49.  The Romeo has Ecuadorian Connecticut & Habano wrappers, Nicaraguan binder and Nicaraguan and Dominican fillers.  It’s a very pretty little perfecto.  It started off with some bitterness for me, until it burned past the “nipple”, then it smoothed out and had some nice butter and spice.  It was pretty good, but I liked the toro presentation better.  I think it smoked for nearly an hour, which is pretty good for a little cigar.  

 

I had a couple other cigars lined up that I was going to write about, but then I was out running errands and stopped in my nearest cigar store and picked up a few cigars I hadn’t smoked before.  This store honestly didn’t have much in the way of new stuff, but they are a TAA store, so I picked up the La Gloria Cubana 2023 TAA Exclusive, a 7½” x 54 double corona.  If the size sounds familiar, it’s the same size as the Hoya de Monterrey Excalibur No.1 (and the SakaKahn).  You might be saying ” but CigarCraig, La Glorias are made in the DR, and Excaliburs are made in Honduras, what the heck?”, but it seems that this La Gloria was made in the STG Danli factory back in 2019 and have been aging there.  Weird, huh?  This cigar has a Ecuador Sumatra wrapper with a Honduran Habano binder and Fillers from Honduras and the DR.  The wrapper is very dark, verging on maduro.  While I didn’t find this cigar very La Gloria like (and with all the various iterations of the brand, I don’t know what that means any more), I really like the cigar, and feel compelled to pick a few more up to add to the La Gloria humidor for later consumption.  It had dark dried fruit and espresso tones, bittersweet chocolate, and wasn’t without some strength.  It was amongst the better La Glorias I’ve had in recent years.  

 

Another cigar I picked up was another TAA cigar from the Forged portfolio, the Diesel Disciple 2021 TAA Lancero.  Considering it wasn’t long ago that Diesel was a catalog brand, it’s interesting that the top of the top (in their eyes, i imagine) retailers are getting a Diesel exclusive. In keeping with the Diesel line, this was pretty fairly priced at $8.99, and is a 7″ x 38 panatela, no pigtail cap.  The cigar has a San Andrés wrapper, Ecuador Sumatra binder and Nicaraguan Habano fillers and is made at Tabacalera AJ Fernandez. I’ll state my opinion like I do every time I smoke a Lancero, this wrapper/filler ratio thing is a myth, the reason Lanceros have a sharper, stronger flavor is because the burn hotter due to the smaller ring gauge.  Smoke a Lancero slowly, sip the smoke, it’s a very elegant presentation.  If it’s drawn upon at the same pressure as one would draw on a rubusto or toro it’s going to burn hot and the flavor is going to seem sharper.  I’ve learned this by sitting at the feet of masters.  Anyway, I smoked this while watching one of my favorite shows (the Grand Tour on Amazon Prime) on the porch and it was delicious.  Dark, strong espresso with some sweet earthiness.  The burn and draw was perfect and it was quite enjoyable.  I don’t know how many of these are still out in the wild, I know there are still at least nine of them at the store near me, but if you come across them, and you like Diesels and Lanceros, give one a try.

 

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

 

CigarCraig

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by | April 4, 2023 · 5:49 pm

News: New Sizes for the Diesel Disciple

I’ve smoked a lot of Diesels, but I don’t think I’ve smoked the Disciple.  The Atonement was really good, and the Esteli Puro is really quite good too.  I lied the Crucible quite a bit too.  I’m going to go pick out a Diesel to smoke tonight. I’ll be keeping an eye out for this Disciple.

DIESEL DISCIPLE ADDS NEW SIZES

 

Diesel Disciple will welcome two new sizes as permanent additions to the brand’s growing lineup.

 

The soon-to-be-released Toro and Torpedo vitolas will mark the second and third sizes in the line and will begin shipping this week.

 

Justin Andrews said, “We decided to launch two new sizes of Diesel Disciple this year because the blend has gotten such a strong endorsement from the retail community. They love the blend and the packaging and often tell us that Disciple smokes like a $20 cigar for half the price. We’re looking forward to rolling out the new formats and will continue to expand the line according to demand from retailers and cigar smokers.”

 

Handcrafted at Tabacalera AJ Fernandez in Estelí, Nicaragua and developed in collaboration between AJ and STG’s Justin Andrews, Diesel Disciple is a robust and balanced cigar blended to stand out in the medium-full spectrum.

 

Made with a Mexican San Andreas wrapper, an Ecuadoran Sumatra binder and a filler exclusively comprised of Nicaraguan Habano from Esteli, the cigar exemplifies blending expertise with an unexpected layer of sweetness that creates intrigue against Disciple’s bold and peppery notes.

 

Diesel Disciple Toro (6.25” x 52); SRP per cigar $9.99

 

 

 

 

Diesel Disciple Torpedo (6.5” x 54); SRP per cigar $10.49

 

 

Both new Diesel Disciple sizes come in 10-count boxes. The line is distributed by Forged Cigar Company.

 

Originally released to the top US brick and mortar retailers as a TAA exclusive in 2021, Diesel Disciple became a full-time line in 2022 when the brand’s sole frontmark a Lancero (7” x 38) became available in all channels.

 

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