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by Craig Vanderslice | September 15, 2019 · 11:00 am

A Quick Trip to Miami, El Titan, KMA Talk Radio, Etc.

I don’t get away much, but when an opportunity comes up to take a quick vacation and slip in some cigar stops, we have to take it! I’ve wanted to have a vacation where we just spend some time doing nothing but relaxing on a beach for years, and we spent a few days doing just that. Having a cigar on the beach in the morning was nice, although it was windy, which created some challenges! We stayed a block from the beach in Miami Beach, so it was a quick walk, and the water was warm! I really enjoyed a DOn Juan Calavera Connecticut and n Umbagog on the beach! Friday we took a drive and dropped in on Joe Gro at Drew Estate‘s offices, which had an “out for lunch” sign on the door, which was initially disappointing, although we did just drop by. We were hoping to surprise CigarProp Kevin and Jessica there, but they ran ahead of schedule and left just before we arrived. We finally gained access and caught up with Joe, who gave us the tour. The warehouse there is enormous, loaded with racks of pallets of cigars. The offices are as you’d expect, decorated with all of the great DE swag, and the places where all the creative magic happens. As I said, many were out to lunch, so it wasn’t buzzing with activity, but there were a few familiar faces there! Thanks Joe!

We left Drew Estate to try to catch up with Kevin And Jessica in Little Havana. I know that I could spend a week in Miami and not visit all of the cigar places I would like to see, or see all of the people I want, but this was a short trip. If there was one place to visit in Little Havana, I figured it would be El Titan de Bronze. We arranged to meet up with the CigarProps there. This is where one of my favorite cigars is (was?) made, and many great cigars are made. It’s amazing how many amazing cigars this little factory makes, considering they have eight rollers. We were fortunate to gain audience with Sandy Cobas, who gave us a tour. What a wonderful woman! She welcomed us and treated us like family and we couldn’t have been more fortunate. She showed us the aging rooms, introduced us to her mother, who was working packaging cigars and was very funny. They recommended a wonderful restaurant where we went to a late lunch/early dinner which was very good and we had a nice stroll along Calle Ocho. I always enjoy the times I can spend with my friends Kevin and Jessica. Even though we didn’t get around to enjoying a cigar together this time, it’s always a treat to catch up.

Photo: Jessica

Photo: Jennifer

Quick aside, because I know Kevin is a Fan of the Govee sensors too, Amazon’s Deal of the Day next Wednesday, September 18th is the following two Govee thermometers. They will be 30% OFF directly without coupon code that day.

Govee WiFi thermometer https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07FBCTQ3L

Previous Price: $75.99

Amazon Price: $49.99

Deal of the Day: $34.30 [Sept 18th Only]

Govee mini Bluetooth thermometer https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07R586J37

Previous Price: $29.99

Amazon Price: $26.99

Deal of the Day: $18.89 [Sept 18th Only]

I actually really like the Mini Bluetooth one a lot, I have two now and might pick up another one at this price. I have to replace the battery in the WiFi one, I’ve been lazy. They just work. I get nothing out of this, just passing it along. IF you ever want me to get something out of an amazon purchase, there’s a link on the right sidebar, but the next purchase through an affiliate link will be the first!

Friday evening I had the honor and pleasure of meeting up with a couple of great friends that I hadn’t met yet at a lounge close to where I was staying called Cigar Cigar (which is funny, because the chain of stores near my house is called Cigar Cigars). I enjoyed the company of PJ and René and several of their friends while smoking a cigar that I was able to light and smoke without being blown all over the place in the wind! PJ has been a long time reader and I’m sure you’ve seen his comments here and on other popular sites! He was overly generous and it was the highlight of my trip meeting him and René and Juan Nuñez and enjoying a cigar with them in that comfortable lounge. Thank you, PJ, for setting that up! I see, perhaps, some mermaids in your future…

Before leaving, we took a drive up to West Palm Beach, which, by the way, is not at all on the way to the Miami Airport from Miami Beach! That’s OK, it was worth the drive to visit with my friends Abe, Adam and Paul and be a guest on KMA Talk Radio again. I was also happy to finally meet Rich Otero of PDR Cigars, who was the special guest on the episode. I was glad to talk to Coop briefly too, he was kind in the lies he told about me 😆. I always get nervous doing these shows, and I hope for the best when I put myself out there. It was fun, I probably didn’t get close enough to the mic most of the time, and, as usual, I had trouble getting a word in edgewise. Hopefully I said what I needed to say and didn’t sound too ridiculous. If you want to laugh, listen to last week’s episode with Jack Toraño, that was the funniest episode I’ve heard in a long time! That guy is a real man of genius! Anyway, I really appreciated Abe and Paul letting me weasel my way onto the show, they were very accommodating!

Today is a recovery day and then it’s back to work tomorrow! Thanks to everyone, especially my wife, for making it a great vacation! That’s all for today, until the next time,

CigarCraig

1 Comment

Filed under Trip Report

Tagged as cigar, CigarProp, cigars, drew estate, el titan de bronze, Kiss My Ash Radio, KMA Talk RAdio, miami

by CigarCraig | June 1, 2011 · 6:22 pm

Guest Take a Cigar for a Walk Review: DB Takes a Bolivar for a “Mow”!

Here’s a great twist on “Take a Cigar For A Walk” by our favorite serviceman, DB Dronnoff. I always love when I read about, or see, someone enjoying a high end cigar while doing something so mundane as mowing the lawn! We have our “yard ‘gars”, but why not enjoy a killer smoke while doing something that may be considered boring or routine! So, without further ado, here’s DB:

After reading many of Craig’s Cigar Walk reviews I thought it was time to get off my @$& and submit a review myself. This time I decided instead of just a walk I would also do something constructive (Honey-do’s) like mowing the grass. So here goes my “Take a cigar on a mow” submital.

It was a unusually sunny day here in the Suffolk region of the UK, and my grass had started to get out of control. Before I cranked up my trusty mower, I reached into my humidor and pulled out a cigar I have been dying to sample. A Bolivar Libertadores Exclusivo Francia that was gifted to me by a fellow BOTL from France. The Bolivar Petit Libertador is a 2008 France regional edition and comes in at 4” (102mm) by 50, making it a petit robusto.

After several pulls on the mover cord and a a test run, I lite up this little powerhouse for what I was assured would be a great experience. This cigar has the classic Bolivar band, with a second band which reads Exclusivo Francia. Immediately at the start I detected a creamy taste that ended up extending about halfway through this 4″ cigar. Midway through my mow and about halfway into the cigar a light citrus zestiness started and ended up continuing until the end of the cigar. This surprising flavor makes it a wonderful summer smoke when you don’t want anything too heavy…Like mowing your yard.

The burn of this cigar was quite even despite smoking it outside walking around. I have found that in these cases the shifting winds tend to force the cigar to burn uneven. That didn’t happen to the Bolivar, maybe it was just luck. The ash was a light solid texture mixed with peppery flakes. It never really had a chance to grow longer than 1.5″ due to my marching up and down the yard pushing the mower.

I soon finished my mowing task and retired to a chair out back to finish enjoying this fine cigar…without working up a sweat. Bottom line: Apart from being a gorgeous looking cigar, the Bolivar Libertadores is an amazing smoke, with a light citrus zestiness throughout.

Another day in beautiful England is now comming to an end. If your looking for a cigar to enjoy during your next mowing experience, enjoy it with the Bolivar Exclusivo Francia.

Aim High,

USAFCigar

Thanks again to DB for the excellent report on what most of us consider a very special cigar! As for myself, I had a fine Memorial day at the Delaware Park racetrack watching the ponies and enjoying a Joya de Nicaragua Cabinetta Robusto. This line extension is one of my favorite cigars lately. No matter what size, they always deliver a nice smoking experience all the way around. I do need to get my hands on more of the Lanceros though. It was awfully fun watching them being rolled in the factory!

After we got home, I decided on a short smoke, an El Titan de Bronze Hemingway. This little Cameroon wrapped perfecto had been sitting in the humidor since August of 2008 when I got it at the IPCPR show. I’ve had a few of them many years ago and was never really impressed, but this one was a gem! If they changed something over the years, it was for the better in my opinion. Great little cigar. Sadly, as I research this a little, I don’t see this size listed on the webpage. It was a 4″ x 46ish perfecto, not unlike a Fuente Short Story.