Tag Archives: Fratello

by CigarCraig | October 26, 2014 · 10:15 am

No Cigars Since Wednesday and a Few Minutes with Omar of Fratello Cigars

Dark times have descended upon me, as a scourge of sinus and bronchial unrest has made enjoying a cigar impossible. I felt it coming on Wednesday, but Thursday the cold came on with a vengeance, and has made for a miserable few days. You see, I’ve taken Monday and Tuesday off so my wife and I can go to New York City for a couple days, mainly because we were invited to a 50th birthday party for our dear friend Mitchell, which is taking place in Brooklyn. My primary objective since contracting this abominable affliction is to eradicate it, so I can be in perfect form to enjoy amazing cigars at this soiree. It would be an insult to our host to be sick at his party. So, I’ve decided to forgo my daily cigar, not that I even remotely desired one, that’s how abysmal I’ve been feeling, which leaves me with a bit of a content vacuum. So I’ll just wing it!

I have one last video to share from the Rocky Mountain Cigar Festival, and that’s a few minutes talking to my dear freind Omar de Frias from Fratello Cigars. I’ve featured Omar here before, I first met him at the 2013 IPCPR show where he made his debut and a big splash (more here). I had the good fortune of spending an afternoon with him at D & S Cigar Lounge in Lancaster, PA (also here) last March. Omar has a commanding presence, and has to be about the hardest working guy in the business since Rocky Patel. How he can hold down a day job, travel all over reping his cigars and stay married is a mystery Here’s the video for your enjoyment!

Of course, you can see all of my past video at my Youtube Channel if you are ever really bored. That’s it for today! I’ll have something cool for sure on Wednesday’s post! Until then,

CigarCraig

4 Comments

Filed under Editorial, Video

Tagged as cigar, cigars, Fratello

by CigarCraig | March 23, 2014 · 1:17 pm

D & S Cigar Lounge and Fratello Cigars

Yesterday turned out to be a beautiful spring day, so, after cleaning up some more of the tree limbs from one of the winter’s ice storms, I dusted off he scooter and took it for a spin. Now, when I say scooter, I actually mean scooter. I have a 400cc Yamaha Majesty because I’m a geek, what can I say. It’s big enough to go on the highway and gets 65 mpg. Loads of fun. Anyway, I took a ride out to Lancaster, PA to visit D&S Cigar Lounge. I had met Shaun, the owner, at the 2011 IPCPR show and have been meaning to get out there since. This is a really nice shop in a strip mall outside of downtown Lancaster, and features cabinet humidors lining the walls in the front of he store, and a very well appointed 1502 Lounge in the back with a bar, TVs, and plenty of leather chairs. The lounge was pretty populated for the first really nice Saturday in a while. I hung out in the front of the shop with Shaun. Their selection is very good, with a nice variety of boutiques and mainstream brands, priced well.

They were having a Fratello Cigars event, and Omar de Frias was there too. I met Omar at the trade show last year where he was the talk of the town. Imagine a really tall dude, born in the Dominican Republic, works for NASA in DC, makes a brilliant cigar in Nicaragua, and manages to have store events too. This is a hard working dude, and really a super nice guy. I bought a handful of toros and robustos and proceeded to fire up the 6½ x 52 toro. A little part of me is regretting not picking up some of the 6″x60s too, as these are really tasty smoked. They have a Nicaraguan Habano wrapper with a Ecuador Sumatra binder, and the filler is a blend of Nicaraguan and Peruvian tobaccos, and all this works really great together. These are manufactured in one of my favorite factories, but I’m not allowed to say which one. Omar also said that they are working on a box pressed torpedo in this line, and hinted at working on either a Brazilian or San Andrés wrapped sequel. I am excited to try both, they sound yummy. The toro started out with some spice, and smoothed out in the middle, with some spice coming back at the end. I smoked this one to a finger burning nub and enjoyed every last puff. I gave it a V cut which worked quite well.

The 40 mile ride home was uneventful, and I decided to smoke the robusto on my evening walk (I had a delicious dinner of Chicken Parmesan my wife made that I had to walk off!) I thought the robusto was a little spicier than the toro, which is OK, and obviously the stretch in the middle where it smooths out is shorter. I like that it’s a little bit longer than a standard robusto, it’s 5½ x 52. These are really tasty cigars, if you see them, grab one, and if you don’t, ask your tobacconist to get them! Omar tells me he’s in 100 stores now, which is a heck of a deal for a small manufacturer. I’m happy I got a chance to catch up with Omar and finally pay a visit to Shaun at D & S Cigar Lounge in Lancaster. Here’s the video of Omar from the IPCPR show last July:

httpv://youtu.be/IHjzjuaVquU

I work with a guy who collects bottles, and he brought this turn of the century bottle for me to take a picture of to share with you all. It’s hand blown, and the detail is really incredible. He suspects it was a way to get a nip secretly, back when it was far more acceptable to smoke in public than to drink! Now you’d sooner be vilified for even looking like you’re smoking than having a drink! Support Cigar Rights of America!

I don’t want to forget to mention that in between doing all that yard clean-up and heading to a cigar event, I also appeared on the “Blogger’s Corner” segment of Kiss My Ash Radio yesterday. I don’t think Abe (the host, and owner of the Smoke Inn stores in Florida) is very happy with me for reviewing a cigar that’s virtually impossible to buy any more. I’ll have to prepare better in the unlikely event I’m invited back 🙂 . Anyway, if you don’t already listen, check out the podcast version, if you can’t listen live Saturday mornings. I look forward to hearing what my bud Eddie Ortega had to say on the show, he was the guest in the “Meet Your Maker” segment and was there in the studio.

That’s it for now! Until the next time,

CigarCraig

3 Comments

Filed under Events, Review, Stores, Video

Tagged as cigar, cigar rights, cigars, D & S, Fratello

by CigarCraig | March 19, 2014 · 8:27 pm

A Camacho Candela for St. Patrick’s Day

While everyone was smoking Alec Bradley Filthy Hooligans on Monday, leave it to me to be different. Long before ABâ€™s master stroke of marketing the candela wrapped Black Market (which I really like, and despite them being sold out at the event I went to, as well as at Holtâ€™s, I grabbed a couple more at a local shop) I bought a box of Camacho Corojo Monarca (robusto) with candela wrappers. I believe it was 2008. Iâ€™ve been enjoying these sparingly over the years, and it was my usual St. Patrickâ€™s Day smoke until last yearâ€™s Hooligan interceded. I dug into the depths of the humidor and came accross the last two of the Camacho, which are now lightly dusted with plume, giving them a very light, flat appearance. I noticed early on in this box that they were loosely rolled, so Iâ€™ve been punching these so that a too open draw isnâ€™t overwhelming. These are the original Camacho Corojo blend, so they pack a punch, but I find that the candela wrapper tempers the blend a bit, while the heavy filler blend compensates for the grassiness of the candela, much like the Filthy Hooligan (as an aside, last week when my brother-in-law, Jeff, asked for a cigar recommendation as he was on his way to Holtâ€™s, I texted him â€œAlec Bradley Filthy Hooliganâ€ and he replied â€œOK, you dirty bastardâ€, which I thought was pretty funny). I enjoyed the Camacho down to the nub, it burned perfectly and was quite the satisfying smoke. Green cigars donâ€™t have to be grassy, mild smokes. I am going to make an effort to try the La Flor Dominicana and Illusione candelas one of these days.

I have a question for all my readers: Do you want me to post the press releases I receive from the cigar companies? I know several of my blogger brethren do it, and Iâ€™m not in a position to be able to do it immediately as I receive them. I guess I just want to know if thereâ€™s a need for me to do it, or if you are getting information on other sites and donâ€™t need the repetition. I ask in an effort to provide what the people want! Please let me know in the poll below.

[poll id=”4″]

I’ll leave the poll run until the end of the month. Â In the mean time, here’s one of the press releases that came in today:

FRATELLO CIGARS ANNOUNCES 6 Â¼ x 52 BOX PRESSED VITOLA

Springfield, VA (March 17, 2014) â€“Omar de Frias is proud to announce a new addition to the Fratello line of cigars. The new vitola will be a 6 Â¼ x 52 Box Pressed Torpedo. â€œWe are very excited about this new vitola, it has a punch of flavor thanks to its ring style and slightly modified blend but staying true to the Fratello flavor,â€ said de Frias.

The Fratello Box Pressed will debut in a 20-count box. Prices have not been set yet but it will be in the range of the current line. Please visit www.fratellocigar.com/thecigar for a description on the cigars.

The new vitola will have a soft launch at a Fratello Authorized retailer prior to this years IPCPR and readily available shortly after. â€œFratello Cigar Company has grown exponentially since the IPCPR show and this new line will add to our calculated expansion in Americaâ€™s humidors,â€ said de Frias. Fratello is currently being sold in 25 states. For the complete list of all our retailers please visit www.fratellocigar.com.

I’m hoping to catch up with Omar this weekend if all goes as planned. Omar makes some darned tasty cigars and I’m looking forward to smoking some again. Â He makes me feel short (and I’m 6’0″) because hes exceptionally tall. Â I also may be appearing once again on Kiss My Ash Radio Saturday morning.

That’s it for now, until the next time,

CigarCraig

2 Comments

Filed under News, Review

Tagged as Alec Bradley, Camacho, cigar, cigars, Fratello

by CigarCraig | September 15, 2013 · 4:06 pm

Berger and Argenti, Smoke Inn’s Quesada Micoblend and Fratello Cigars

I’m still working on smoking IPCPR show samples, but a couple smokes came into my possession since the show that I thought needed mentioning. Thursday evening I smoked a Berger and Argenti “Fatso” Dipper. This funny little 4″x 62 perfecto is severely square pressed. It actually measures about one inch x one-half inch, giving it the same proportions as a 2×4. The first example I smoked a couple weeks ago left me in quite a quandary as to how to cut it. I tried the V cutter and ended up butchering it pretty good. This time I used my new Xikar MTX scissors and was able to get a clean cut. I’ve been getting used to using these scissors and they are razor sharp. The last thing one should to is try to wipe any bits of scrap tobacco off the blades with ones finger. Just saying. Anyway, back to the Fatso. This cigars have Nicaraguan fillers, an Ecuador Sumatra binder and a Nicaraguan maduro wrapper. I’ve enjoyed a bunch of cigars from these guys, the Mooch Schnorr being my favorite, but this little cigar is fun to smoke and has some interesting and unique flavors that keep my attention. The unusual shape in the hand and mouth take a little getting used to.

Abe Dababneh at Smoke Inn has had some terrific smokes in his Micro Blend series. Of the couple I’ve had the pleasure of smoking, most have been right up my alley in flavor, notably the Tatuaje Apocalypse and the Room 101 Big Delicious. This week they are releasing the next in the series, the Quesada Octoberfest Dunkel. Full disclosure: I’ve not smoked any of the previous Octoberfest cigars, and my experience with Quesada cigars is limited to he Casa Magna lines to the best of my recollection. The Dunkel wraps the standard Quesada Octoberfest blend with a Connecticut broadleaf maduro wrapper, finished with a thin strip of Ecuador Connecticut at the foot. This makes it look a little like a dark beer with a head on it. This cigar is blended to pair with beer. I quit drinking 20 years ago so if I were to pair this with anything it would be root beer or ginger beer. Having neither of these on hand, I just hitched up the dog and took a nice long walk. The little bit of Ecuador Connecticut at the foot makes it start out with a creamy flavor, which gives way to the sweet, rich broadleaf quite quickly. For me, this was a great way to spend a Saturday afternoon. I loved the flavor. It probably would have burned perfectly if not for the breeze, and the fact that I was lazy and threw the bag with the cigars and a Boveda pack with a 72 on it in he humidor instead of talking them out. I have a second one that I’ll let dry a little. Smoke Inn is launching this cigar on Friday, so I figured if they were nice enough to send me a couple, I should write about it before then. Thanks to Abe and his gang.

Today I smoked a cigar that was new at this year’s IPCPR show. Fratello Cigars made quite an impression at the show. Omar de Frias is a former professional basketball player, worked for NASA, and grew up next to a cigar shop in the Dominican Republic. He’s also very tall. I came home from the show with a Fratello corona, and an appreciation for Omar and his cigar line. First off, the band is not shaped like a normal band. Off of the cigar it has a chevron shape, and must take some extra effort in the factory to apply properly. It’s red and clearly states the name of the cigar. The wrapper is a Nicaraguan Habano, the binder is Ecuador Sumatra and the fillers are Nicaraguan and Peruvian. These tobaccos all team up to make for a very nice smoke, medium to full bodied with loads of flavors. I enjoyed this cigar for a little over an hour on this beautiful, late summer Sunday on the back deck. If you happen to find yourself in the Washington D.C. area on Friday, September 20, 2013, stop in to W. Curtis Drapers in Bethesda, MD for the release party. Omar is a terribly nice gentleman and he’s making some very tasty cigars! The video interview I did with Omar tells the story better than I can: