Figurado | CigarCraig's Blog

Tag Archives: Figurado

by CigarCraig | July 3, 2016 · 8:54 am

A Recluse, A Johnny Tobacconaut and a Joya de Nicaragua Cigar

It seems like the last few days I’ve been reaching for Figurados for some reason, I think five of the last eight cigars I’ve smoked were shaped cigars in one way or another. I don’t know why that’s significant, it probably isn’t, it just happened to be what I grabbed. None of the cigars featured here are new appearances on this site. I craved some favorites this week, what can I say. I’ve had a couple Recluse OTG Kanu #1 in the humidor for three or four years, I figured Wednesday was a good day to smoke one of these. The Kanu #1 is a cool 6″ x 54 box pressed perfecto, styled after a Kayak. It has a little “bun” pigtail cap that easily pinches off so you don’t have to cut it. I don;t know if this is a case anymore, but originally the larger sizes (the #2 is 7″ x 52 and the #3 is 8 x 58) had little o-rings or something on the head of the cigar telling you where to cut, because the recommended cutting them a little higher to get thee best draw. The #1, withe the pigtail pinched off had a perfect draw. The OTG line has a Brazilian maduro wrapper, Cameroon binder and Dominican fillers. I happen to be a fan of maduro over Cameroon, so I’ve been a fan of this line since it came out in 2012. It had a great bittersweet cocoa flavor with a little bit of spice. The Recluse line in general has been very good, I can’t recall a single cigar in their line-up that I didn’t really, really like. They are innovative and patient in their approach, and word on the street is that they will be releasing a TON of new sizes and line extensions at the show. It’s criminal that the FDA has companies like this in their cross hairs.

Friday I decided to wrap up the week with a Room 101 Johnny Tobacconaut Ranflactic (6½” x 50). If you’ll recall, I’ve bitched about this before, that this size is mis-labeled on a ton of retailers websites as 5.5 x 50 b(including the site I linked to, don’t get me started on the lack of a Room 101 cigar website or an easy way to find it on Davidoff/Camacho’s sites), when it’s the Room 101 Ranfla size renamed to fit the astronaut theme of the brand. It blows my mind that this hasn’t been fixed, but I suppose in the grand scheme of things, it’s really not that big a deal. It just seems to stand out to me and I don’t often see mistakes like this. This particular cigar came from a Davidoff trade show sampler from last year’s show, which has some Avos, some Camachos and some BG Meyers. I have more that I purchased that come in the paper sleeve much like the original Room 101 OSOK. I was really blown away by the first one of these I smoked, and I continue to be a fan. The perfecto shaped cigar has a nice woody, toasty flavor and a great burn. I don’t know how available these are as they only made 3500 boxes of twenty and released them last year, but, considering they are rather pricey, they may still be around.

Yesterday I managed to install two ceiling fans with a minimum of profanities, which is something for me. After dinner I sat down with a Joya de Nicaragua Cuatro Cinco Reserva Especial Torpedo. Joya de Nicaragua came out with the original Cuatro Cinco in 2013 to celebrate 45 years of operations in Nicaragua. The following year they came out with this tweaked blend, the Reserva Especial. Oddly, this isn’t a Nicaraguan puro, it has a Dominican binder, but the rest is Nicaraguan with a Nicaraguan Habano wrapper and Nicaraguan filers. I felt like the original Edition Limitada Cuatro Cinco release was a fantastic cigar, I saw it as a refined version of the Antaño Dark Corojo, which is a favorite. This Reserva Especial seems to be missing something that the original limitada had. Here’s the dangerous thing with comparing cigars: The Reserva Especial is a great smoke, it’s got wonderful construction, great flavors, and I would absolutely love it if I wasn’t comparing it to the original. This is just me, and I’m sure there are people who see the Reserva as an improvement, which makes another point, everyone has different tastes. Joya remains one of my favorite brands, there are very few cigars in the lineup that I don’t enjoy.

That’s it for now. It’s the Fourth of July weekend, so be careful out there, have fun and smoke some great cigars. I have a Prime Living Magazine article due that I need to put the finishing touches on (on which I need to put the finishing touches?), then I’ll be getting on with my day. So, until the next time,

CigarCraig

5 Comments

Filed under Review

Tagged as cigar, cigars, Cuatro Cinco, Figurado, Johnny Tobacconaut, joya de nicaragua, Kanu, Recluse, Room101

by CigarCraig | March 13, 2013 · 7:25 pm

Figurados! Apocalypse, Oliva, Columbia and Tortuga Cigars and a Preview

I’ve been on a little bit of a figurado kick lately, but before we get to the cigars, I want to share some breaking news. I had the privilege of previewing a new cigar website that I think is going to be very useful. You may recall NewestCigars.com sponsored Day 9 of my last 12 Days of Spectacular Cigar Giveaways. They are looking to launch the site in June of this year. From the preview I saw, I think it will be interesting to follow, as they will present new cigars, and, if the manufacturers provide the information, there will even be links to stores that carry the new cigars. So often I get to smoke something new that many of you can’t find in stores, and to be honest, I rarely see them in stores myself. NewestCigars.com should provide I user friendly outlet for keeping up with what’s new in the cigar world. I wish Mike and Yoffy the best of luck and can’t wait for the site to go live.

Sunday afternoon was a beautiful late winter day, the kind that really makes one look forward to spring. It afforded me the opportunity to sit out on the patio for a while with a really nice cigar. I decided to smoke the Tatuaje Anarchy Apocalypse sample that I received a couple months ago from Smoke Inn that I wanted to sit down and really pay some attention to. This is a 5¼” x 54 perfecto with a cool pigtail “bun” on the cap. It had a very dark Ecuador Habano wrapper that could have been mistaken for broadleaf. It was a fun cigar, the smoke was lush and dense and delicious, with dark, savory flavors that really make my day. This, along with the Tatuaje Reserva petite cazadore I had a couple weeks ago, are really making me want to try more Tatuajes. The trouble is they are in a higher price range than I’m comfortable with, and there’s so many darned line extensions it’s hard for me to keep straight what’s what. I suppose I’ll pick one up from time to time and make sure I remember what it is when I smoke it. The Apocalypse was pretty amazing. Later in the evening I smoked a little Oliva Serie G “Special G” perfecto while sitting in the Cigar Bar at the Wells Fargo Center after a Flyers win. That’s a tasty little Cameroon cigar that was perfect for letting the traffic dissipate from the parking lot. As always, I got a chance to say hello to , he’s always there after the game having a cigar.

Monday I decided to go experimental and selected a cigar that my wife picked up on here recent trip to Clearwater Beach, Florida. She brought me back a couple cigars from the Columbia Restaurant there, a robusto and a torpedo. Of course, I picked the torp. This was the strangest looking cigar. The cello was very tight, almost as if the cigar expanded inside of it. I had to cut the cello off, and the wrapper was really wrinkly and ugly. Aesthetics aside, the cigar drew effortlessly and was very tasty. It was a maduro, and had the cocoa/expresso flavors that I like and associate with the dark wrappers. I didn’t ask the price, it being a gift and all, but it was a very nice smoke. I enjoyed it and hope the robusto is just as enjoyable.

Tuesday I went with a Tortuga 215 Edición Limitada 2011 Torpedo. You can tell the weather has been a little warmer and the evenings a little lighter because I’ve been smoking larger cigars! I’ve smoked this cigar before and like it a good bit. This is made by Legacy Brands Cigar Company and blended by Victor Vitale. The 6″x54 torpedo has a beautiful Nicaraguan wrapper over a blend of Nicaraguan and Dominican fillers. It’s solidly medium bodied and very well made. I took only about an eight of an inch off the very pointy head of the cigar and had a perfect draw, which may be why about half way through I cave it another cut after getting a bit of the very bitter tasting tarry build up on my lips. That was an eye opener! It was about dusk and I really couldn’t see it. Lovely smoke, Victor has been making some very good cigars lately, I think it’s safe to say that I like many of Vitales vitolas!

That’s it for now! Don’t forget to visit Sunday’s post (the post just prior to this one) and enter the StogieBoys.com contest that is running through this coming Sunday! Enter to win some cigars and cool swag!! (does everyone know that “swag” is an acronym for “stuff we all get”?).