Tag Archives: Firecracker

by | June 23, 2024 · 9:47 am

La Union, Cro Magnon, EP Carrillo and JFR Lunatic Cigars

My week started with a really nice Father’s Day with all my kids and grandkids visiting.  My youngest stopped at CigarMojo and asked for a recommendation, and, once again, they sold him a very expensive cigar.  I’m never super happy about him spending his hard earned cash, and part of me feels like the guys at the shop take advantage, but he does make a good point: it’s not something I would buy for myself.  He picked up the new(ish) My Father La Union Black para Tatuaje .This is certainly a cigar that piqued my interest, but there was never any way I was shelling out for it.  I’m a cheap bastard, my sphincter tightens when I look at a cigar over $15. This is a 100% improvement over 12 or so years ago.  So, it being Father’s Day, and having this wonderful gift, I had to smoke it.  The cigar is 7¼” x 50 with a 109 head, the head is slightly tapered and rounded. It has an Ecuador Habano wrapper and Nicaraguan fillers, including Pelo de Oro. I’ve walked through the Pelo de Oro fields, although it’s been 13 years, so probably not the same stuff.  This was blended by the Garcias for Pete Johnson’s palate, I almost expected it to be heavier. It wasn’t.  It had a very delicate, nuanced flavor, started with an interesting mintiness, some woodyness and some spice.  It almost reminded me of a Havana, but loads better.  This was a brilliant cigar, I greatly appreciate the opportunity to try it.  Later I smoked the now 25 year old Esperanza para los Niños, which has held up well!

 

I’d been itching to try the new Pennsylvania Broadleaf wrapped variant of the RoMaCraft CroMagnon which came out recently, so I had added a couple of the 4½ x 60 Mandibles on to a recent order.  I haven’t seen these locally, although I haven’t been out shopping much lately. This version uses a Pennsylvania broadleaf wrapper, Sumatra hybrid binder and fillers from the Dominican Republic and Nicaragua.  The original CroMagnon didn’t have any Dominican leaf in the blend.  I was hoping to try the Cranium (toro) size, but this was what was available.  I thought this was spicier than the original, and it wasn’t for the faint of heart. I thought I got some grilled steak, but that might have been a neighbor cooking.  I’ll be on the look out for other sizes, but this one hit the spot, although I’ll always have a soft spot for the original. 

 

E.P. Carrillo is launching a line called the Essence series, the Sumatra and Maduro should be on shelves, with more wrapper variations on the horizon.  I smoked the Maduro Friday evening on a drive north.  My wife offered to drive the first leg so I could enjoy my cigar. I actually don’t like to smoke while driving my car because it’s a manual and it just isn’t relaxing.  Fortunately, we were in her car.  Ain’t she the greatest?  The E.P. Carirllo Maduro has a San Andrés wrapper, Honduran binder and Nicaraguan fillers. While it’s made in the D.R., note that there is no Dominican leaf.  I couldn’t help but remember my first La Gloria Cubana Maduro back in the ’90s.  This cigar had some spice with espresso and cocoa, it was right up my alley.  Burn and draw were perfect (which is nice in the car) and it smoked for about an hour and a half.  I’m excited to try the Sumatra, and add some more of  the Maduro to my humidor.  

 

Finally, when we got home last night fairly late, I sat down with the newest Firecracker offering from United Cigars.  This year it is the JFR Lunatic Firecracker, Made by Aganorsa Leaf.  I’m hit of miss on the Aganorsa cigars, but the JFR Lunatic is a good one, although I haven’t smoked any of the obscenely large sizes (there’s only a few 60 ring and under).  This has what they are calling a shade grown Corojo maduro wrapper, and I assume Aganorsa Nicaraguan fillers and binder.  It’s 3½” x 50 with the signature “fuse”, which I get rid of right away.  Smoking time was the better part of an hour, which is good for a little guy.  It had that cane sugar sweetness that I like, and was quite tasty, one of the better Firecracker treatments in my mind.  Not that any are bad, this one distinguished itself. Super-tasty and it looks like it might still be available.  Grab some to try if you see them!

 

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

 

CigarCraig

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by | July 9, 2023 · 9:12 am

Some Fourth of July Cigars, and Another Rebellion Cigar

While many of my brethren are toiling away in Las Vegas at the PCA show, I’m hanging out here at home happily smoking cigars.  I decided to free myself of the stress and expense of travel and some of the expectations set by others in the “cigar media”.  Short rant: I’m irritated  by some bloggers/podcasters who take themselves quite seriously. I’ve heard comments like people who use cell phones to shoot their content shouldn’t be taken seriously as cigar media, or people should cover certain booths.  When I have attended the show it’s been on my time and at my expense, so I’m doing it my way. Do my video interviews look any different than those done by people using more expensive or professional looking rigs? Do people care that much?  Whatever. From the beginning I said I was going to do things my way and I have. I recently thought to myself that maybe I’m being a sucker for not asking for sponsorship to go to the show, but, ya know, that would interfere with me doing things my way.  So I’ll keep doing what I do, the way I want to do it. If you don’t like it, nobody is forcing you to read!  That wasn’t as short a rant as I’d have liked, on to some cigars! 

 

Of course on the Fourth of July I smoked a United Cigars Firecracker,  the newest one from E.P. Carrillo, the Pledge Firecracker. This might be hard to find, but if you run across them anywhere, buy as many as you can manage. This might be a bold statement, but I think this is my favorite Firecracker to date.  Considering some of the exceptional Firecrackers that have come before it, the Mi Querida (which is the only one to my knowledge that spun off it own line, the Triqui Traca) is exceptional, the CroMagnon was exceptional, the Fratello was an under-rated treat, but the Pledge takes it up a notch. It’s funny, because I don’t remember enjoying the regular Pledge line as much, perhaps whatever Ernesto did to punch this one up made the difference for me. The Connecticut Habano wrapper is dark and oily (what made me think it was grown in Massachusetts?), rich and full of flavor. It’s meaty and sweet and I really dug it.  It’s my custom to buy five of the firecrackers, I should have sprung for a box, had I known. Super-yummy.

 

After a heavy lunch and a nap, I treated myself to an American by J.C. Newman.  This was a special size, a Lonsdale, that Drew Newman handed out when I toured the factory last December.  It’s not a regular production, I don’t think there were more than a few hundred in existence, so it was a special cigar.  Of course, the American is 100% American tobaccos, rolled at the El Reloj factory in Tampa, everything that touches the cigar is made in the USA (except, ironically, the folks who roll them maybe!).  This is a tasty cigar, it has a unique bready, spicy flavor that’s unlike any other cigar out there. It was a special cigar, in a special size.  It was very good.  I’ve only smoked a few of the Americans in the larger ring gauges, and the smaller size definitely makes a big difference, as in any smaller ring, it’s a little sharper because it burns a little hotter.  

 

Finally, I’m still working through the Rebellion samples, and smoked the Ace of Spades in the Toro size. This is one of the Maduro offerings in the Rockstar Range, taking its name from the Motörhead song.  The wrapper is Honduran, binder is Indonesian with fillers from Jamastran in Honduras and Condega and Jalapa in Nicaragua. My plan was to smoke this while watching a movie on the porch.  Big mistake updating the Firestick first, which took nearly half the cigar. Oh well, I had a good tasting cigar to keep me company.  This is a pretty full bodied smoke, as one would imagine a cigar named after a Motörhead some would be.  It had some earthiness and spice and a different sort of sweet taste, very intriguing.  This company is making cigars that aren’t like a lot of other cigars on the market. I hope they are having success at the PCA show, from what I’ve read, they seem to be drawing some attention with the pink branding.  

 

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

 

CigarCraig

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by | March 19, 2023 · 10:12 am

Fratello, All Saints, Casino Real and Yaya Cigars

I’m running low on new stuff to smoke, in a few years I’ll be scraping the bottom of the barrel!  Seems like there’s always something new, it’s just a matter of getting my hands on stuff.  A few weeks after my aborted attempt to be among the first to smoke the new Fratello Vice Versa with Omar when he released it in Virginia, I picked a couple up at a local shop.  I would have gotten more, but these are no cheap date.  I get it, they are expensive to make, they are bunched in a very specific way, and capped on both ends.  Not begrudging Omar the price, just saying I’m a cheap prick and don’t buy more than a couple $15 cigars at a whack.  I smoked prototypes last May, they were good.  I smoked a Vice Versa this week and started with the strong end. This is an interesting cigar that smokes mild from one end and strong from the other. Seems like I should have gotten a third one, because the one I smoked, unfortunately, had a void in the first half and tunneled. After struggling with it for a while, it eventually corrected itself.  I kinda missed the strong part, but it was a tasty cigar. This isn’t a small cigar at 7″ x 52, and it has a six country blend: Ecuador, Indonesia, Pennsylvania (USA) , the Dominican Republic, Peru and Nicaragua. Peruvian tobacco is a in almost all of Omar’s blends.  I wonder if I would feel better about cutting this cigar in half, although if I think a $15 7″ cigar is expensive, two $7.50 3½” cigars actually seems pricier. I have one left, I’ll need to get a couple more eventually, I enjoyed the flavor. 

 

Friday was Saint Patrick’s Day, so I smoked the new Firecracker cigar from United Cigars, the All Saints St. Patrick. This is a 3½” x 50 based on the St. Francis blend, which I really like. They accented the oscuro wrapper with a Candela, making a barber pole. It seemed to me to be stronger than the St. Francis, which is kinda the point.  I didn’t taste much of the candela, to be honest. A lot of the candela barber pole cigars have that grassy candela flavor present, this wasn’t apparent except it might have contributed to some of the bite. It was good, I liked it. I typically only buy from 3 to 5 Firecrackers, maybe I should have gotten 5.  It’s been a few years since I’ve gotten any, the last few didn’t capture my interest. If you find these, buy some, I bet they go fast. I wonder if All Saints will do a St. Bernard one day?  It would have to be a large format.

 

Yesterday I did a little test of a platform that will let me do interviews remotely.  Hopefully that is something that interests my readers.  It’s something I’ve been wanting to do but finally got around to it. So I tested it yesterday with a couple of friends and smoked a Casino Real Double Toro (6″ x 60) which I think I got at the 2022 TPE show. This is a brand which is, from what I can tell, is distributed by Zander Greg/Nat Cicco. This is a Ecuador Habano wrapped cigar with Nicaraguan binder and fillers.  It was a tasty cigar with some woody and coffee type flavors.  The burn and draw were perfect.  I have no idea what these cost but it was a solid smoke.

 

I got home from going out to dinner a bit late and decided it was a great time to smoke a short cigar.  I said before that my go to is a 6″ cigar, I don’t mind bigger cigars, although I don’t often go over a 60 ring. So shorter cigars end up spending some time in the humidor often. I had a Yaya Short Robusto, which is a 2022 PCA exclusive, which I got from the United Cigars booth at the 2022 PCA show.  I like the fact that this had the date on the band, it makes it harder for me to forget where it came from and when. Not impossible, just harder.  I’ve heard good things about this cigar, so I was anxious to try it.  It’s 4″ x 54, with an Ecuador Habano wrapper over Dominican fillers.  These are made in Jose Dominguez’ Magia Cubana factory in the DR.  I’ll be honest, there’s not a lot of cigar from this factory that have thrilled me. This one was the exception.  It started out with a little bite, which I liked, and had some nice spice notes.  It’s a tasty smoke!  

 

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

 

CigarCraig

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by | August 18, 2022 · 8:00 pm

News: Wiseman Maduro Firecracker Rerelease Shipping

Here’s some news from United Cigars, they have another round of the delicious Wiseman Maduro Firecracker from Foundation Cigar Co.  I’ve enjoyed a few of the Firecrackers, and this was one of my favorites.  If I’m not mistaken, the release date at 2 Guys Cigars, which shares owners with United Cigar, is August 29th, which is the 13th anniversary of CigarCraig.com, a very special day indeed!   

 

Wise Man Maduro Firecracker will begin shipping to United Cigars retailers starting August 22nd. With the
end of Summer approaching and Labor Day weekend on everyone’s calendar the rerelease of the 2021 United Cigars Series Unidas Firecracker couldn’t come at a better time. The United Cigars Firecracker line is available year-round but there is always the anticipation of which manufacturers band will adorn the 3.5” x 50 vitola with the original wick as the cap. 2021’s collaboration was with Foundation Cigar Company and in true Firecracker form, President and master blender, Nicholas Melillo delivered excellence with the Wiseman Maduro Firecracker.

 

“The Wise Man Firecracker is a special little smoke that explodes with flavor the moment you light it! This is a special addition to the Wise Man Maduro line and it’s a pleasure to work with United Cigars,” said Nick.

 

Wiseman Maduro Firecracker

Factory: Tabacos Valle de Jalapa S.A
Wrapper: Mexican San Andres
Binder: Nicaraguan Corojo Jalapa
Filler: Nicaraguan Jalapa, Esteli
Box Count: 20 Cigars
MSRP: $180 Box/$9.00 Single
Production: 1000 Boxes
Factory: Tabacos Valle de Jalapa S.A.

 

United Cigars Director of Operations, Oliver Nivaud said, “The rerelease of a limited edition Wise Man Maduro Firecracker is extremely exciting, this is an amazing capture.” Shipping to retailers starting August 22nd, the Wiseman Maduro Firecracker and all Limited Release Firecrackers from United Cigars are available at United Cigars retailer partners.

 

United Cigar began as a US based cigar store chain in 1901 growing to nearly 3,000 shops. United Cigar eventually became part of the corporation that bought Marvel Comics in 1968. The United Cigar chain represented the interests of the Consolidated Tobacco Company, the tobacco trust that controlled the American Tobacco Company.

Today United Cigars distributes and manufactures premium cigars within the United States. Distribution agreements with Selected Tobacco (Atabey, Byron & Bandolero) as well as Jose Dominguez cigars. United Cigars has its own brands including the quick-selling bundle line Classic, La Gianna Havana, and our flagship brand United to name a few. United Cigar Series Unidas, a collaboration with respected manufacturers, provides premium cigar retailers with Limited Release productions. Buy United, Smoke United, Live United! United We Smoke!

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by | November 29, 2020 · 10:06 am

Sobremesa Brulee Blue, Platinum Nova, HVC Black Friday and Triqui Traca Cigars

We had a really low key Thanksgiving. We didn’t have a big meal, just the immediate family hanging out around the house. We actually ordered sandwiches from Wawa for dinner! It was much more relaxing than the stress of preparing a big meal and cleaning it all up in all honesty! I, like many days, treated myself to some great cigars. I realized that I haven’t written anything about the Sobremesa Brulee Blue yet, so I figured it was about time. This is a 6 ¼” x 46 lonsdale cigar with a pigtail cap. I used a cutter because I’ve evolved to use tools, I’m not an animal. Also, even though Saka sent me this cigar, it’s a $15 cigar and I’m not risking screwing it up by manhandling it. Of course, I’ve smoked a few Brulee’s, including the STFU! set, and I don’t believe this had a sweet cap. It certainly has a natural sweetness to the tobacco, and a creaminess to the smoke that’s really nice. There’s plenty of body and some spice to the smoke too, making it a really interesting and entertaining cigar to smoke. The bands a re really pretty too.

 

I guess I had the blue in the Sobremesa bands in my head when I went to select my after dinner cigar. Full disclosure, while the rest of the family had “Gobblers”, I had an Italian hoagie, as I am not a fan of the turkey sandwich with the thanksgiving meal fixings on it. It’s my holiday, I’ll celebrate it the way I want! So I went to the humidor and selected Limited Edition Platinum Nova Torpedo. This was a cigar that Ari and Leo of Nova Cigars gave me at the TPE show last January, and I’ve probably mentioned it here before. It’s a 5 ½” x 55 torpedo that retails around $30, so it’s no cheap date. It’s got Dominican Binder and Fillers with a Habano 2000 wrapper. Remember when the Habano 2000 wrapper came on the scene and it didn’t burn? Now it’s on $30 cigars! This cigar has a really delicate, floral flavor profile. If you like that sort of thing, this is a cigar for you. It’s an entertaining change of pace for me. Of course, it burned perfectly, I’d have been disappointed for it hadn’t. this company makes some really good cigars. You don’t hear about them a lot, I hear about them on the Smokin Tabacco podcast/show, a show which Matt Tabacco (his real name) and Jon Carney which is entertaining. It’s a good thing that Ari and Leo started Platinum Nova when they did, because they worked for Nat Sherman, and would have been looking for jobs now anyway.

 

Friday I smoked the HVC Black Friday Firecracker. I thought I might have missed out on this, but when I went to 2 Guys website on the Tuesday after they came out, I was still able to get some. From the hype, I thought they would sell out. I got lucky, I guess. So I added some to my stash of various Firecrackers, and smoked one Friday before my granddaughters came over for the afternoon. This is a 3½” x 50 little smoke with a long “fuse” and a closed foot. Initially the spicy “hotness” covers any flavor to me. It was overwhelmingly strong off the bat. The Corona Gorda was strong, but this little bastard was really strong. It eventually settled down, but by the time it settled down, it started ramping back up because it was getting near the end. It’s pretty much pepper and strong, black coffee flavors, which is OK. If you aren’t prepared for the strength, it might me troublesome, and it’s a darned good thing it’s only 3½” long.

 

When I ordered the Firecrackers, I added on a few of the new sizes of the Mi Querida Triqui Tracas that recently came out that weren’t included in Saka’s media pack 😁. Here’s a couple of ethical disclosures: I buy a lot of cigars, and I get samples of cigars from vendors. If there is a problem with a cigar I get from a vendor, I don’t trash it, I talk to the vendor. I try to smoke cigars that I like. There has been an instance recently where I was given an item to review, I found it to be sub-par, I gave the vendor a draft of the review, told them I didn’t want to post the review and offered to return the item to them, which they agreed to do, even though two other items I’ve been given and reviewed in the past have been excellent. I can’t damage someone’s business with my opinions. I don’t have a problem endorsing something I can stand behind, but I’m not going out of my way to tear something down. Anyway, not quite sure why I went on that tangent, but I took Macha out to Valley Forge Park yesterday for a walk and took the huge Triqui Traca 764 along. This is a big cigar, as the name suggests, it’s 7” x 64, clever guy, that Saka. I suppose it’s better than calling it Donkey D*ck, but not quite as good as Gran Buffalo (which is what he called the same size in the Mi Querida). I lit this up and used it to maintain social distance, with both the smoke and physical size of the cigar. We walked for a while, then turned back, drove home, then I spent another few hours on the porch finishing the cigar. There are monuments at Valley Forge smaller than this cigar. It’s larger than some of the canons. They built cabins for the soldiers out of logs smaller than this cigar. It was a lot of good cigar, and I look forward to smoking the 652, because I felt like the 764 was maybe less flavorful, or maybe just a lot of work getting to the flavor. I bought more than one, so perhaps next summer I’ll work on another one.

 

Keep those Reader’s Choice Cigar of the year entries coming! Please e-mail me at craig@cigarcraig.com with your choice for the 2020 cigar of the year. I’ll compile the results and post them on December 31. Please be as specific as possible. That’s more than enough for today, until the next time,

 

CigarCraig

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