Tag Archives: General Cigar Co.

News: General Cigar Co. Announces Cohiba Royale

Here’s some news from the folks at General Cigar. There hasn’t been a lot of news coming out recently. I find it interesting that this is being made in Honduras. I’m not sure why this is significant, or if it is. Maybe it’s a matter of factory capacity, I’m not sure. It kind of looks like a (ahem) “budget” Spectre. I smoked a Spectre on the first day of my last job, I hope I get to smoke another one soon! 

 

The artisans of Cohiba are proud to present COHIBA ROYALE, a super-premium collection that joins the Cohiba portfolio as the brand’s fullest-bodied expression to date. Cohiba Royale also marks another important milestone for the brand, as it is the first Cohiba line to be handcrafted in Honduras.

 

Cohiba Brand Ambassador Sean Williams said, “Cohiba Royale was created with the cigar connoisseur in mind, bringing to life the microclimates and fertile soils of the Caribbean and Central America in a way that is unique to the brand. All of the tobaccos that comprise Cohiba Royale are hand-selected and deeply aged, representing the best of the best tobacco growing regions in the world. The result is a cigar that is as bold as it is refined, befitting of the Cohiba name.”

 

A dimensional, multi-country blend with tobaccos from Nicaragua, Honduras, and the Dominican Republic, Cohiba Royale provides the most profound smoking experience of the renowned Cohiba brand.

 

Cohiba Royale begins with a lustrous, sun-grown wrapper from Nicaragua’s celebrated Jalapa Valley. In a nod to Cohiba’s Dominican roots, the Jalapa wrapper crowns a Dominican Piloto Cubano binder which sits atop a quintessential selection of tobacco from Honduras’ Jamastran valley and the Nicaraguan valleys of Jalapa and Esteli. Each leaf of the blend has undergone intensive aging for five to six years before being deemed worthy of inclusion in Cohiba Royale. 

 

The result is a balanced cigar that is best described as sublime, as notes of leather and spice mingle with nuances of earth and cedar.

 

Cohiba Royale is handcrafted at General Cigar’s HATSA factory in Danli, Honduras, where a special team of artisan cigar makers was selected to produce this full-time addition to the Cohiba portfolio. 

 

Available in these three sizes, Cohiba Royale will ship to retailers in April. The line will be available in both 5-count and 10-count boxes.

 

Gran Royale (4.5” x 52): SRP per cigar $23.99

Robusto Royale (5.5” x 54); SPR per cigar $25.99

Toro Royale (6” x 50); SPR per cigar $28.99

 

In support of Cohiba Royale, Sean Williams will visit fine cigar shops nationwide to share the blend with discerning cigar smokers. 

For more information about Cohiba, please visit www.cohiba.com.

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News: General Cigar Revamps CigarWorld.com Site

Interestingly, I joined Cigarworld.com on January 17, 2000. Yes, you read that right, 2000, as in 20 years ago. I remember winning two boxes of Macanudos somehow, a box of 25 Prince of Wales Cafe, and a box of ten Prince Philip, which I believe were still made in Jamaica at the time. at that time, getting boxes of these cigars was a very big deal for me, they were way above my pay grade. I re-registered for the new site, I’ll join in the forums where I know I have some regular readers and see how it looks!

 

Cut.Light.Connect.

 

General Cigar establishes itself as a key resource for all things cigar with the launch of the brand new CigarWorld.com.

The newly revamped digital property delivers a tailored experience for cigar smokers from beginners to experts. “Cigar smoking is all about community and camaraderie, this new site brings that experience where we are –  on our phones and tablets,” said General Cigar Marketing VP Chris Tarr. 

In addition to building a place for cigar smokers to connect, General Cigar is in the process of building one of the largest databases of cigar product information, from frontmarks to tasting notes and drink pairings. “We want to create utility for cigar smokers. We’re building this product database so people can find their perfect cigar. They can read reviews, get recommendations from friends and find retailers that sell that cigar,” said Tarr.

CigarWorld.com will also be a major source for the latest information on cigars, promotions, news and announcements. Users will be able to scroll through the newsfeed and see up-to-the-minute content that’s tailored to their preferences. General Cigar is focusing on creating a one-to-one experience, so users get industry-wide cigar news, promotions and videos based on the cigars they like to smoke, or the brands they follow. 

“The relaunch of this site is just the beginning of our digital strategy. We’re building a cohesive eco-system for our brands,” said Tarr, “We’ll be rolling out more updates to the site in the coming months that will lead the way in terms of engagement for cigar smokers.”

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Happy New Year Cigars, a Cornelius and Anthony, and a Warzone

Happy New Year to everyone!  I hope everyone stayed safe and enjoyed whatever celebration you chose to partake in.  I enjoyed a 5 year old Padrón 1964 Anniversary Exclusivo Natural which was magnificent. It was from a box which was a gift from Padrón from my first magazine article which featured them in Prime Living Magazine in 2014, signed by the senior señor Padrón. I’ve heard people say that Padróns don’t age well, but I beg to differ. This cigar smoked just fine. Perhaps it’s because it’s the natural wrapper variety, I’m not sure. I love the Maduros, but these Naturals have been fantastic cigars, and I’ve been savoring them because it’s a special box, ya know? One of these days I’ll get around to trying a 1926 or one of the other anniversary cigars, but the 1964s are so good, and not outrageously priced, how can one go wrong? I was in bed early, but neighborhood fireworks upset the dog.

 

I went looking for an interesting New Years Day smoke, something to smoke between watching the Mummers Parade, and the NHL Winter Classic. I remembered that I had a couple of Montecristo Le Cigares des Artes 2000 Millennium Edition that had been gifted by a great friend probably 18 or 19 years ago. These originally came in a really neat box with artwork by Michael Delacroix. You still see the Delacroix art in Montecristo branded lounges, so now you know it goes back 20 years. I little useless trivia fr you. Anyway, this was a Churchill sized cigar of Dominican descent, which caused me some concern about how this might have held up over the last 20 years. I chose the one with the broken tube, I don’t know how it broke, it’s been moved around from humidor to humidor over the years, I’m not a fan of glass tubes for this reason. I’m far too careless for fragile things that are meant to protect fragile things. There’s a reason egg cartons aren’t made out of glass. Oddly, the cigar had some white spots on it, mold or plume, hard to say. I’d have said it was mold but it seemed unlikely, it dusted right off, and there was no intrusion into the foot. If it was plume, it was the blotchiest plume I’ve seen. Regardless, it had no bearing on the smoking experience, however, I would not have bought a cigar that looked like it looked. The cigar started off very mild, as expected, but it built up in flavor as time went on and ended up being a very enjoyable and flavorful cigar. It had the delicate sophistication of a well aged cigar. I’ve smoked plenty of old cigars before, and this was one of the better ones. It held up well. I have smoke a Padrón Millenium in the past few years and it has also held up, but it wasn’t as impactful as it was when it was younger, and, not having smoked the Montecristo in it’s youth, I have nothing to compare it to. I would say that if you have these, smoke one! Why not? It’s fun to smoke a well aged cigar now and then. I still have a Cuban Romeo y Julietta from 1977 someplace that I’ll smoke one day. 

 

I followed up the old Montecristo with a favorite flavor-bomb, the Cornelius and Anthony Señor Esugars Toro. This was made at La Zona by Espinosa. I have asked Steven Bailey directly about the future of Cornelius and Anthony and gotten no response. I’ve talked to high level sources at both factories that made his cigars and pretty much confirmed that he is out of the premium cigar business. Unless the brand is bought by someone, and, considering the history and branding were so intimately tied to the Bailey family I don’t see it happening, I fear the brand is dead. It’s a shame. Cornelius and Señor Esugars toros have been two of my favorite cigars over the past 3 years. The Gent, Venganza and Meridian are really good cigars. Daddy Mac never really did it for me, and the Mistress is the only cigar that ever made me barf. I hope that Espinosa recycles the blends and someone lets me know what the Señor Esugars blend becomes, because I absolutely love that cigar! Now I have to ration out the last box I have, as well as the Cornelius Toros and handful of Lonsdales! Adios Cornelius and Anthony! We saw the writing on the wall…stock up while you can. 

 

On to a newer cigar! This week I stopped in to CigarCigars in Downingtown, PA to see Kevin, the manager there. Kevin asked me if I knew anything about the CigarMedics Humidimeter, and, whattayknow, I do happen to know about it! I went over to demonstrate it to him. We talked about the relative merits of the Humidimeter, I shared my experiences and knowledge, and he felt like he could find some good uses for it in the shop and ordered one. This was on a Thursday evening, and he received it the next day! Talk about great service. If you look in the right hand sidebar on this site, you’ll notice that there is now an ad there for CigarMedics, so if you find that you’d like more information, or want to get one for yourself, there’s a quick and easy way to get there! Welcome CigarMedics to the CigarCraig family! Like I said, I went to CigarCigars, and I picked up a couple cigars I hadn’t smoked before. One of them was the Warzone, the collaboration between Espinosa and General Cigar Co. I got the 5½” x 52 Robusto. This is made at the La Zona factory with a Cameroon wrapper from General Cigar (who has used amazing Cameroon wrapper on cigars for years, Partagas come immediately to mind), and it being distributed by General. I’ve been anxious to try this cigar, I’m a fan of Cameroon, a lot of the La Zona (see above), and a lot of General, so this cigar had a lot going for it out of the gate. I was encouraged by the Humidimeter readings off the shelf, Kevin does a good job keeping the stock in the store right. It’s a humidified store, no small feat. The Warzone was much as I expected, nutty “Camerooniness”, medium bodied, smooth and delicious. I have another that I’m looking forward to smoking (thank you Kevin!) and really concentrating on, I was busy talking and in a store, one can’t completely concentrate on a cigar that way. I picked up a couple of Black Label Trading Company Morphines while I was there too, a great corona gorda (I smoked one last night, great flavor, the draw got snug, I noticed a gob of tar on the head. Fortunately it didn’t touch my lips or tongue. I wiped it off and the draw opened up! I hate that liquid tar build up. if it hits your mouth you’re done!). The also have some of the Dunbarton Tobacco And Trust line there. 

 

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

 

CigarCraig

 

 

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Punch, CAO, La Gloria, Macanudo Goodies Contest Winner

I smoked a handful of great cigars since we spoke last, but I just enjoyed most of them without giving them much thought. I did pick up a handy new gadget that I heard about on KMA Talk Radio last week, called the Poke and Smoke. it’s a handy tool on a key ring that has poke and smoketwo little prongs you can impale your cigar with and smoke it without burning your fingers. It was an impulse buy, and resembles the little handles one pokes into the ends of your corn on the cob to hold it with, and I’ve used it twice now and it works fine. I did notice that it stinks the next day, so I suppose I’ll have to keep tabs on that.  Anyway, I bought a couple and the winner of the contest may find one in with the goodies from General Cigar Co. courtesy of your’s truly.  Before we get to the winner, here’s a little news from General Cigar Co. about their new Cohiba release:

COHIBA BLUE

The world’s finest tobaccos create the most enduring experiences. Cohiba Blue is indeed the cigar for all who desire to live the good life.

Cohiba has always been synonymous with luxury smoking experiences. The brand’s latest collection, Cohiba Blue, takes this to an entirely different level by introducing the notion of inclusive luxury.

Andres Maturen, brand manager of Cohiba said, “With Cohiba Blue, we present collection that speaks to the ethos of the Cohiba brand. Made with a curated selection of tobaccos, handcrafted by renowned artisans, and created for all those who seek the indulgence of a fine cigar, Cohiba Blue symbolizes a life well lived.”

cohibablue_open_left_hrThe Cohiba blending team created a velvety, medium-bodied cigar with a rich, complex taste and enticing aroma. To achieve the desired flavor, they began with a silky, rosado-hued Honduran Olancho San Agustin (OSA) wrapper and took a unique approach by selecting Honduran OSA for the binder as well. The layered wrapper-binder deepens the smoking experience and imparts subtle, earthy notes. The blend consists of Honduran Jamastran, Nicaraguan Ometepe and Dominican Piloto Cubano to provide hints of cocoa and caramel, with a light touch of sweetness. The unique, three-country blend represents the world’s most revered tobacco growing regions and delivers a sophisticated, memorable smoke.

The cigars are protected hand-painted bright blue wooden boxes, each containing 20 flawlessly handcrafted cigars.

Churchill (7.5 X 50); SRP per cigar is $10.99

Robusto (5.5 X 50); SRP per cigar is $9.99

Rothschild (4.5 X 50); SRP per cigar $8.99

Toro (6 X 54); SRP per cigar is $10.49

 

ContestMore on the Cohiba Blue in the coming weeks, but you want to know who won the goodies!  The random number generator spit out the number 23, which corresponds with Olie. It turns out Olie is a very long time reader, and a guy I met face to face at a herf in Reno back in 2009, and had “known” for years before that on the old alt.smokers.cigars Usenet group! Congrats Ted, er…Olie, please send your address so I can get this stuff out your way!

 

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

 

CigarCraig

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Happy New Year Contest! CAO Flathead Steel Horse Apehanger

You know I can’t resist getting one more contest in!  CAO‘s Flathead line has been a favorite of mine since they came out, and I thought it was great, although a bit strange, that the V660 Carb got the number three spot on Cigar Aficionado’s top 25 of 2015.  While I like them all, I think the V554 or V450 are a bit more to my liking, it’s awesome that they get the recognition they deserve for this blend.  Rick Rodriguez is a great guy, with some great stories, and nailed it with the Flathead blend in my humble opinion.  This year they added a motorcycle theme to the Flathead line with the Steel Horse Apehanger and Bullneck, with two  major differences, these are offered in the round as opposed to being severely box pressed, and they have a Connecticut Habano Osciuro wrapper as opposed to the Connecticut Broadleaf of the original line. I dig the Steel Horse just about as much as the box pressed line, which is why I held on to this box of Steel Horse Apehanger for a special Happy New Year giveaway! The Apehanger is 5½” x 58, has the aforementioned Connecticut Habano Oscuro wrapper, a Brazilian Arapiraca binder and Honduran, Nicaraguan, and Dominican long-fillers. This is a box of 18 cigars, that still have the distinctive flat head, which in my experience is best handled with a large diameter bullet punch.  Thank you, once again, to Victoria at General Cigar Co. for coming up big with this one!

 

SteelHorse_LR

 

The rules are the same as always, leave a comment to enter. If you won in the 12 Spectacular Days of Cigar Giveaways, please give everyone else a chance. You must be over 18 to win.  I will select a winner at random on Sunday, January 3, 2016, so there’s plenty of time to sober up after New Years Eve and type a comment!

 

Thank you all for helping me through 2015, and I wish you all a prosperous and healthy 2016!

 

Until 2016,

 

CigarCraig

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