Tag Archives: Gurkha

by | July 7, 2013 · 9:46 am

4th of July Weekend Cigars: Alec Bradley, Hoyo, Gurkha, La Gloria and Another Alec Bradley

AB_ AmericanClassicWe had a pretty low key 4th of July celebration. All our kids and grandkids were over and we grilled and stuff for the afternoon. Before everyone got here I started the day with an Alec Bradley American Classic Robusto. I pick up a few of these on occasion because they are a really solid, versatile cigar. They are inexpensive, smooth, tasty and well made. I enjoy them and they are a great cigar to give to an occasional smoker, which I did not have the opportunity to do, I smoked it myself.

 

HoyodeMonterrey_ChurchillAfter everyone left it was time to break into the special occasion humidor and pick out a celebratory cigar. I selected a Havana Hoyo de Monterrey Churchill which was given to me several years ago with the proviso that it might be plugged, and if it was, ditch it and smoke something else (he had also given me a back-up). Unfortunately,  I failed to bring a backup along, and the cigar was horribly plugged and I fought with it for my entire walk. The really annoying part was that the little bit of flavor I was able to coax out of the cigar was pretty darned tasty, and I wanted it, I wanted it bad!  I usually keep it to myself when a cigar is this flawed, but considering the manufacturer, I don’t feel too bad being critical when the situation calls for it.

 

HdM_Epi2I wasn’t going to be defeated, so I went back to the humidor and selected a much more recent production Hoyo de Monterrey Epicure No 2. Ah, success. This is about the same size the Churchill would have been by the time I returned from my walk had it not been plugged. This Robusto (or is it a Hermoso No. 4? I forget) burned as well as a Cuban cigar can be expected to burn and had the flavor that the Churchill had teased me with. I’m firmly a believer that there are many cigars that are much better than Cubans but I enjoy the different flavor that only Cuban cigars have and have smoked at least on on the 4th of July for so many years its a tradition. It’s a combination of celebrating our wedding anniversary and the little bit of civil disobedience that this country was founded on that keeps me doing it.

 

Gurkha_CellarReserve_ChrurchillFriday we  were running some errands and found ourselves going through Maple Glen, PA, (near Ambler).  We spied a place called “Black Wolfman Tobacco” and felt compelled to visit. This is a little shop that has a couple cabinet humidors along one wall, and they roll your own and cigarettes behind the counter. The selection was sparse, but reasonably priced. I grabbed a couple Perdomo 10th Anniversary Maduro Robusto for about $5.25 each. When we got home it was hot, so I grabbed a Gurkha Cellar Reserve Churchill and got in the pool. I like a large cigar for pool smoking, it just seems easier for some reason. I’ve smoked a bunch of these and it’s a nice, smooth smoke.  I like these as the first cigar of the day because it’s on the mild side. I had an ulterior motive in picking this out besides it’s inherent pool-worthiness.

 

Gurkha_Cellar Reserve_MaduroMy Friday evening walk featured a new cigar from Gurkha, a Cellar Reserve with a maduro wrapper. I’m sure that Oliver Hyams, marketing director with Gurkha, told me what the wrapper  was when he gave me this last week at Cigarnival, but I’ve forgotten and I’ll update this when I receive the information. I want to say it’s either a San Andreas or Connecticut Broadleaf as that’s what it tasted like to me. Great smoke! This cigar is right up my alley. It’s got that coffee/espresso that I like along with a little sweetness.  Something sticks in my head about Brazilian Arpiraca, but I may be confusing that with the wrapper on the Ghost, which this tastes nothing like. (note: I confirmed with Oliver Hyams at Gurkha, it was Brazilian Arapiraca!) I am certain that this will be released at next weeks IPCPR show, so this is a little preview. I suggest giving it a try when it comes out, because it’s darned tasty! It even has a curly little pigtail cap.

 

Alec Bradley_Nica Puro RobustoThis is getting a little long for a holiday weekend, but I had a lot more time to smoke!  Saturday I had another La Gloria Cubana Rabitos de Cochino. I see more of these in my future, the price to quality ratio is off the charts. Later I decided to give the new Alec Bradley Nica Puro a try. Now this is my kind of cigar! My  initial thought is that it’s reminiscent of an Undercrown, it’s got that similar heavy body and lush flavor. I found that I had not eaten enough dinner as if it had been a longer cigar than a robusto it may have gotten the best of me. This is a cigar that’s on the stronger side, to be sure. I loved this smoke and appreciate Jonathan Lipson passing these to me last week, as I had been looking forward to trying them. There’s not a lot of Alec Bradley cigars that I don’t enjoy, but this one goes to the top of the list.

 

That’s enough for today, have some things to get done around the house and some sitting in the pool to do this afternoon. I have to pick out some cigars for today to wrap up the long weekend. Five more days of work and then it’s off to Vegas! Until the next time,

 

CigarCraig

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by | July 3, 2013 · 11:08 pm

A Gurkha, a Couple More Villiger NicaRomas, a Leccia Black and a Guest Cigar Review

Gurkha_GhostIt’s the eve of Independence Day, and I have a four day weekend ahead of me.  Then it’s five long work days before heading to Vegas for the IPCPR show.  I’ll be throwing out videos and photos from the show as wireless access allows.  We are looking forward to bringing unique content from the show.  Gee, I hope there’s something new and interesting there to see!  Anyway, I smoked a few cigars this week. starting with a Gurkha Ghost Asura (6″x52) Sunday evening.  This is a cigar that was released at last years IPCPR show, and has a Brazilian Arapiraca Maduro wrapper.  I picked this cigar up a few weeks ago at Señor Juan’s Cigars in Belmar, NJ.  It being New Jersey, it was not inexpensive!  Anyway, this is a heck of a nice cigar.  It burned very nicely and had a pleasing flavor with some coffee flavors. The website notes cinnamon in the profile, which I didn’t get, but will look for the next time I smoke one.  In truth, I’ve only ever gotten cinnamon once in a cigar, and that was a Havana Bolivar Coronas Gigantes many years ago which was gifted to me by my friend Bruce at a party at my house.  I can still remember smoking it in the house and looking at it in amazement. This was many years ago! Anyway, The Ghost was a nice cigar, and the holographic band is pretty darned cool.

Villiger_NicaRoma_HabanoMonday evening I grabbed the Villiger NicaRoma Habano for my evening walk.  Once again, this is a budget cigar made with 60% long filler and 40% picadura (scraps).   This one, as the name implies, has a Habano wrapper. One would never know this is a mixed filler cigar as it burned well and, with a V-cut, it didn’t leave scraps in the mouth.  It’s a solidly medium cigar that has a nice flavor and is a pleasure to smoke.  I think I liked this as much as the Maduro I smoked last week.

Villiger_NicaRoma_CT

Tuesday I selected the Villiger NicaRoma Connecticut, similar to the above cigar, but with a Honduras grown Connecticut wrapper. Like it’s siblings, this isn’t a pretty cigar, just a solid mild to medium cigar with a decent flavor.  I enjoyed this one quite a bit,  I would rank this third after the Maduro and Habano, but that’s just my personal preference.  These all have Nicaraguan fillers and binders, with the only difference being the wrapper.  Nice, smooth, flavorful cigars that won’t break the bank. Try them if you see them.

Recently I send some of these to a reader who left a comment that prompted me to declare a spontaneous contest.  Agent86 smoked a couple of the cigars, including the Villiger NicaRoma Maduro and was kind enough to send a review.  So Agent86 is now an honorary Craig for the day, here’s his thoughts on the Maduro:

Agent 86 reporting from a top secret assignment.  Recently I had the pleasure of trying a couple of smokes courtesy of our own CigarCraig.  This was a pleasant surprise and the smokes were different enough to draw me out of my semi-retirement to report on them.

 

First up is the NicaRoma Maduro from Villiger.  I know Craig recently reviewed these on here, but I want to see if I had any impressions different than his.  This was a Toro with a Mexican San Andreas Maduro wrapper and Nicaraguan binder and filler.  Craig has more information in his write up about the actual make of this cigar.

 

Villiger_NicaRoma_ToroAfter unwrapping the cigar I took the time to feel and smell it.  The feel of the cigar is really loose, almost too much so for my preference.  The smell was actually very non-descript without anything in particular to set it apart.  After lighting it produced a dark grey and black ash that flaked and crumbled quite frequently.  The cigar also was prone to going out in the first half requiring three relights.

 

One thing that is very unusual to my tastes with this cigar is that it actually seemed more like two cigars.  The first half was a medium flavor, medium strength cigar with a lot of bitterness and kind of a “tarry” flavor to it.  Not altogether good or bad, just kind of uninspiring.  The second half is a different story.  After the halfway point the cigar started to really open up and the flavors expanded.  The bitterness I detected faded down to a tolerable level and there were some really good flavors with just a bit of spice.  The really strange part was that the strength increased too.  By the time I got down to the last couple inches it was actually pretty strong and left me feeling more than a bit light-headed.

 

I’m not positive on what the pricing on these would be around where I live, if they were available, but as a budget cigar it would work for a pleasant change of pace.  If it came out at 7 bucks or higher though I think I would stick with a Gran Habano #3.  This is a competent budget smoke, but not something I think will ever replace any of my regulars.

Thank you to Agent86 for sharing his experience with that, and considering his second review, I chose to smoke a Leccia Black myself tonight. It’s a unique smoke, for sure.  The example I smoked was a bit tighter than I would like, but it still had the smoky, barbecue flavor that the “Darkfire” tobacco that is featured in this cigar. This is a nice smoke, and I have one more that I’ll let rest for a while.  Here’s what AgentCraig86 had to say:

 

The second cigar that I would like to review is the Leccia Tobacco Black, also courtesy of CigarCraig.  This, as was mentioned on here, is part of the new line from Sam Leccia, Black and White.  I have had mixed impressions of Sams cigars in the past when he was working for his previous employers, so I really didn’t know what to expect.

 

The Black Robusto I picked out had a nice firm construction and the “cow pasture” smell I expect from a good stronger flavored cigar with the added boost of a smoky odor that was particularly pleasant.  The cigar lit well, burned evenly and had a nice grey ash that held together 3/4 of the length of the smoke.

 

LecciaBlack_RobustoThe flavors started out pleasant, but not anything really different from any other medium/full flavor cigar.  After the first couple inches though things really changed.  A nice strong smoky flavor similar to that of good barbecue or a pleasant campfire started to make itself known.  This flavor continued all the way to the end of the cigar and remained on the taste buds even after the cigar was done.  The strength of the smoke never went beyond medium for me, but the flavors stayed nice and strong, but never overpowering.  It was so pleasant I was able to smoke this cigar far past where I normally would have.  Also, something was different about the cigars construction since it never became too hot for my fingers or lips.  I guess all the time rolling Nubs gave Sam a few extra tricks for helping someone squeeze out those last few minutes of cigar enjoyment.

 

If this cigar becomes available locally and isn’t too expensive I could easily see it becoming one of my regular smokes.

 

Reporting from parts unknown, Agent 86 is out.

Once again, thanks to Agent86 for sharing his experiences with us.  I’m always happy to include reviews from readers, especially on prizes they won here, even if it was an impromptu contest I made up on the spot.  There are rumors of some pretty good contests coming on the horizon, so stay tuned! Also, if you’re shopping this weekend, take a look at BestCigarPrices.com, they have a special  page with some specials for CigarCraig.com readers.

That’s it for now, please try not to blow anything up this weekend!  Keep it safe and smoke a bunch of great cigars!  I’ll be enjoying a cookout tomorrow with family and will smoke something exceptional after they’ve left (I make a point to wait until the grandchildren leave before sitting down to enjoy a smoke).  My wife and I also celebrate our wedding anniversary on July 4th, so Happy Anniversary to my greatest supporter.

Until the next time,

CigarCraig

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by | June 9, 2013 · 9:43 am

A La Musa, a Wicked Indie, a Chinnock Cellars and a Prototype

LaMusa_RobustoThursday turned into a rainy evening, and I would have liked to have gotten to a fairly local shop for an event, but I couldn’t manage the energy to get out the door. I took the dog for a quick walk and then settled into my chair in the garage and fired up a La Musa Robusto from Emilio Cigars. This is the first of the re-named version of this cigar I’ve sampled, and it’s every bit as good as the numerous Grimalkin cigars I’ve enjoyed. You may recall that this was re-branded last year, but it remains a terrific smoke.  There’s a complexity and subtlety in this cigar that I appreciate, bright flavors dance around the palate. This was a very enjoyable, finger-burner that really hit the spot.

Gurkha_Wicked Indie_ToroEast India Trading Company is the oldest trademark in the world.  It was purchased a a few years ago by Gurkha Cigars, under which they’ve released some wallet friendly marques, the first of which being the Wicked Indie.  This has been out for a few years and I just got around to picking a few up on my recent visit to Señor Juan‘s in Belmar, NJ.  This was a very enjoyable cigar for me, it was right up the middle as far as strength goes and had nice flavor.  I enjoyed this one while sitting in the garage watching it pour rain.  Sorry, it’s just too much work walking the dog with an umbrella and a cigar.  The dog got a brief walk then I sat down for my smoke.

ChinnockCellars_Terroire_torpSaturday afternoon the rain had stopped and I hit the pavement with a Chinnock Cellars Terroir torpedo which was a gift from @MattSRoss81 when I met him a few months ago.  This is a nice looking cigar from a California wine company of the same name.  It has a neat pewter looking metal band that slid off with a little effort so as not to damage the wrapper. These were blended by Willie Herrera and manufactured at El Titan de Bronze in Miami.  The cigar is nicely built with a light Ecuador wrapper and burned dead even and drew perfectly with only a small snip off the torpedo head.  This is a buttery smooth cigar, and it was a very nice companion for a nice, although overcast afternoon. Thanks again Matt!

WH_Cuadrado_PrototypeAfter a nice dinner of some big ol’ barbecue ribs and corn on the cob, I flossed and decided one Willie Herrera blended cigar wasn’t enough for one day, so I dug out a cigar that I received on my recent Cigar Safari trip.  This was a prototype of a box pressed cigar Willie’s working on, and I have to say it’s a winner. I hope this one makes it into production because as good as the Herrera Esteli is, and it’s very good, I think I liked this better.  The cuadrado press on this 6″ x 50 cigar was very comfortable to smoke as it was rectangular as opposed to square, but not quite tongue depressor thin. The V-cut I gave it was about perfect for the available real estate on the cap and I got a great draw down until I burned my fingers.  It was buttery smooth and loaded with flavor.  Considering my penchant for stronger cigars, this, along with the Chinnock Cellars, were medium bodied, smooth cigars that I really, really enjoyed!

Humidor Update

AdoriniHumidor3I filled it.  I probably could have given it another week, but it looked and felt right so I loaded it up with a selection of La Gloria Cubanas, some Foundrys, a few Macanudo 1968s and a handful of OpusX (just to mix it up a little). I got at least 40 large cigars in there and it appears to be holding steady humidity.  So far, I’ve taken the hygrometer at face value, I may drop a digital unit in just to check it.  I will leave it alone for a couple of weeks and smoke something out of it and really get an idea how its working.  I remain impressed with the Adorini humidor. I like everything about it so far.  One interesting features of this humidor is that it came with plastic label holders that snap on the dividers so one can identify ones inventory. I suppose this would be handy if you had various unbanded cigars, but the dividers, in my opinion, are too short. I have cigars stacked three deep, and the dividers only come up to the second layer.  The system is clever with the slotted interior that not only allows for flexible placement of the dividers, but also increases the airflow by providing channels around the cigars. More to come.

That’s it for today, time to get out there and enjoy this nice Sunday.

Until the next time,

CigarCraig

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by | May 26, 2013 · 10:58 am

A Room 101 Event and a Few Cigars on a Saturday Afternoon and Local News

Room101MNamakubiEcuadorFriday after work I shot down to Old Havana Cigars in West Chester, PA. They were having a Room 101 event and Matt Booth was there, along with the Davidoff rep who prefers to retain his anonymity so we’ll call him “Tom Smith”. I was disappointed that they only had the Serie SA in the 6×60 size, as I had wanted to get some more of those, but Matt talked me into the new Namakubi Ecuador in the Ranfla size, which is a 6.5 x 50 perfecto. Now, it’s no easy feat getting this cheap SOB to spring $10 for a cigar. I find that every time I come back from a cigar factory visit, my price threshold seems to go up a little as my education and appreciation for the work that goes into making these things. It turns out that this cigar was well worth the investment, and I’m glad I got two (and a pair of Ecuador Papi Chulos and a SA). The cigar MattBooth_CVburned perfectly, drew perfectly and had spectacular flavor. I enjoyed the heck out of the cigar while hanging out in the front of the store watching the antics of some of the regulars and talking with “Tom”. The lounge in the back of the store was packed, so I didn’t even venture back there. I also had the good fortune of meeting Evan, of TheSmokinGreek.com, another blogger who I recently discovered lived in my area. I had a great time, the events at Old Havana are always a hoot. If you ever find yourself in south-east PA, stop in, and as Tony the owner says: “just buy your cigars and get the f*** out!”. It’s always a pleasure hanging with Matt, he’s a character and a hell of a good guy.

 

Gurkha_BeautyXOSaturday I spent the afternoon hanging around my patio with my childhood friend, Jeff, smoking cigars and shooting the bull. I started with a Gurkha Beauty XO (6” x 60) that was a hand out at the grand opening of the Cigars International store in Hamburg, PA last November.  Jeff enjoys the occasional cigar, and prefers milder ones when he smokes, so I set him up with one of my favorites, the Joya de Nicaragua Cabinetta. I enjoy the heck out of that cigar, and I think it’s educational as well.  The two inches of Nicaraguan leaf on the head of the cigar gives a totally different mouth feel than the Ecuador Connecticut leaf and is a great way to illustrate how the wrapper changes the entire cigar.  I enjoyed the Gurkha, it was a mild and smooth cigar, and had a nice flavor.  For the first cigar of the day this one wasn’t bad.  After we finished with these, round two featured a CAO Concert Roadie for me, and a Rocky Patel Edge Candela for him.  I figured (correctly) that he had never had a green cigar, and thought it would be a good continuation of his education.  I chose the CAO_ConcertConcert because we were talking and I wanted a solid, flavorful and familiar cigar that I didn’t really have to pay attention to.  I have had occasions in the past when a particularly good cigar distracts me from personal interaction.  Not to say that the Concert isn’t particularly good, it is, but I’ve smoked enough of them that I know what to expect.  Despite the breezy day (it was only in the 60s, which is disappointing  for Memorial Day weekend) my cigars burned straight and well.  Jeff had some problems with the candela, but that probably wasn’t the wind’s fault, I’ve had crooked burns with candela cigars plenty in the past.  It was nice to spend an afternoon catching up with an old friend and smoking some nice cigars.  For those who care, I enjoyed a Vernors Ginger Soda with the Gurkha, and an IBC Rootbeer with the CAO.

 

News Update (addded 05/27)

Of local interest, and perhaps only of interest to me,  The West Chester PA shop, G & G Cigars was recently sold to the Cigar Cigars chain of stores in SouthEastern PA.  This will increase the CigarCigars chain to seven stores, including a store in Freehold, NJ (which used to be the brick and mortar side of Firehouse Cigars, which was an early online cigar seller). According the Doug Gianforte, who owned the shop along with his wife, Jan, they will be closing the deal tomorrow and all of the employees are staying on, except for he and his wife, obviously.  I will miss running into Doug and Jan at the IPCPR show (where I seem to see them more than I do at the shop). I will be interested to see what changes, if anything, at the shop.

 

That’s all I got for now, it’s another beautiful day out, and tomorrow is Memorial Day, so spare a moment to smoke a fine cigar in remembrance of all those who gave their lives so that we can sit around smoking cigars!

 

Until the next time,

CigarCraig

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by | March 31, 2013 · 1:40 pm

Gurkhas and Nubs, ORTSACS and La Palinas – Cigars and Hockey

Today is Easter Sunday here, and we had the family over for breakfast. Not that I would normally have a cigar in the morning, but I usually spend my Sunday mornings writing, so that’s why today’s post is a bit later than usual.  I will, no doubt, have a cigar later today when things settle down.  It may not surprise you to know that I managed to smoke a cigar or  two this week, here’s the rundown. The last part of the week was kind of a blur, so I’ll do the best I can. I stuck with some favorites, I needed a change of pace.

Gurkha_SeductionThursday I went to the Flyers game with my brother-in-law, Jeff.  On the drive down we fired up a couple Gurkha Seduction robustos.  This is a cigar that really suits me.  I love the flavor of this Ecuador Habano wrapped cigar, and it’s perfectly made.  I’ve been using nothing but my new Xikar XV cutter since I got it, and the V cut worked perfectly. It was a delicious cigar that perfectly fit the hour long drive from home to the Wells Fargo Center in Philly.  I would have preferred it if the Flyers had won, they blew a 2 goal lead then Nub464T_Cameroonlost in a shoot out against the Islanders.  After the game we retired to the cigar bar once again. I find sometimes my time is better spent having a cigar there as opposed to sitting in traffic.  I had a couple Nub 464Ts in my pocket and I smoked a Cameroon.  I hadn’t thought about it when I grabbed these, but I only had the V cutter. As it works out, the V cut on the torpedo wasn’t terrible, and it worked out OK on this tasty Cameroon wrapped cigar.  The 464T is not a short smoke, we left about thirty minutes into the cigars and they just about lasted the drive back home.

 

ORTSAC_1962_HabanoFriday I took a walk with an ORTSAC 1962 Habano.  This is a cigar that was gifted to me by Victor Vitale, cigar maker, importer & distributor a few months ago.  It came in a neat little box with another Habano and two of the San Andreas varieties. It’s no secret that I adore the San Andreas, as a matter of fact, I will be on a mission to get some more of those in the near future.  The Habano is no slouch either.  It has a wonderful flavor and construction, and really works for me.  Here’s a suggestion to Victor: package the Habano and San Andreas in either boxes of ten with five of each, and/or boxes of twenty with ten of each.  I don’t know about anyone else, but that would make ME extremely happy, because now I’m not really sure if I like one better than the other!  If I had both I could continue to argue this point with myself. Please let me know when and where these will be available! 🙂

 

Saturday afternoon my wife an I went to the Flyers game again, this time they beat the Bruins in regulation. (short side note:  At the beginning of every game they bring five kids out to stand with the players during the singing of the Star Spangled Banner. There was one little kid, couldn’t have been more than six, who could barely stand on his skates  Kudos to defenseman Bruno Gervais for holding this kids hand while he was out there. Seems like a little thing, but this little act of kindness was the highlight of the game for me. Well done Bruno!) Circumstances prevented us from attending the unveiling of a statue of Bobby Clarke and Bernie Parent hoisting the  Stanley Cup after they won it in 1974, which is in front of the Xfinity Live entertainment/dining complex adjacent to the Wells Fargo Center. Also, due to some logistics, as well as the onset of a migraine, we decided to forgo the usual cigar bar visit and head home after the game.  After getting home and medicating, I took the La Palina El Diario Robustodog, and a cigar for a walk.  I selected a La Palina El Diario robusto and gave it a snip with the Xikar XV.  I am loving this cutter more and more every time I use it.  Anyway, this is another nice, Habano wrapped cigar made in Honduras.  It performed quite well, although the draw seemed to tighten up as the cigar burned.  I gave it another cut with the V cutter, making an X which opened it up a little.  By that time I was just about through with it anyway, but it was a great smoke.  The meds I take for migraines can sometimes space me out a little, but the walk along with the cigar took my mind off, and by the time I was done with the cigar, the headache was pretty much gone and I was left with the fatigue which comes along with whole experience.  I enjoy the El Diario line, although I find that they aren’t exactly priced like a “Daily” cigar in my world.  The Classic and the Maduro are also excellent smokes, however I have not had any experience with the initial line of La Palina cigars, which are priced well out of my comfort zone.  As I said, the cigars I have smoked are great, and you can’t beat the people in the company, great bunch of folks!

 

Don’t forget the promo codes currently available for you to use at these two sites:

You can use the code “MPCGRS10” on CigarFromBrazil.com to get %10 off any purchase on the site. The Monte Pascoal cigars are very nice.

ItalianSmokes.com has a special offer code for you, it’s CIGCRAIG10 and will get you 10% off your purchase of their selection of Toscano style cigars.

 

That’s it for today!  Whatever way you are celebrating the day, enjoy yourself.  I know I’m going to go ritually sacrifice some tobacco this afternoon.

 

Until the next time,

CigarCraig

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